The Era Of Entertainment: Kader Khan
From Kamthipura To Heart’s Of Public
Kader Khan was Not an Actor, script writer and dialogue writer he was an era. He ruled Bollywood and the public for about 45 years and he was able to rule them because of his talent and dedication.
Most of Amithbh Bachan one liner were given by Kader Khan, one side Amithbh Bachan and other side Govinda and south for Jitender and according to their personality he was writing their screenplay for them.
Not only comedy when he did the serious role he made the public cry, He was sent by the almighty for this work only, like teaching and to entertain, he came with a mission.
He lived his life with satisfaction being and Actor, Director and Scriptwriter being a Teacher also, initially Kader Khan was a teacher and he made people learn
These types of people are born once in a century, he had only three missions work, work and work His name is engraved by golden words in the film industry and no wan can take that off.
Kder khan ,though we enjoyed his movies a lot, he makes people laugh and he is always happy and smiling.His life was full of struggle and he had a very painful childhood.
Tragic Death Of Brothers.
Kader khan’s Mother was from pishin Balochistan, Pakistan His father was Abdul Rahman Khan from Kandahar Afghanistan they got married and got settled in Kabul there was a very sad breeze, three of Kader khan’s elder brother died as they are coming to the age of 8 and they were Shams ur Rehman, Fazal Rehman and Habib ur Rehman they were kakar tribe of the ethni pashtun.
When Kader khan’s was born his mother Got scared of him. That he will also end up dead. She thought maybe that place was not good for their sons that they are not able to live there so they decided to move out of kabul.
They were from a very poor family like if they had breakfast in the morning then there was no chance that they could think about lunch and if they had lunch too it was very hard to get dinner. In that kind of situation also they have moved out of kabul
From Kabul To Bombay
Then somehow they reached Bombay and stayed at the baddest of the bad slum, which was known as kamathipura at that time, now it is Dharavi, In dharavi they stayed at a two roomed small place in Jaduwalbuilding or Noormohhamad chal.
There was prostitution, smuggling, murder as a daily life routine in that neighborhood, there was no crime in the world which had witnessed there he brought up in that kind of neighborhood.
His father had no job or no earning he could not spend on his family when they were at Kabul it was okay the things were not that bad and you can have food there But in the city things were different there was no money to spend on his family so his parents got separated when he was just one year that was the biggest blow of the life to Kader ji.
Then one day his grandfather and his uncle came to Bombay from Kabul and asked her mother to marry again because it was so difficult for a woman to stay alone with a small child in that kind of slum.
His mother got married again and this time his father was a carpenter , His life was playing him in between ,a father ,step father and his mother.Then he started telling about his family.
My Step Father
My step father was always out of work, he never goes out for work because people like carpenter and plumber electrician they know the work but they want to torture people,once again the family had gone into extreme poverty, there was no food to eat, because my step father was not working and staying at home always .
They sent me to my real father who was an Alim there who makes people do Namaz at the mosque, hardly he gets 5 rupees and in that 5 rupees he gave 2 rupees to me.
There was a place called Dongri Where his real father mosque was and they were staying at Kamathipura, he walks from Kamathipura to Dongry for that 2 rupees and he stand outside as a beggar till The Alim comes out, he walks from Dongri to Kamathipura which is almost 53 Km a small kid had struggled a lot.
And after he gets this 2 rupees he goes to a grocery store and he buys all the food material and go back to his house his mother cooks that food then they get to eat
That time so many of the kids from the neighborhood use to work in factories, in packing ,in plastic companies or book binding and they ask little kader khan to stop going to school and start working with them so that their family should not suffer any longer.
So he decided to start working in a factory he throws his bag and the moment he starts to get down the steps, his mother put a hand on his shoulder and stops him,
She said “I know where you going but these 4 or 5 rupees will not help us get out of poverty, if you really want to help your family out of this poverty then you have to study and study hard”
That voice just touches his soul like someone has poured melting lava on his body and from that moment on he only thinks about study and study only. His mother told him that he is too young to think about their family’s problem.
“You can think about your family’s problems when you reach a certain age till you just study and leave that to me”.
Kader khan’s words to the world
“I urge all mothers in the family that mothers are the cure for the problem, they don’t bring the problem, they cure it”.
She was the inspiration of my family and she drank all the pain that comes to my family like lord Shiva, who drank poison to save the world, my mother was the lord Shiva of my family.
I don’t know where it came into me if I see a person talking so nicely I start mimicking him and I practice everything still I speak better than him.and whenever I see someone talk with a unique style I use to copy him till I get perfect in it.
My mother sends me to namaz at night, But I always bunk the namaz and I go on and sit in between two graves where there was an Israeli graveyard at our place. I sat between the two graves and I started repeating all that I had witnessed that day with a loud voice.
