Tragic Life: Complaints Kader Khan had from the industry he gave so much to

It is challenging to introduce this powerful actor-writer whose craft had augmented Indian cinema in ways more than one. He had penned some of the most heavy-weight dialogues we know of and delivered hilarious scenes that had us rolling on the floor. Hence, its heartbreaking to know that this masterful artist left the world with a heavy heart.

Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, Kader Khan had a father of Afghan origin and mother from Baluchistan. The family was settled in the Kamathipura neighborhood of Mumbai. He held a degree in engineering and was also working as a professor of civil engineering at M. H. Saboo Siddik College of Engineering when one day, unexpectedly, Bollywood happened.

It was Dilip Kumar who, being impressed with his performance in a play, signed him up for Sagina and Bairaag. His career as a film writer started when he co-wrote the script of the 1972 release Jawani Diwani for an amount of 1500. That was just the beginning of a career that continued till the turn of the 21st century, in which he penned dialogues in Hindi and Urdu for over 250 films.

Rajesh Khanna appraised his talent and insisted Manmohan Desai to pay him a sum of one lakh twenty-one thousand for scripting the dialogues of Roti. That was the first time Kader Khan received such a huge amount for its time. Rajesh Khanna also brought him to acting by roping him in his successful love-triangle, Daag. This marked the commencement of a parallel career, and an equally impactful one.

He had proved his metal as an actor with the limited roles assigned to him, and directors couldn't keep themselves from reaching his door with lengthier and meatier roles. He was a regular face in the movies of the 70s and the 80s and had worked with some of the biggest stars in the industry like Jitendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Salman Khan, and Anil Kapoor.

It was in the 90s that Kader Khan's talent was rediscovered and reshaped at the hands of directors like David Dhawan. Dhawan, who had a penchant for comedy, had chiseled out the comedian not only in Govinda, or Karisma Kapoor but also an established villain like Shakti Kapoor. During this time, Kader Khan-Govinda-Shakti Kapoor took down theaters every Friday with bombs of laughter. Kader Khan had become the uncle, the grandpa every youngster wished for.

He was a man of great philosophy and a high moral compass. In an industry that runs on celebrating the failures of others, Khan walked a very high ground. In an interview after his death, close friend and colleague, Shakti Kapoor shared how the jealousy, back-stabbing and gloating he saw in the industry, drained him emotionally.

Kader Khan had acted in over 300 movies, wrote scripts and dialogues for an equally lengthy list of films, but his versatile talent never received the acknowledgement it so rightfully deserved. In a career spanning across 5 decades, he could bag only three awards: Best Dialogue for Meri Awaz Suno (1982), Best Comedian for Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1991) and Best Dialogue for Angaar (1993). Nothing the ace performances he had given in numerous supporting roles. He was by far the most underrated and overlooked actor who was conferred with the Padma Shri posthumously.

The last decade of his life was spent in loneliness. Despite being financially stable, and surrounded by loving sons, that his fraternity had abandoned him, and his fans had forgotten him, pained him immensely during his final years. His grief-stricken son shared his disappointment in Govinda, with whom the veteran actor had delivered a barrage of hit films, for not keeping in touch during his hardship.

As age advanced, he moved to Canada to live with his family and performed Hajj in 2014. Gradually, his frolicking personality was taken over by a degenerative disease. He was hospitalized on December 28th, 2018, after complaining of breathlessness. Three days later he breathed his last. His final rites were held at at Meadowvale cemetery, Mississauga , CA.