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Time of India
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Reason why legendary actor Ajit told his son to hide their bond: Shehzad Khan REVEALS!
(Picture Courtesy: Facebook) Actor Shehzad Khan has shared the hard truth about his father — the legendary villain Ajit — and how he was discouraged from using family ties to advance his acting career. Known for his suave menace and unforgettable 'Lion' persona in 1970s Hindi cinema, Ajit (born Hamid Ali Khan) ruled the silver screen. But at home, he set strict boundaries for his son's ambitions. This stands in stark contrast to today's widespread debate on nepotism, where star kids often benefit from insider access. 'Don't tell them I'm your father' Speaking to Lehren Retro, Shehzad candidly admitted, 'I never got any support from my father regarding my acting career.' Ajit, despite his towering influence, made it clear he wouldn't open industry doors for Shehzad — no recommendations, no introductions, and certainly no production offers. In fact, he even suggested Shehzad hide their father-son relationship. 'He told me he would never produce a film for me, nor refer me to any director or producer,' Shehzad recalled. A father's insecurity over legacy Why would a father with such clout refuse to help his own son? Shehzad offered an honest assessment: 'I think my father was a little insecure. He must have feared that if I didn't live up to his standards, it might tarnish his legacy.' Despite the absence of shortcuts, Shehzad persevered, eventually winning hearts with comic roles in 'Andaz Apna Apna' as Bhalla and appearing in films like 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' and 'Bharat'. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Killer New Toyota 4Runner Is Utter Perfection (Take A Look) MorninJoy Undo Kartik Aaryan: 'SRK Always Talks About My Films' 'Today, a director has to answer to a hundred people…' Beyond family, Shehzad also criticized the current state of Bollywood, pointing to corporate interference as the reason behind its creative slump. 'Today, a director has to answer to a hundred people before making a single decision,' he said. Praising the South Indian industry, Shehzad highlighted how their filmmakers retain creative freedom, allowing them to thrive without the burdens of bureaucracy. 'That's why they're succeeding — they haven't let corporate thinking take over filmmaking,' he concluded. On the other hand, Shehzad's previous outing was in the TV series 'Jassi King - The FAKR'. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
Time of India
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Forget Bollywood nepotism: Why this legendary film villain told his son to hide their bond?
In a world where star kids are often launched with grandeur and connections, one legendary Bollywood villain chose a completely different path. Ajit, the suave and sharp-tongued villain of 1970s cinema, who made 'Lion' a menacing nickname and captivated audiences with his trademark style, flat-out refused to help his own son enter the film industry. In a surprising revelation, Shehzad Khan — known for his comic timing in Andaz Apna Apna and presence in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak — shared how his father discouraged him from leveraging their relationship for a career in films. "Don't Tell Them I'm Your Father" Speaking to Lehren Retro , Shehzad revealed the hard truth behind his early struggle: 'I never got any support from my father regarding my acting career.' Ajit, born Hamid Ali Khan, was a towering figure in Bollywood's golden era, but when his son expressed a desire to follow suit, he laid down clear terms — no recommendations, no special introductions, not even an acknowledgment of their familial bond. 'He told me he would never produce a film for me, nor refer me to any director or producer. In fact, he preferred I hide our relationship altogether,' Shehzad recalled. In a time when nepotism dominates the debate around new talent, Ajit's decision stands as a rare act of professional detachment — or perhaps, paternal insecurity. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Alerta: Você tem zumbido no ouvido? Dica de ouro pode aliviar! Zumbido no ouvido Undo A Father's Fear: Legacy Over Lineage Why would a father with immense clout in the industry choose silence over support? Shehzad has a theory. 'I think my father was a little insecure,' he said. 'He must have feared that if I didn't live up to his standards, it might tarnish his legacy.' That fear didn't stop Shehzad from carving his own path. Despite the odds — and the absence of the usual star kid privileges — he made a name with memorable roles, including the comically clueless Bhalla in Andaz Apna Apna , and later, appearances in Bharat and other films. You Might Also Like: Is Salman Khan's loyalty to jobless friends costing the superstar his hits? 'Andaz Apna Apna' co-star Shehzad Khan speaks out Of Films and Freedom: A Stark Industry Divide Beyond family tales, Shehzad also offered sharp insights into the changing dynamics of Indian cinema. In his view, Bollywood's creative decay stems from corporate interference. 'Today, a director in Bollywood has to answer to a hundred people before making a single decision,' he lamented. 'These are people who haven't even attended film school or worked on a set. It's no longer about storytelling, it's about spreadsheets.' In contrast, Shehzad lauded filmmakers from the South Indian industry, attributing their growing success to creative freedom and lack of bureaucratic chains. 'Directors there are free to tell the stories they believe in. That's why they're succeeding — they haven't let corporate thinking take over filmmaking.' You Might Also Like: Samantha Ruth Prabhu's new glamorous look breaks the internet. What diet does she follow for her weight loss and glowing looks?