I have never noticed that there was a man behind a wall who was listening to me. His name was Ahraf khan he was a very famous actor and he worked in a movie named Roti by Mehmoob Khan he got so many awards for that role in that movie.
Coincidentally he was doing a drama at that time and he was in need of a child artist for his play, that particular kids character in the stage show was a prince in that play, but he was not getting what he was looking for.
Somebody told me that a small kid cums to the grave yards and mimics all the voices. He looks a little weird.if he looks good to go to you then go ahead.
Ashraf khan came to me and said “What are you doing” and I answered him “ nothing I was just mimicking the things that I have seen in the day today”, he liked the way I spoke and then he asked me, “ would you be interested working in a play”.
Then I asked “what is a play sir?” I’ll tell you and asked his worker to take me to his bungalow and left.
His Bungalow was near Super Takes a wooden bungalow, I went in there they gave me some dialogue of the play and ask me to read, I started reading and he was liking it and I have red the hole play, then he told me the title of the play it was Wamik Azrath it was like a Romeo Juliet play.
I gave my best in that play and everybody liked me so much, that they hold me like Ganapati and took me, I don’t know where, then there came a man with a long beard and told me that you will be a very successful man in the coming future, he gave me a 100 rupees note and told me to keep it safe and this will turn into millions keep this as a memory of me. “ I still have that note”
After my matriculation I went to Ismail Yousuf college
I was in my class and my friend asked me to go to the stage. I asked “why” he told me that they are selecting for college annual day play.
“Always people has pushed me I never ask favor from anyone”
I went there, they gave me a dialogue from the play and asked me to read, And as I began reading the Director Ramesh Zamindar stared at his fellow director and began listening. One page after another I read the whole play like that.
They asked me “how many plays you have worked” I said “only one” then he asked me why is your speech so clear and loud, I thought it was my mother’s contribution and then they gave me the role of a beggar in that collage play.
In the rehearsals, As I was reading the play, I felt something missing in that play, like the writer had left something, I went and I told the director then he said, “I felt it too” then I asked him “should I try to fill it” The Director said if “you know then do it”.
I went straight to the canteen and after 4 hours, I rewrote the whole play, I went and I read in front of my director, he just hugged me and he said that “you are the writer of this play” it is called “Tash ke pattey”.
Success came to me always, I never went after it and I never ask anyone’s favor, I was sincere at my work, Destiny gifted me success In every step of my life.
The times were very hard at my family, I bought a scooter lambretta MRY 813 if this is someone’s number this is a very lucky number.
I was taking the royalty of the play. Everyone would take 25 but my fees were 50 and 200 for drama Direction.
My Assistant would go to direct the play, Safi Inamdaar, Bharath Kapoor and Mushtak Merchant and then we divide, half me and half them,1000 was the per month income from stage at that time.
Our whole world was play, we were thinking only about the play, how to write it and how to bring new ideas, and how to pull the new characters to the play, only this was going in our mind.
We starts From the Sbusiddique Nagpada to Nariman point I walk in the front and narrating the plot of the play and these guys at my Back Safi Inaamdar Bharat Kapoor and Mushtaq merchant they all take notes and we go straight to Nariman point and from there choupati so this is how we wrote our play.
Exams Held and I Wrote, it was the time for a real job, I got job in shah construction and after one month of the work the owner called me and said that my services are no longer required, I asked why so they said that there is no work and they are not able to pay me.
I told them the situation of my family, but that did not interest them, I went to my college and sat on the steps of my college Sbusiddique the principal of my college was going up at that time, he saw me and asked “why are you sitting heir” then I said “I just lost my job” then he said “This happens always with the job holders, don’t give up now and don’t make that losers face”
He asked me “Did you have lunch?” I said yes “he said “Don’t lay” and he gave a call to his home. He stayed at the same building, he brought food I ate and he put 200 in my pocket.
One of geometrical drawings and applied mechanics teacher of 11th standard had gone for a vacation for 2 months, He asked me “will you teach them”, I said “Yes”
Then I became a teacher for two months in those subjects,in which I always got failed , it was a very bor subject, very dry, you have to draw drawing Sheets, 15 a year I started teaching them, not like a subject but as a friendly chat among the friends, The students started liking it and I was also enjoying that way of teaching.
“I got the best teacher award of Maharashtra”.
I was teaching one day, pune came and said “sir you’ve got a call” I went to receive the call as I reach towards the phone the whole office staff was standing, I asked them “what happened” then Khwaja the telephone operator told me that “you’ve got a call from Dilip kumar” he was shaking as he spoke.
