Happy Maharashtra day and hope you all have voted or are voting, for the better. This is our time and it’s the best time.
Well, the week began on a sad note with the passing of the legendary uber-cool Feroz Khan.
I remember it was one hot summer day in 1980 that I walked into my local single screen theatre to see Qurbani. Although I did know who Vinod Khanna was, I was too young to know Feroz Khan, as his last film as director was Dharmatma in ‘75.
The man, the maverick
I didn’t see the films that came in between. But Qurbani, in my opinion, was what changed it all. The slickness of the film, the freshness of its look, the foreign locales, the swagger of the characters, the pulsating music and the slam-bang action climax completely bedazzled my young fragile eggshell mind. This is one of the only films to wreck a 1970s S-class Mercedes Benz onscreen in the opening sequence.
Feroz Khan was a maverick, a man truly inspired and influenced by the changing Hollywood of the ’70s, so much so that he strived in whatever way possible to bring about that change in whatever he did. But even if he did, never in the remotest way, did he ever imitate or make any attempt to plagiarise any of that.
He made sure that he brought the FK touch to every single thing he did. Be it his acting ventures in masala cowboy films like Khote Sikkay (1974) (a clear riff on For A Few Dollars More and Magnificent Seven) or playing the daaku in Khoon aur Pani (1981).
{{/usCountry}}He made sure that he brought the FK touch to every single thing he did. Be it his acting ventures in masala cowboy films like Khote Sikkay (1974) (a clear riff on For A Few Dollars More and Magnificent Seven) or playing the daaku in Khoon aur Pani (1981).
{{/usCountry}}Guru of style
He launched his own production banner in ‘75 with Dharmatma, a re-imagining of The Godfather and the first Hindi film to be shot in Afghanistan. His films always dealt with the battle between the law and the outlaw, be it the drug war in Jaanbaaz, the gangsterism in Yalgaar, the social oppression in Dayavaan or the international terrorism backdrop in Janasheen, and in his eyes, the law always won.
Just as his style infused his cinema, so also did it influence the music of his films. So Dharmatma brought us Kalyanji Anandji’s evergreen Kya khoob lagti ho and Tere chehre mein woh jaadu hai (I challenge you to find a better looking Hema Malini), Qurbani brought Biddu’s prodigy Nazia Hassan and the superb Aap jaisa koi and again Kalyanji Anandji’s evergreen, Qurbani qurbani, Hum tumhe chahte hain aise and Kya dekhte ho and not to forget Laila main Laila (Kulu kulu.. Amjad Khan’s drum solo is the coolest ever).
The ’80s excess was not lost on Feroz Khan and Jaanbaaz once again proved his blockbuster status, with each song from the film becoming a chartbuster. Again, using KA’s able talents, the songs Har kisiko nahin milta, Jab jab teri soorat dekhoon, Jaan ki baazi.. and the Pyar do pyar lo/Give me love hybrid made music history.
Breaking the mould
Dayavaan saw him delve into creating art cinema and succeeding to a certain extent before he fell back to the commercialism of Yalgaar, Prem Aggan and Janasheen. And although the latter three met with relative success (or failure) commercially, critically as well as musically, that never diminished his zest for life or his passion for excellence in any way.
And although his last cinematic appearance was the ludicrous and unwelcome Welcome (in which he was the best thing … really!), my memories of Feroze Khan will always be of a Janbaaz human who was a Dharmatma of Hindi films and would give any Qurbani for his art.
Alvida.. Feroz Khan, when god made you, he broke the mould.. if I may say so.