Kader Khan: A 'despicable villain' and an equally 'hilarious comedian' who defined 'versatility'

Kader Khan was also a brilliant dialogue-writer. He has penned down some iconic dialogues in the 70s that still echo.

Image: Still from film Dulhe Raja/ courtesy: YouTube

The dismal news of the death of veteran actor Kader Khan comes as sheer disappointment for millions of Bollywood fans who shall remember him as a legendary actor who defined a phase of Indian cinema. A despicable villain and an equally hilarious comedian Khan’s acting spanned an era in Bollywood, with the 80s and the 90s being the brightest phase of his career. One of the most versatile actors of his time, Khan etched a deep impression as a comedian and a villain. Khan managed to carve out his niche and shot to prominence at a time when legendary actors like Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra and Amzad Khan dominated the big screens. Films of that era included a hero-villain tumult as a mandatory part and people remembered the iconic dialogues from villains. With his superb acting skills and eloquent dialogue delivery Khan not only entertained audience in his negative shade characters but was unbeatable at comedy as well, which he got into full-fledged in the later part of his career. Apart from this, Khan had his reputation for perfectly moulding self into any role that the movie demanded. He could pull out an emotional scene with equal ease as he would do a negative or a comical scene. Khan  has featured in over 300 films. Govinda and Kader Khan: Kader Khan and Govinda formed the most entertaining duo in the decade of 1990s which saw a steep rise in the films of romantic and comic genres. The duo became a hit with the audience for its witty humour and amusing chemistry in various David Dhawan movies. They gave a number of hits together like Dulhe Raja, Sajan Chale Sasural, Coolie No. 1, Joru Ka Gulam, Haseena Maan jayegi, Hero No. 1, Ankhiyon Se Goli mare and Raja Babu. Debut: Kader Khan was born in Kabul. He made his acting debut in 1973 with Rajesh Khanna's "Daag" . He was spotted by the legendary Dilip Kumar and for a large part of his career, he remained hugely influenced by Kumar. Dialogue-Writer: Khan has also written dialogues for over 250 movies. Before becoming an actor, he had written dialogues for Randhir Kapoor-Jaya Bachchan's 'Jawani Diwani'.  The iconic dialogue by Amitabh Bachchan in the film Kaalia “Hum Jahan Khade Hote Hain, Line Wahin Se Shuru Hoti Hai’, was crafted by Kader Khan. Similarly, the “Vijay Deenanath Chouhan, Poora naam” line recited by the megastar that became highly popular from the fil Agneepath, was also penned down by Khan. Screen-writer: As a screenwriter, Khan frequently collaborated with Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra. His films with Desai include Dharam Veer, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati, Coolie, Desh Premee, Suhaag, Parvarish and Amar Akbar Anthony, while his works with Mehra include Jwalamukhi, Sharaabi, Lawaaris, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar among others. Recognition: He got Filmfare Best Comedian Award for Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri. He was nominated ten times for Filmfare’s best comedian award. In 2013, he got Sahitya Shiromani Award for his work and contributions to Hindi Film industry and Cinema.