‘Marrying Feroz Khan would have been like jumping into a lake’: What Zeenat Aman, Mumtaz and Saira Banu said about charismatic star

‘Feroz Khan had rizz’: Zeenat Aman

 

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Feroz Khan was known for bringing the Wild West to Bollywood. His leather boots, hats, cigars and of course his swag brought him titles like Clint Eastwood of the East and desi James Bond.

In an interview after Feroz’s death, Zeenat Aman recalled the film Qurbani shoot and shared, “He wanted to be and do the best. He did everything larger than life. When he didn’t like a set for Qurbani, he actually got it dismantled and built a new one. He wouldn’t compromise on his vision. What he made was what he was in real life.” In January 2024, Zeenat took to Instagram to share, “I read somewhere that Oxford’s word for the year 2023 is “rizz” – short for ‘charisma’. Well, if I’ve ever known anybody to have rizz, it was Feroz Khan.”

The actor added how she had a ‘rocky start’ with Feroz and added, “It was the 70s, my star was on the rise, and he called me on the telephone to offer me a role in his upcoming production. It was a secondary part, and so I politely refused the offer. Feroz was incensed and let out a stream of expletives while I held the receiver away from my ear!”

“Many months later, he called again. This time he started his pitch by saying – ‘it’s the lead role so don’t reject it’. And that’s how I joined the cast of Qurbani,” added the actor.

Zeenat ended her note by saying, “Feroz was suave, charming and polished. He was a talented actor-director, and Qurbani remains one of my favourite projects to date.”

‘Marrying Feroz Khan would have been like jumping into a lake’: Mumtaz

Film star Feroz Khan and Mumtaz in film UPAASNA. (Photo: Express archive)

Mumtaz was another actor who frequently acted with Feroz Khan and gave many hit films with him. Mumtaz and Feroz Khan’s relationship dynamics too made headlines quite often.

In an old interview with ETimes, Mumtaz once candidly discussed the same. Refuting rumors, Mumtaz clarified that Feroz never proposed marriage to her. She also shared how Feroz was madly in love with an Anglo-Indian girl back then.

Despite their close friendship, Mumtaz believed that tying the knot with Feroz would have led to heartbreak, likening it to “jumping into a lake.” Mumtaz maintained a platonic relationship with Feroz as she already had a past heartbreak with Shammi Kapoor. She also believed that pursuing a romance with him would have jeopardised their friendship.

Saira Banu:

 

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Last year, on Feroz Khan‘s birthday anniversary, actor Saira Banu walked down the memory lane. She recalled her experience of working with the “dashingly handsome” star in the 1969 film, Aadmi Aur Insaan.

Sharing a long note, Saira Banu shared about the first time she worked with Feroz, and addressed him as, “Industry’s style icon, dashingly handsome and famous for his sophisticated looks”. Saira also added, “He was well-mannered and soft-spoken.”

Saira also mentioned Feroz and Mumtaz’s relationship and wrote, “The first shoot of ‘AADMI AUR INSAAN’ featured an ensemble of us all in a glamorous song number, where Mumtaz is singing “Zindagi Ittefaq Hain” seductively twirling around the heroes and me. It was fun to watch the happy-go-lucky atmosphere of the set where old friends, Feroz and Mumtaz kept needling each other with witticisms and humour. Dharamji and I would roll with laughter at this game of one upmanship between the two.”

Saira concluded, “Feroz and I shared similar home atmospheres. I remember a meeting, where his staff members were shuffling coins on the table and Appaji had harkened them to wash the coins before spilling them on the table because coins go everywhere and are dicey. Suddenly, Feroz said, “My God! Appaji you are doing exactly what my mother does. She is also finicky about little things, especially cleaning coins before they are handled in the house by anyone! He was crest fallen as I couldn’t do “APRADH” and always shook a finger at me in mock despair!”

Feroz Khan passed away in 2009 at the age of 69.