Remembering veteran actor director producer Feroz Khan 1939-2009

Feroz Khan was born on 25 September 1939 to an Afghan immigrant. His father belonged to Tanoli Tribe of Pashtun ethnicity from Ghazni province of Afghanistan while his mother was of Persian background. Khan was educated in Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore and St. Germain High School, Bangalore. After his schooling in Bangalore, he traveled to Mumbai where he made his debut as second lead in Didi in 1960.
Through the early 1960s and 1970s, he made low-budget thrillers opposite starlets. In 1962, he appeared in an English-language film titled Tarzan Goes to India opposite Simi Garewal. His first big hit was in 1965, with Phani Majumdar's Oonche Log (1965), where he was pitted against screen idols Raaj Kumar and Ashok Kumar; he gave a notable sensitive performance. It was followed by some more small budget hit films like Samson, Ek Sapera Ek Lootera and Char Darvesh. Again, in the same year, he played a sacrificing lover in the mushy musical Arzoo, starring Sadhana. With this, Khan earned his entry into A-list second leads. With the film Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), Khan won his first Filmfare award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. His other hit films were Khotey Sikkay, Geeta Mera Naam, Pyasi Sham, Shankar Shambhu and Safar. He appeared alongside his real-life brother Sanjay Khan in the hit films Upaasna (1967), Mela (1971) and Nagin (1976).

He turned into a successful producer and director in 1971 so as to improve his career opportunities as a leading man with his first directorial film Apradh, which was the first Indian movie showing auto racing in Germany; Mumtaaz was his co-star. He produced, directed, and starred in the 1975 film Dharmatma, which was the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan and was also his first blockbuster hit as producer, director, and star and marked the appearance of actress Hema Malini in a glamorous avatar.  This movie was inspired by the Hollywood film The Godfather.
Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, he was a leading Bollywood star, directing and starring in many of his films. He also starred in the Punjabi film Bhagat Dhanna Jat (1974). The 1980 film Qurbani, with Zeenat Aman, was the biggest hit of his career and launched the singing career of iconic Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan, with her memorable track "Aap Jaisa Koi". In 1986, he directed and starred in Janbaaz, a box office hit, which some consider to be one of his best movies, featured an all-star cast and possessed great songs and excellent cinematography. In 1988, he directed and starred in Dayavan, which was a remake of an Indian Tamil film titled Nayagan. After directing and starring in Yalgaar (1992), he took a long break from acting for 11 years.
In 2003, he made his acting comeback as well as produced and directed Janasheen, which also starred his son Fardeen.
He died from lung cancer on 27 April 2009 at the age of 69. During his illness he returned to rest at his farmhouse in Bangalore.