Kader Khan with Amitabh Bachchan in Muqaddar Ka Sikandar

The decade of the 1970s was considered to be the golden era of Bollywood. The decade saw the rise of ‘Angry Young Man’ Amitabh Bachchan and also marked the entry of Kader Khan, the visionary writer who went on to become an acclaimed comedian and character actor. 

Kader Khan’s life story is nothing less than an interesting movie itself. Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 22, 1937, Kader Khan was a Sunni Muslim and an ethnic Pashtun of the Kakar tribe. Kader had three brothers, Shams ur Rehman, Fazal Rehman and Habib ur Rehman. Later, Khan and his family moved from Kabul to India, and he was raised in the Kamathipura neighbourhood of Mumbai. Kader Khan used to stay in a slum with his family.

Kader Khan started his career as a professor

Kader was an excellent student. After graduating in civil engineering, he started his career as a professor and taught at Saboo Siddik Polytechnic College for five years. Khan also served as the first president of the Old Students’ Association (OSA) at the same institution.

Who discovered Kader Khan? 

One day, Kader Khan got a call from Dilip Kumar, and the Tragedy King offered him two films. This happened between 1970 and 1975, when Kader used to teach at the college. During this time, Kader did a play ‘Taash Ke Patte’ and comedian Agah noticed him and informed the Devdas actor about him. With Dilip’s offer, Kader Khan entered Hindi cinema, and he was offered Sagina and Barang by the Karma actor.

Kader Khan’s career and his contributions to stars 

Rajesh Khanna gave him the break as a dialogue writer in his film Roti, and thereafter, he wrote dialogue for his films, Maha Chor, Chhailla Babu, Dharam Kanta, Fifty Fifty, Naya Kadam, and Masterji. Kader further wrote the script and screenplay for blockbusters, including Himmatwala, Jaani Dost, Sarfarosh, Justice Chaudhury, Farz Aur Kanoon, Jeeo Aur Jeene Do, Tohfa, Qaidi and Haisiyat. 

Kader was among the few writers who worked in two rival camps, Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. Kader even played an important role in shaping Amitabh Bachchan’s career. He penned dialogue for several of his films, including Mr Natwarlal, Khoon Pasina, Do Aur Do Paanch, Satte Pe Satta, Inquilab, Giraftaar, Hum and Agneepath. 

Kader Khan made Govinda a star? 

When Govinda Ahuja was new in the industry, he was unable to have a clear diction and would speak too fast. Kader Khan suggested he record his voice and listen to it several times to correct his diction and command over the languages. Later, Govinda and Kader Khan went on to become a dynamic duo. Govinda, Kader Khan, and Shakti Kapoor were called the ‘Trimurti of comedy films’. Whenever they came together, the producers earned crores. 

Kader Khan was ignored in his final days

Imagine a star writer, actor, who wrote 100 movies, did over 300 films, and was ignored by the film fraternity in his final days. In 2014, Kader moved to Toronto due to health reasons. The Himmatwala actor suffered from supranuclear palsy, a degenerative disease. After battling with disease for years, Kader Khan passed away on December 31, 2018. A few years after Kader’s death, his son, Sarfaraz admitted that Bollywood forget his dad, and even his closest friend – Govinda, didn’t care to ask about his wellbeing.