The late Kader Khan was a prolific actor and screenwriter who was part of more than 300 films in Hindi and Urdu. In an interview with The Bollywood Dynasty, Kader Khan had recalled his journey from Kabul to the city of Mumbai, India. A video excerpt from his interview was being shared on Twitter.
“It was around 1942,” he recalled, “I had three brothers that came before me, and they reached the age of 8 and passed away. First was Fazlur Rehman, second was Shams ur Rehman, and the third was Habib ur Rehman, and then there was me. The reason for ‘Rehman’ is that my dad’s name was Abdur Rehman.”
“When I was born, my mother said, ‘This is not the right place for my children and I want to leave. Take me from here.’ But where would we go? We were surrounded by poverty; we didn’t even have money for food. So, on my mother’s strict orders, my father put her in a military convoy and we came to India, to Mumbai. Maybe my destiny brought me here.”Late Kader Khan, Actor
He added that they stayed in a slum once they reached Mumbai. After they entered the city, Kader Khan grew up in the slums of Kamathipura where he enrolled in a local municipal school. He recalled an incident from his time in Kamathipura.
“Once, some boys asked me, ‘Why are you here studying just because your mother asked you to? Let’s go work in a factory and we’ll get some money. You can get food for your house.’ I liked the idea so I put my bag down and started to go with them. As soon as I took a step down, our house was on the third floor, my mom put her hand on my shoulder,” Kader Khan recalled.
He continued, “’I know where you’re going,’ she said, ‘You’re going with them to earn Rs 4-5 every day. These Rs 4-5 won’t bring happiness into our house, or food. If you really want to fight trouble and help the family, then you can bring happiness into this house. So, you study. Don’t do anything else. I’m here to fight troubles.”
Kader Khan made his film debut with Rajesh Khanna’s film Daag and went on to act in films like Mr. Natwarlal, Khoon Bhari Maang, and Dil Diwana. He appeared as a lead in films like Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharnii, Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri. Kader Khan’s career in comedy started with films like Himmatwala and Aaj Ka Daur.
Khan passed away in December 2018 and his son Sarfaraz Khan confirmed his demise on 31 December. He had been suffering from supranuclear palsy. His funeral was held at the ISNA mosque in Mississauga, Canada.
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