His performances had the ease and conviction of a true veteran, which made those on-screen characters immortal and unique
Born Hamid Ali Khan in 1922 in Golconda, he belonged to a traditional Pathan family, where acting in films was a taboo.
Hence he
had to run away from home to pursue his dream of acting in films.
It is said that one of his directors adviced him to change his name from Hamid Ali Khan to something shorter , and after some thinking zeroed on Ajit
Ajit , who was not comfortable dancing and romancing women on screen , would soon realise that he was actually destined to meet success and glory as a villain
He decided to listen to good friend Rajendra Kumar who suggested his name for the villain's role in "Sooraj" ... and the rest ,as they say , is history ...
One Sunday afternoon I was returning from a friend's place and saw a big fancy car parked under the huge Banyan tree in front of our bungalow in the residential colony of the company that my father used to work for.
Wondering who
the visitor could be , I entered the drawing room to see a blurred face behind cigarette smoke , sitting comfortably on the diwan .
Dressed in an off white pant and shirt and a maroon sleeveless jacket was the man who I had seen smuggling , planning murders and raping women on the silver screen ... !!!
Unbelievable as it was , honestly I don't remember how I had reacted to his presence that afternoon
I have some very distinct images of his personality etched in my mind ...
His firozi silk kurta and lungi , his presence at the dining table , his smile , his voice ...
He used to speak so charmingly with a delicate sense of humour that's so alive in my memory even now
He used to like the serenity and the green open spaces in our colony , so sometimes he would also join his family spending the day with us
That would be so much fun
Mummy's friends used to come over to meet him and get bowled over by his grace !!!
His apartments in Bandra and homes in Hyderabad would always be full of guests , family and friends as he used to welcome everyone with affection and specially look after the needy among his family and friends with respect and benevolence
Discovering actor Ajit Khan has been an interesting journey for me
In a rare interview with Ameen Sayani Ajit said that Salim-Javed whose story "Zanjeer" had been rejected by the top heroes of that time were looking for an actor to play the role of Vijay , and Salim Khan told Ajit Khan over a cup of tea that he wanted to narrate the story to Amitabh Bachchan
Ajit was working with Amitabh Bachchan at that time ... They got together ... "Zanjeer" happened ... and that opened the gate of super success for the super hit trio Salim-Javed-Amitabh Bachchan
A couple of days after his eldest son got married , Ajit Saheb was giving an interview , and was asked about his favourite onscreen mistress "Mona
Darling!", to which he smilingly replied:
" I ve let her go now ... "
Our Bandra visits lost all charm and we missed him terribly when he shifted to Hyderabad with his family
The initial fright which we as children had , had given way to a respectful awe for him that has remained even after he is no more.
I wish I could have visited his Hyderabad home when he was alive
It would have been an enriching experience to watch an erstwhile busy Bollywood actor relaxing in his farm house telling stories and playing with his grand children ...
Pic Courtesy : Salim Khan on Facebook
2 comments:
Thanks for this insight into the life of Ajit Saheb. Always enjoy reading your blog.
This is the truest account of the legendary Bollywood actor, brief & crisp, so very convincing because the writer herself is witness to everything the actor did and say at her or his homes.
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