Amjad Khan signed Sholay on same day son Shadaab was born but didn’t have money to discharge wife from hospital

Late actor Amjad Khan’s son and actor Shadaab Khan responded to a question on whether he can be called his father’s lucky mascot. Shadaab was born on the same day as Amjad signed Sholay. In a new interview, Shadaab revealed that Amjad didn’t have money on him for the discharge of his mother Shaila Khan from the hospital. He added that film producer Chetan Anand helped him with ₹400. (Also Read | Amjad Khan’s son Shadaab Khan recalls when film producers owed dad ₹1.25 crore, gangster from Middle East offered help)

Sholay (1975) is an action-adventure film written by Salim–Javed and directed by Ramesh Sippy. Amjad featured as the ruthless dacoit Gabbar Singh in the movie and became famous. The film also starred Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini and Jaya Bachchan. Sholay is considered a classic and one of the best Indian films.

In an interview with Times Of India, Shadaab said, “Yes (laughs), but he didn’t have money to pay so that my mother (Shehla Khan) could be discharged from the hospital I was born in. She started crying. My dad was not showing up at the hospital; he was ashamed to show his face. (Late) Chetan Anand whose film Hindustan Ki Kasam he’d done then, happened to see my father holding his head in a corner. Chetan Anand saab gave him ₹400 so that my mother and I could come home.”

Shadaab also recalled an incident ahead of Sholay’s release, “When the Sholay role of Gabbar Singh came to my father, Salim Khan saab (writer of Sholay with Javed Akhtar) recommended his name to Ramesh Sippy (director of Sholay). The flight to Bangalore whose outskirts Ramgarh (about 70 km from Bangalore airport) was the place where Sholay was supposed to be shot at, took off but there was so much turbulence that day that it had to land back 7 times. After that when it came to a halt on the runway, most people dropped out from the flight in fright but my dad did not. He was scared that if he didn’t do the film, they would go back to Danny saab (Danny Denzongpa). So, after a few minutes, he took off in that same plane.”

Amjad’s character Gabbar Singh in Sholay became his most memorable role. The actor died in July 1992 of a heart attack at the age of 51. He shared three children with Shaila–Shadaab, Ahlam Khan and Seemaab Khan.