Iconic villain Ajit refused to help son Shehzad Khan in realising his Bollywood dreams: ‘Mere saath jitna zulm ho sakta tha…’

That day, Shehzad decided never to take money from his father, and took help from his friends instead. “My friends helped me in getting my photo session done,” he shared.

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Asked why his father didn’t help him bag roles in films or promote him in the film circle, Shehzad answered, “My father saw the debacle of the son of one of the superstars of the time, Rajinder Kumar’s son Kumar Gaurav. His first film was a superhit, but then his career graph went down. So, he thought, ‘Jab hero ke bete ka ye haal ho sakta hai, toh main toh character actor hun (If this can be the fate of a hero’s son, I am just a character actor). He was maybe right in his way.”

Ajit was a ‘strict’ father

However, Ajit was a hard taskmaster and stopped giving his son pocket money after he took his 10th standard exams. “He was very strict. Mere saath jitna zulm ho sakta tha unhone kiya (He tortured in whatever way he could). I tolerated it all. After my 10th exams, he told me, ‘We cannot give you pocket money, we will only provide you food. This is my friend’s office, go and work there. Whatever you will earn, would be yours,'” shared Shehzad.

Actors Ajit, Bindu and Amitabh Bachchan. (Express archive photo)

Shehzad Khan, who had never travelled in a bus or a train before, found it a challenge to commute between Bandstand and Colaba daily. He said, “I never travelled in a bus or a train and I started travelling from Badstand to Colaba. I fractured my leg since I didn’t know how to get on and off the train. After one month of pain, he (Ajit) told me to get back to work.

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“My father gave me a hard and tough life. Though I am thankful for it now, then I used to cry throughout the night wondering, ‘What wrong did I do to be treated this way?'”

Shehzad Khan started his journey in Hindi cinema with Mansoor Khan’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. He starred in several films but gained popularity for playing Bhalla, Teja’s aide, in Andaz Apna Apna. The actor was last seen in Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah, where he essayed the role of Danger Mani Bhai.