#GoldenFrames: Kader Khan, one of the most underrated actors of Bollywood

Kader Khan was one of the most prolific actors that Bollywood had ever seen. With a record of over 300 movies and a beguiling acting style, the late actor has secured a place for himself in the hearts of cinema lovers. He was also a Bollywood screenwriter for over 250 movies from the 1970s to 1999. He is best known for writing some of the most potent dialogues in Hindi cinema. The actor is known for his unparalleled comic timing as an actor.

Though he had quite a successful career, not many know that Kader Khan was raised in poverty. From the slums of Mumbai, he made his way to the glamorous world of Bollywood. Born in Baluchistan, Kader had three brothers—Shams ur Rahman, Fazal Rahman and Habib ur Rahman. Unfortunately, they all died before the age of eight in Afghanistan. His parents moved to India as they felt the land of Afghanistan was unlucky for their children. Kader's father, Abdul Rahman Khan, was from Kandahar, Afghanistan, while his mother, Iqbal Begum, was from Pishin. In India, Kader grew up in the slums of Kamathipura, Mumbai's infamous red-light area. From prostitution to drugs and murder, the actor has seen everything in the filthy slums.

After his parents' divorce when he was just three years old made things worse for him. Kader Khan's real father was a maulvi and a professor. Kader's mother was forced to marry another man; who was very abusive. He would often ask Kader to ask his real father for money. There were days when Kader's family would sleep empty stomach for three days a week.

At a tender age, Kader Khan decided to quit school and find work at a local mill like other kids in the slum to overcome chronic poverty. He had revealed that when his mother sent him to a Madrasa for education, he hid in a nearby graveyard from the Masjid. Here he used to sit down, shout aloud and enact scenes from daily life. Kader's mother forced him to study instead of working. He was quoted saying, "My mother had said, 'If you become a daily labourer today, your ₹ 3/day will remain the same forever. But remember, if you want to get rid of this poverty, you must educate yourself first." After his mother's advice, he got enrolled in school and later, he graduated from Ismail Yusuf College, affiliated with Mumbai University, followed by post-graduation in civil engineering.

Despite all the difficult circumstances, he went on to become a professor at MH Saboo Siddik College of Engineering, Mumbai. However, Kader's true passion was the stage. One day, to his utter surprise, he was spotted by Dilip Kumar, who gave him his first project in Bollywood.

Like his father, Maulvi Abdur Rahman, Kader Khan also had a Master's degree in the Arabic language from Osmania University. His father was not only a religious scholar but was a post-graduate in Arabic language and Islamic literature. Before his father died, he had asked Kader Khan to take over his legacy, to which Kader Khan agreed. When he told his father that he had absolutely no knowledge of the Islamic culture, his father asked him if he had any knowledge about Bollywood before joining it. Kader took up an MA in Islamic Studies and Arab Literature from Osmania University in 1993. For that, he even took a break from acting. During Maulvi Abdur Rahman's last days, Kader promised his father that he would teach Islam. The actor moved away from movies and started teaching Islamic law and hadees (the words and actions of Prophet Mohammed). Kader Khan then designed various Islamic courses for students on Islamic tenets, Sharia laws and more. He even opened the KK Institute of Arabic Language and Islamic Studies in Dubai and later in Canada to teach Arabic and Islamic laws as preached in the Holy Quran.

Kader Khan was also highly recognised by the American Federation of Muslims from India (AFMI) for his achievement and service to the Muslim community in India. Kader Khan denied having a romantic side to him, but that didn't agree with his idealistic scripts. He liked a girl during his younger days, but his mother beat him up with a rolling pin, and his face had swollen. Kader had no affairs after that and married Azra.

It was Dilip Kumar who saw what a gem Kader Khan was. He was noticed by the actor when he was 34 years old and performing at an annual day play in a college. Kumar was so impressed by Khan's acting in the play that he invited him for his next movie.

Khan made his debut with 'Daag' (1973), starring Rajesh Khanna in the main lead role, wherein he played the supporting role as an advocate. The actor subsequently starred as a supporting actor in 'Dil Diwana' (1974), 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' (1978), 'Mr. Natwarlal' (1979) and more.

(Photo: Still from the movie 'Daag')

As a screenwriter, Khan is credited with movies such as 'Dharam Veer' (1977), 'Parvarish' (1977), 'Amar Akbar Anthony' (1977), 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' (1978), 'Lawaaris' (1981), 'Coolie' (1983), 'Sharaabi' (1984) and 'Ganga Jamuna Saraswati' (1988).

(Photo: Vinod Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Amjad Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Kader Khan in a still from the movie 'Parvarish')