Dilip Kumar was the High Paid actor in those days, As i took the call it wa the legend himself, he said “I am Yousuf khan speaking” then “I said who is yousuf” then he said “all the film industry knows me as Dilip kumar” as I heard this the receiver litraly slipped through my hand.
Then I said “The whole industry is going crazy for you, Directors don’t get dates from you, Visitors are not allowed near you , and you have called me, it’s my absolute honor.
He said “I have heard so much about your play and I want to see it myself” then I said “only in two condition, condition 1 you have to cum to the play, we have to close the door as the artists gets distracted, and second condition is to watch the play completely whether you like it or not.
He Agreed and asked me to send a contract, But i said “Your words are the contract”
The next day he came as he aggried and watched the whole play, he came to the stage
his eyes were red, maybe crying watching the play.
He said “I cannot believe that this much talent is on stage, I cannot do much at this moment but, I can give Kader khan a role in my film sagina mahto, there is a very important role of a leader, and next week in my other film I am playing a triple role and one more important character is of a police officer which Kader sir will do” .the hall was filled without applause.
My entry on stage was like a leader, when I started dialogue the whole hall filled with the sound of applause because I was one of them ,I came from them.
My days of stage was going on and Rajender singh bedi came to me and want me write screenplay for his upcoming movie Jawani Diwani, He called me to his production office Rose Movies and started explaining me the script and said that “this is the portion that you have to write dialogue for” and after one month we are starting the shoot.
“I went straight to cross grounds from there on a local train and I started writing there”.
It was a public ground, I sat near a tree and began writing, beside that tree people were playing football, cricket and chatting and laughing , while I was writing the ball hits my face more than once, Then people said “sorry carry on” and I Did Carried on,
“That’s how I wrote the entire play under a tree in about 4 to 5 hours”
I went back to Bandra rose movies office again They’ve called it the day and they were drunk, as soon as I reach there Bedi sir saw me and said something to his friend then I asked hid “Did you said something bad about me?” he said no then I said “I can read your lips definitely you said something”.
Then he said “I Have explained you everything in detail and now you cumming back again to clear your confusion” Then I said “I have not came to clear any confusion i came to give you the script, I have done writing it”
He was shocked. He said “our writer takes a month before the shoot and still they failed to deliver it on time, but you have done it in half a day?” Then he asked me to start reading the script that I have written.
When I started reading they literally like jumped on their seats, thy started to straighten them up, as I continued reading and they listen to me very carefully they liked the dialogues very much and started the “shooting from the next week, And spread the word that Kader khan writes the dialogues of any movie in no time.
They said a new dialogue writer has come to the industry, he writes it like a work of art and he also shows how to deliver those dialogues, which was very difficult to the actors as he is also an actor himself but at that time no one knew that I was an actor also.
one month or so they finished their work and gave me 1500 at that time.
Manmohan Desai called me after that, he was making the movie Roti and he was a very straight forward man he said to me, “I don’t want poetry in the name of dialogues,I want the real dialogues, I want my language, if you want to add some of the bad word then do it, but don’t give me rhymes ,if I like you I will dance with you and If I don’t like then its a goodbye”
I felt very bad at that moment but I took that as a challenge and Iheard the script he wanted the dialogues for the climax, it was a very difficult portion of the script.
I finished writing it overnight without resting my eyes
In the morning I went to Manmohan Desai’s house he was a local resident at khetwadi and he was playing cricket with the colony kids he saw me, and said something bad, then I went to him and asked him “sir did you said something he said “no” but I told him like I did to Narender dedi that “I can read your lips, sir please don’t say anything now, as I finished with your script .
He was shocked he said “what” and he threw the cricket bat away then “come in” and he took me inside his house and started listening to my script.
As I started reading the script he was jumping from one sofa to another and he was like possessed by the script, and he went mad. He called his wife and again he listened to the script like 20 to 25 times again and again.
he said to me “this is the work of art you are a magician,Then he asked me “how much will you take, don’t ask much because I am not able to give you more” then I said “sir I took 25000 from Nadiadwala for their film.
He said “what common I will give you 121000.I fainted listening to that,Then he telephoned everyone in the industry and said about me that, a new writer has come to the industry, he will start a revolution in dialogue writing and dialogue delivery in a very short time.
Manmohan Desai publicised me in the industry like a revolutionary writer and he also told his biggest rival Prakesh Mehara,”you must stop making movies now because they will not do well against mine”.
Prakash Mehra came to my house that night and offered me a role in a movie called khoon pasina because he knows me from the stage, he also offered me the mail villain character in the movie, but could not refuse his offer.
Manmohan Desai made his people not to go to prakash Mehra, but i was going and seeing me, Amitabh Bachhan also started coming with me, then one day Manmohan Desai asked Amithabh Bachan that “Did you went to prakash Mehra” then he sai “I went with Kader Khan then he said go with Kader only.