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
This Bollywood villain warned son not to tell people they were related, refused to help him become an actor: ‘He was insecure that…'
Born Hamid Ali Khan, actor Ajit is one of the most well-known villains from the golden period of Bollywood. Appearing in films like Kalicharan (1976), Zanjeer (1973), and Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973), he was famously the 'Lion' who was the bad guy in many films of the era. Soon it was his son Shehzad Khan's turn to walk in the footsteps of his father, who even mimicked his father's unique cadence in a couple of roles. But according to Shehzad, his father was not very supportive of his decision to become an actor and refused to help him in any way. One can only imagine the sway an actor like Ajit must have in the industry, yet he was determined that his son would have to make it on his own. While talking to Lehren Retro, Shehzad talked about his father's decision and said, 'I never got any support from my father regarding my acting career. When I told him that I want to be an actor, he told me that he is never going to make a film in order to launch me. He also told me that he was never going to refer me to any producer or director and would prefer if I kept my relationship with him under wraps.' ALSO READ: Amitabh Bachchan's bungalow Prateeksha didn't have windows or curtains when he first moved in with Jaya Bachchan: 'He was hardly ever there' He added, 'I think my father was a little insecure about me becoming an actor. He must have been afraid that if I don't perform to the standards set by him, it might ruin his name in the industry.' Shehzad said that he respected his father's wishes and would keep his relation with him a secret, unless someone guessed it from his name and address. He ultimately broke through the barrier and worked in films like Andaz Apna Apna (1994), Qayamat se Qayamat tak (1988) and Bharat (2019). The actor also talked about the boom of the southern films and shared his two cents about why Bollywood wasn't working as well as them. He said, 'It's all because of this corporate culture. It has seeped deep into the industry, and people are only concerned with the economics of a project rather than the story. A director in Bollywood has to answer to 100 people before making a decision, people who have never gone to a film school or assisted someone on the set. It's sad, but it is the truth.' He appreciated filmmakers and producers from the south and credited their recent success to the amount of freedom they have while working on a project. 'Directors from the south are free to do whatever they want. The corporate thinking has not cemented itself in the filmmaking process over there, and though we are all part of the same country, they are doing much better than us.'
