Jaanbaaz

I did not like Feroz Khan. Each time I saw him at some award function, I’d get irritated. His so-called showmanship put me off completely; his apparent style just did not flow effortlessly.

He is dead now. He chose to die close to the animals he loved even if it meant taking a risk and travelling.

This I liked about him. Taking risks.

There was a time when he did qualify as both showman and stylish in the real sense. If he had to blow up a car in his own venture, he got the best new brand and blew it up.

There was an element of Elvis Presley and Clint Eastwood in him, without not quite being either.

One could never imagine him as poor…he had to live in large houses, wear the best suits and turtle neck sweaters (it seemed to be invariably cold where he was located!), drive long cars through winding and reckless turns, he had to have his hair in place and he had to be the winner; even if he lost it was with a gesture of magnanimity as though he were doing the hero a favour.

He was quite a terrible actor, only a bit better than the deadpan Jeetendra or the “naaaiii” exclaiming Shashi Kapoor which made the nahin (no) sound more like an urgent appeal to the barber (nai is barber is Hindi). Feroz Khan had the advantage of a fairly flawless dialogue delivery.

The only film I liked him in was Safar. The woman is in love with someone else, but of course he gets her…the words are not in keeping with his persona at all:

Jo tumko ho pasand wohi baat karenge Tum din ko agar raat kaho raat kahenge

(I shall do whatever you wish
If you call the day night, then so be it)

Unlikely. But then, he could be a smooth talker…as long as he was in the driver’s seat.

And he was till the end. When he insisted on meeting his thoroughbreds before he left. It was a great gamble…or perhaps another journey (safar):

Jo Tumko Ho Pasand



# Movie: Safar
# Singer: Mukesh
# Music Director: Kalyanji-Anandji
# Lyricist: Indeevar
# Actors/Actresses: Feroz Khan, Rajesh Khanna, Sharmila Tagore