Their rivalry was childish, they were the big names in the industry, but still they practice their rivalry with sincerity.
In those days Nadiadwala family was making a movie, Adalath with Amitabh Bachhan playing a double role of father and son one more important character of the movie was inspector khan, they didn’t find the write actor for that character,then Amitabh Bachhan said to give that role to kader khan because of Amitabh Bachhan got the role in Adalat.
First khoon pasina was released and then after one week Adalath was released, inspector khan role was delivered greatly for that I got best writer and best actor and dialogue delivery.
There was a talk in the industry, “you will get so many inspector khan in the industry but there is no villain in the industry, so I was stamped as a villain in the industry, whichever movie I wrote I was also the villain of that movie.
“My velain track started from there”.
I got the script of a movie from Madras titled as “Himmatwala” red and wrote the dialogues. It turned out to be so unique, that I thought that the director might not be able to read it, so I Recorded a tape and sent it to them with the dialogues.
The Director of the movie “Himmatwala” played the tape and read the script the whole night again and again, he was listening and crying and in the morning he called the producer and he made him listen also.
They took a flight and came to Bombay the same afternoon, I was in the shoot somewhere , they suddenly came to me and said “what did you do” I said “what happened” then he said “look at this script and look at this cassette”.
I said “ you don’t like the dialogues”and then they said “The Dialogues are great, but it is very difficult to find the actors to deliver them, not anyone can do it, the role of Muneem is difficult.
Then I said “Anyone can do it and I think you have signed an actor also” then they said “you have to do it”
I said “I can’t don’t do this” But they won’t listen, they went to the actor that they signed and took the NOC from him, gave him the full amount that he signed for and they casted me in the movie Himmatwala.
“I acted as a Muneem in the movie”.
First veek all the banners and posters were showing Jitender and Sridevi and the next week you can see only Kader khan baner all over bombay.
“From there my comedy track was started”.
I have never asked any favour from anyone. I was obedient and cinciere at my work and destini was giving me success in every step of life, The Roles were coming to me and I was going on doing them.
In acting, comedy, crying and laughing plays major role, many young artist don’t know how to deliver them, if a male artist smile with all his mouth wide open, it doesn’t look nice
“I was also giving training to my co-stars”.
Dilip Kumar taught the film industry how to smile, I was making them watch Dilip Kumar movie and learn, he tucked down both of his lips and bent them to the side a little bit and then smiled, with those small eyes it looks like gaining control over you.
Girls see him and they said that his smile is gaining control over me and after that crying, If a male is crying with a funny face it won’t look nice, your eyes must be wet no problem if drops, but no funny face and lips tucked and in motion and then again tucked and in motion naturally thats one way and laughing is also like that.
Comedy has its own rhythm you have to be in that rhythm like Mohammad Rafi has sung a beautiful song “O’Duniya ke rakhwale” it was basically a Bbhajan no one can sing like that.
Bhajan should sung like a Bhajan only then it will be a Bhajan, same thing is with comedy if you do comedy, it should be like a comedy, if you doing comedy people should nat feel that you are doing comedy, if they felt it then it’s gone they think its a lie it’s not natural.
Same thing is with crying, every man cannot cry. If he cries with a funny face then it’s gone. If you watch the crying of Dilip Kumar in the movie Naya Dour then you will know what is crying on screen.
In the movie he cried because his friend had betrayed him, it was a part of him, Dilip Kumar was an institution, in the film industry, if you want some achievement in your life, you bring Dilip Kumar moves and watch take notes watching it.
People are not taking notes nowadays, they are writing on a computer. You have to take a pen, if you want to write then only you will be a writer,When Dilip Kumar lafs, crys make fun, hate these all are so unique and a part of him.
Amitabh Bachhan sir also implemented Dilip Kumar acting and his acting was inspired by Dilip Kumar and he was also blessed by the almighty with the height and the voice he has a base and roughness in his voice, helped him to achieve great milestones but inspiration was Dilip Kumar.
After Indira Gandhi’s death Rajiv Gandhi called Amitabh Bachhan sir and he went there he became an Member of Parliament and after when he came back he was a changed man.
My producer asked me “Did you meet Sirji then I said “who Sirji” then he said your friend Amitabh Bachhan is Sirji , “I always called him Amit ,when did he become Sirji?” Then he said “Don’t call him Amit he doesn’t like” then from there, our tracks were separated.
He was Sirji and I was Kaderji and because of this ji ,we were separated.
A man should have some self respect, if a man is avoiding someone just because of the way he address, I always called him Amit and on his counselling only, I was changing my movies, so it did not work and that was the end.
