The legendary actor Amjad Khan who played the role of Hindi Cinema’s ultimate villain Gabbar Singh is still touted as the scariest character of Bollywood. Undoubtedly, no one else could have played the role better than Amjad Khan. His expression, dialogue delivery, and body language are still imitated by people but surely there’s no replacement to the original Gabbar.
However, his acting skills and abilities were not only limited to the role of Sholay’s dacoit. Throughout his career, he has portrayed various roles that made him a superstar. As today i.e. 12th November is the birth anniversary of the iconic Hindi Cinema hero, let’s take a look at 4 iconic roles played by Actor Amjad Khan:
Sholay (1975)
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The film Sholay will always be an unforgettable and irreplaceable part of Hindi Cinema mainly because of its characters. Although Gabbar was the villain, the whole story was based on his evil intentions and the bad guy that he was. Dialogues like “Kitne aadmi the?” and “Tera kya hoga Kaaliya” seem so usual and yet if you imagine him saying these words you will feel the weight added to the words.
Interestingly, Amjad Khan wasn’t even the first choice for the makers as they thought he lacked the voice quality required by the character. Well, who could have thought that one day he would make the character come alive on the screens.
Shatranj ke Khiladi (1977)
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Directed by the ace filmmaker Satyajit Ray, this film was set in the British annexation of Avadh. Amjad Khan played the role of Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Avadh. He portrays the story of a king who relinquishes his crown to the British.
The way he enacts all distressed is a performance to remember for ages. A king who fears bloodshed of his people hands over his kingdom to the British, Amjad Khan gave a spectacular performance.
Yaarana (1981)
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Although Amjad Khan and Amitabh Bachchan have acted together in a countless number of movies, this one was special as it portrayed the story of 2 friends who could do anything for each other. The song from the movie Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan is still remembered as an iconic number from the film.
The story of two friends Kishan and Bishen is a lovely saga of friendship between two individuals from different backgrounds but having an unbreakable emotional bond. Although Amitabh is great at his part, Amjad Khan is quite a performer here.
Kaalia (1981)
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Playing a typical villain of Bollywood, Amjad Khan was an expert at such roles and he proves it with the role of Sahani Seth in Kaalia. Although the lead role played by Amitabh Bachchan is a good guy seeking vengeance from the evil boss, Amjad, in spite of playing the villain, draws the audience attention reasonably well.
The role of Amjad Khan shows him as an evil businessman who is greedy and is involved in various illegal activities. Even with Amitabh’s ace acting, Amjad Khan impresses with his cruel yet gripping dialogue delivery.
