Posted:
Hum tumhe chahate hain aise
One of Bollywood's coolest dudes and most stylish directors, Feroz Khan, knew how to love life
If there is no discotheque in the afterlife, chances are that Feroz Khan will create one for himself. No one represented the love of hedonism more than this actor-director, and his films were testimonials to the heady lifestyle that had become synonymous with his celebrity. Despite having started in the early '1960s Khan fought hard to carve a niche for himself as an actor. It was a chequered innings at best. Some hits, some flops. For every Apradh, there was a Kashmakash. For every Dharmatma, there was a Nagin. However, as the '1970s drew to a close, Feroz Khan opened the 1980s with one of Bollywood's most spectacularly stylish hits, ever: Qurbani. It practically canonised Zeenat Aman into carnal immortality, and even Vinod Khanna earned enough sex-appeal brownie points to attempt a half-assed nirvana at Osho's and still stage a successful comeback many years later.
The ace up Feroz Khan's sleeve was his aggressive internationalism. Says Zeenat Aman, "I was at the peak of my success when Feroz approached me for Qurbani. Yet one could not help being awestruck with the man's larger-than-life persona, his zeal for sophistication. In London, where part of the schedule was held, it was quite intimidating and inspiring to see all those foreign technicians being employed for some scenes. But by then a Mercedes had also been smashed beyond repair for one crucial scene in the film. That was Feroz for you."
However polarised critics might be about the shelf-life of a Feroz Khan film (he never could quite match up to the astounding success of Qurbani; it oddly became his jinx as well), the songs from his flicks were invariably instant chartbusters. Janbaaz, however so-so, had a fantastic soundtrack. And well before the item girl became the norm in Bollywood, Feroz was already ahead of the disco curve in 1985 by virtue of having invited Rekha to perform a special number as a chanteuse for Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo (the image of mannequins dancing in robotic jerks and Cyndi Lauper-inspired punks breaking out in 'gili gili gili' chants is a good indicator of how well Feroz Khan and international nightlife gelled with one another).
And then there was the unabashed love of debauchery. While Anil Kapoor played the druggie brat and Feroz Khan the virtuous police inspector in Janbaaz, Khan's heart seemed to empathise equally with the racy lifestyle of his wayward younger brother in the film. Well before the rave became standard fare in the new century, Feroz Khan had already put LSD on the map, its cinematic equivalent being exploding egg yolks superimposed on a marbled sky. Another urbane introduction that Feroz Khan also ought to be remembered for is the genre of the soft bonking scene — Dimple and Anil Kapoor truly made hay at the high noon of Khan's directorial prowess, as did Vinod Khanna and Madhuri Dixit in Dayavan. On the other hand, to sate himself, Feroz Khan was happy with his actresses merely whispering "tum kitne khubsoorat ho" into his face.
Feroz Khan's trajectory from 1990 onward was a black hole of misplaced ambitions and nepotistic attempts to launch a star son with Fardeen Khan. Off-screen though a legend has been created nonetheless. His dude appeal had grown with age. He donned his bald pate with panache. He wore leather jackets and cowboy boots. He spoke with that bizarre Americanised accent. And no one seemed to mind. Feroz Khan threw lavish parties and had innumerable flings (the actor once famously declared, "I don't really crave sex, I merely use it as exercise."). Feroz Khan represented the lust for life itself.
On his last leg, the actor was flown in a chartered plane back to his Bangalore farm so that he may be able to hang out with his two favourite horses. Now that's what you call a cool stud.
The ace up Feroz Khan's sleeve was his aggressive internationalism. Says Zeenat Aman, "I was at the peak of my success when Feroz approached me for Qurbani. Yet one could not help being awestruck with the man's larger-than-life persona, his zeal for sophistication. In London, where part of the schedule was held, it was quite intimidating and inspiring to see all those foreign technicians being employed for some scenes. But by then a Mercedes had also been smashed beyond repair for one crucial scene in the film. That was Feroz for you."
However polarised critics might be about the shelf-life of a Feroz Khan film (he never could quite match up to the astounding success of Qurbani; it oddly became his jinx as well), the songs from his flicks were invariably instant chartbusters. Janbaaz, however so-so, had a fantastic soundtrack. And well before the item girl became the norm in Bollywood, Feroz was already ahead of the disco curve in 1985 by virtue of having invited Rekha to perform a special number as a chanteuse for Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo (the image of mannequins dancing in robotic jerks and Cyndi Lauper-inspired punks breaking out in 'gili gili gili' chants is a good indicator of how well Feroz Khan and international nightlife gelled with one another).
And then there was the unabashed love of debauchery. While Anil Kapoor played the druggie brat and Feroz Khan the virtuous police inspector in Janbaaz, Khan's heart seemed to empathise equally with the racy lifestyle of his wayward younger brother in the film. Well before the rave became standard fare in the new century, Feroz Khan had already put LSD on the map, its cinematic equivalent being exploding egg yolks superimposed on a marbled sky. Another urbane introduction that Feroz Khan also ought to be remembered for is the genre of the soft bonking scene — Dimple and Anil Kapoor truly made hay at the high noon of Khan's directorial prowess, as did Vinod Khanna and Madhuri Dixit in Dayavan. On the other hand, to sate himself, Feroz Khan was happy with his actresses merely whispering "tum kitne khubsoorat ho" into his face.
Feroz Khan's trajectory from 1990 onward was a black hole of misplaced ambitions and nepotistic attempts to launch a star son with Fardeen Khan. Off-screen though a legend has been created nonetheless. His dude appeal had grown with age. He donned his bald pate with panache. He wore leather jackets and cowboy boots. He spoke with that bizarre Americanised accent. And no one seemed to mind. Feroz Khan threw lavish parties and had innumerable flings (the actor once famously declared, "I don't really crave sex, I merely use it as exercise."). Feroz Khan represented the lust for life itself.
On his last leg, the actor was flown in a chartered plane back to his Bangalore farm so that he may be able to hang out with his two favourite horses. Now that's what you call a cool stud.
| Fardeen and Akbar Khan along with other family members carry Feroz's body | |
| Among the crowd Sanjay Khan, DJ Aqeel, Hrithik Roshan, Sajid Khan, Sussane Roshan | Fardeen, Sanjay, Zayed and Akbar Khan surround Feroz's body |
| Natasha (Feroz's daughter-in-law) with mother Mumtaz | Sussane and Hrithik Roshan |
| Fardeen Khan, Sanjay Khan, Sundari (Feroz's ex-wife), and Mumtaz (circled) |
Book Talk
Anupamaa
30