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Zarina Wahab owns four houses, she could've divorced Aditya Pancholi if she wanted: Sooraj Pancholi on dad's infidelities
Actor Sooraj Pancholi admitted that an individual's personality takes shape when they're young, and that it depends almost entirely on their upbringing. Sooraj is the son of actors Zarina Wahab and Aditya Pancholi, but he was raised by his grandparents. In an interview, he spoke about his parents' tumultuous marriage, and said that his mother could've left his father had she wanted, as she's financially independent and owns four houses. But, he said, they have an 'arrangement' that he doesn't want to judge. Appearing on the Hindi Rush podcast, he was asked about his parents, and he said, 'I would love to be a father like my father, and I would love to be a partner like my mother…' He explained, 'She holds the whole family together, and she has really been through a lot because of us. I have never, ever seen her break down. She has never complained about anything.' Asked if it's a good thing to be an uncomplaining woman, Sooraj said, 'She's making her own money, she has never taken even one rupee from my father.' Also read – 'Aditya Pancholi heera hai': Zarina Wahab says husband known as a short-tempered man, but he was 'made to act like that' He continued, 'She's been acting since the age of 16; she's almost 65 now. She is self-made. She has four homes of her own. She doesn't come from money. If she wanted to leave, she could have done it long back. Sometimes, women don't leave because they don't have backup… She had a route to go to Hyderabad; she has a home in Bandra also. She has her mother's home in Bandra. She has four sisters, one of them is in America. She has four brothers. She could have left any time, but it's her decision to stay. I can't judge their arrangement.' He said that one of his father's best qualities is that he never stopped Zarina from working, and never interfered in her professional life. He did, however, engage in a public affair with Kangana Ranaut, whom he groomed from a young age. In an interview with Nayandeep Rakshit recently, Zarina had said, 'I used to feel a little bad when I used to read affair rumours, but then I also laughed at them. I don't care what he does outside, but when he enters the house, he is an excellent father and husband. And that's all matters to me. I would have felt bad if only he brought his affairs home. A lot of men have affairs and still run a family. If I will start taking these things too seriously, and start fighting over it then I will suffer. I don't want to suffer, I love myself.' In an interview with Lehren Retro, Zarina spoke about Kangana, who, according to her, dated her husband for four-and-half years after meeting in 2004, when Kangana was 18. She said, 'I was always nice to Kangana. She often visited my home. He was very nice to her. I don't know what went wrong. I just can tell that I saw what he couldn't and eventually that happened.'
India Today
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Raveena Tandon on alleged feud with Karisma Kapoor: It was classroom politics
Raveena Tandon and Karisma Kapoor's alleged catfight on the sets of 'Andaaz Apna Apna' and 'Aatish' is a story often brought up by Bollywood celebrities on talk shows. In her recent vlog with Farah Khan, Raveena addressed the rumours, referring to the incident as 'classroom politics,' explaining that both she and Karisma were 'kids at that time.'Raveena, who appeared on Farah's YouTube channel, confronted the filmmaker for speaking publicly about her fights with Karisma. She said, "You went everywhere and said that fights were happening on set. When did we fight? What did I do? I was sitting with dancers who were my friends, and they were sharing non-veg jokes."advertisementFarah responded and stated, "Now everyone's kids are going to the same school, and we keep meeting on annual days." The actor replied, "We were also kids at that time. We were 20-21 years old. It was classroom politics, and we had to face that." Farah had previously spoken about the incident during an episode of Koffee With Karan in 2007. When Karan Johar asked, "Which is the worst fight you have seen between two actresses?" Farah recalled, "I was once doing a song with Karisma Kapoor and Raveena Tandon, long ago, in a film called 'Aatish.' They were both having some kind of teenage spat. They were hitting each other with their wigs. They were wearing these wigs with plaits and beads in it. One was hitting, the other was stamping her foot with her heel. It was quite childish. I am sure they will laugh about it now."advertisementIn a recent interview with India Today, Aamir said, "We had a lovely time. Also, I have to say it was also a tough time because I was the only actor who used to come on time. Karisma aati thi toh Raveena chali jati thi. Bahut mushkil se woh film bani thi (Karisma used to come to shoot and leave, and then Raveena would come. It was a challenge to shoot it)."In one of her previous interviews with Lehren Retro, Raveena spoke about being replaced by Karisma in 'Sajan Chale Sasural.' She stated that, "I have always believed in healthy competition because that brings out the best in you. But I am not a cutthroat person, nobody can say Raveena got me removed from a project or Raveena refused to work with a newcomer. I have never done that kind of politics and groupism but others have blatantly done politics against me. I was supposed to do 'Saajan Chale Sasural' with David Dhawan and Govinda and they told me this later. I had even signed 'Vijaypath', I lost the film."Raveen and Karisma worked together in movies like 'Andaz Apna Apna' and 'Aatish.'Raveena was last seen in the show 'Karmma Calling', streaming on Watch IN THIS STORY#Raveena Tandon#Karisma Kapoor#Farah Khan
