Actor Mazhar Khan, 43, dies

MUMBAI, September 16: Film and TV actor Mazhar Khan died of kidney failure this evening at Leelavati Hospital. The 43-year-old Khan was suffering from pancreatitis for the last few years and had been in and out of hospital. On Tuesday morning he started haemorrhaging and was moved to Leelavati, where he breathed his last at 5.30 pm this evening.

Khan made a memorable debut with Ramesh Sippy’s Shaan in 1980 as the happy-go-lucky underworld informer, Abdul. Later he also acted in films like Ghulami, Arth and Angaar. He became a popular figure on the small screen thanks to an impressive performance in Ramesh Sippy’s Buniyaad. Khan turned to direction with Gang, launched in 1988. But this ambitious project starring Jackie Shroff, Nana Patekar, Kumar Gaurav and Jaaved Jaafri was indefinitely delayed due to financial difficulties. He had recently wrapped up major portions of the film and just needed to shoot two songs to complete the project.

Khan is survived by three sons,Azhar, Azaan and Zahaan, from his two marriages with former model Rubina and later actress Zeenat Aman.