"The film industry has not given him what he deserved," filmmaker David Dhawan wrote in a column published in a leading daily for Kader Khan, with whom he has collaborated on multiple films including Bol Radha Bol, Coolie No.1, Hero No.1 and Haseena Maan Jaayegi. Kader Khan died after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Toronto in Canada on December 31. Actors including Amitabh Bachchan, Rishi Kapoor and Anupam Kher apart from Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered 'one of the finest actors' after his death while several other celebrities reiterated Mr Dhawan's words - the fact that Mr Khan didn't get his due credit in the film industry.
Born to a Pashtun family in Kabul, Afghanistan, Mr Khan was educated in a municipal school and graduated from Mumbai's Ismail Yusuf College. An avid reader and a film-buff, Mr Khan made his debut in Bollywood with Daag in 1973 and subsequently appeared in over 300 films and also wrote the story or dialogues for more than 250 films in Hindi and Urdu, starting with Roti in 1974.
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File photo of Kader Khan and David Dhawan[/caption]
"People thought he wrote great comedies, but the kind of emotional (material) he wrote was unbelievable," Mr Dhawan wrote in his column for the daily, adding that Mr Khan "deserved to get a Padmashri award, but did not."
The filmmaker also added that Mr Khan was highly regarded in the South film industry as well. "He has also got (limited) awards from Bollywood. At a point, the South film industry was in his pocket. Every producer wanted to sign him. When he would land at the airport, four to five cars, full of producers, would be waiting for him," Mr Dhawan added.
Shakti Kapoor, Mr Khan's co-star of films Yaraana, Dhanwaan and Saajan Chale Sasuraal, told a leading daily that he is upset about the fact that the veteran actor is being remembered after his death - at a time when he isn't around to witness the ovation.
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Shakti Kapoor and Kader Khan[/caption]
"I have spent half my acting career with Kader Khan – we did over 100 films together, the maximum any two co-stars have done together. Now that he is gone, the film industry has been thinking about him. Why do people remember an actor when they are not alive? Why can’t they say something nice when the person is working or when they are sick or when they are struggling? They only start talking about an actor when they are no more and they are not around to hear it all," Mr Kapoor told the daily.
Mr Kapoor also added that he has lost several friends in the industry, who were also subject to the same fate as Mr Khan. "I am upset by this because I have lost many of my best friends in the industry who were lauded when they died but no one remembered them when they were alive. They were not spoken about, their achievements were not mentioned," he said, adding that "nobody was concerned" about Mr Khan when he kept himself away from work since he wasn't keeping well.
Meanwhile, the veteran actor's Parinda and Shatranj co-star Jackie Shroff told a daily that apart from being a legendary actor, Mr Khan also appraised his co-stars. "Not only was he a legendary actor and celebrated writer, but was also among the nicest human beings. He would advise youngsters to work hard, and always put his co-actors at the forefront," Mr Shroff told the daily.
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Jackie Shroff, Kader Khan and Mithun Chakraborty in a still from Shatranj[/caption]
Raveena Tandon, Mr Khan's co-star of films Dulhe Raja, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Ankhiyon Se Goli Maare, also shared memories of working with the veteran actor. "The kind of vivid roles that he played soon made me realise that no other man could make one laugh and feel fear at the same time, like Mr Khan could. I will cherish each moment spent with him," Raveena told the daily.
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Kader Khan and Raveena Tandon in a still from Dulhe Raja[/caption]
Kader Khan is also celebrated for his roles in the films Mr. Natwarlal, Zamaane Ko Dikhana Hai, Satte Pe Satta, Shahenshah, Judaai and Sooryavansham. His last rites were held in a Toronto cemetery on January 1.
