Mohammed Rashid Mohammed Iqbal Kamaal,
better known as Kamaal Rashid Khan (born 1 January 1975; often referred to as KRK or Kamaal R Khan), is an Indian actor, producer and writer in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and
Bhojpuri cinema
Bhojpuri cinema is an Indian film industry of Bhojpuri-language motion pictures. It is based in western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh with major production centres in Lucknow and Patna.
Bhojpuri cinema is a major part of Bihari cinema. The f ...
. He has produced or written most of the films he has starred in, notably the controversial ''
Deshdrohi
''Deshdrohi'' ( Traitor) is a 2008 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Jagdish A. Sharma. It was scripted and produced by KRK, who also appeared in the lead role alongside Manoj Tiwari, Hrishitaa Bhatt, Gracy Singh and Zulfi ...
'' (2008), his only film as a lead actor. He is best known for his supporting role in ''
Ek Villain
''Ek Villain: There's One in Every Love Story'' is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures. Based on a script written by Tushar Hiranand ...
'' (2014) and for participating in the reality show
''Bigg Boss'' in 2009.
He has also appeared in music videos.
Biography
Khan was born in a Muslim family in
Deoband
Deoband is a town and a municipality in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, about 150 km from Delhi. Darul Uloom Deoband, an Islamic seminary and one of the largest Islamic Institution of India is located there.
Etymo ...
, a town in the
Saharanpur district
Saharanpur district is the northernmost of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Bordering the states of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and close to the foothills of Shivalik range, it lies in the northern part of the Doab r ...
of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, India in 1975.
He is the father of two kids, a son and a daughter. A businessman, he ventured into the
Indian film industry
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
during the 2000s.
He started out as a producer and writer for films and has also appeared in supporting roles therein, these include the Hindi
romance-drama ''Sitam'' (; 2005) directed by
Partho Ghosh
Partho Ghosh is an Indian film director and producer of Bollywood. He has also directed Bengali films. His successful films include '' 100 Days'' with Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit and ''Teesra Kaun'' with Mithun Chakraborty. But he is known ...
, the Bhojpuri films ''Tu Hamaar Hou'' (; 2006) directed by Jayprakkash Shaw, ''Munna Pandey Berozgaar'' (; 2007) directed by Manish Jain; romance and comedy films respectively.
''Desh Drohi'' (, 2008), a
crime-thriller
Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professional detective, of a crime, ...
, was his first film as a
leading actor
A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...
and dealt with
organised crime in India
Organised crime in India refers to organised crime elements originating in India and active in many parts of the world. The purpose of organised crime in India, as elsewhere in the world, is monetary gain. Its virulent form in modern times is d ...
and like his previous ventures was also written and produced by him. It received negative reviews from critics and was
banned by the Maharashtra state government amid riot concerns for depicting the
, which was eventually lifted by the
Bombay High Court
The High Court of Bombay is the high court of the states of Maharashtra and Goa in India, and the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu. It is seated primarily at Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay), and is one of the ol ...
.
His next was
''Jimmy'' (2008) directed by
Raj N. Sippy
Raj N. Sippy (born 6 March 1948) also known as Raj Sippy, is an Indian film director and producer working on ''Bollywood'' films. He was very prominent in the 1980s, with successful films, like '' Inkaar'', Satyamev Jayate and Mahaadev with Vin ...
, another crime film written and produced by Khan. He is best known for his supporting role in the film ''
Ek Villain
''Ek Villain: There's One in Every Love Story'' is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Mohit Suri and produced by Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures. Based on a script written by Tushar Hiranand ...
'' (''The Villain''; 2014), where he played the role of the titular serial killer's best friend, notably neither produced nor written by him.
At the 2015
Ghanta Awards
The Ghanta Awards (sometimes abbreviated as The Ghanta) is an award presented in recognition of the worst film in Bollywood. Founded by Prashant Rajkhowa and Karan Anshuman in 2010, the annual Ghanta Awards ceremony in Mumbai takes place about th ...
(humorous Bollywood film awards), Khan was awarded the Worst Supporting Actor for ''Ek Villain''.
He also appeared in the
third season of the reality show ''
Bigg Boss
''Bigg Boss'' is an Indian reality television game show franchise based on the Dutch reality show '' Big Brother''. It is produced by Endemol Shine India through Viacom18 and Disney Star. Subsequently, the various versions of the show are made ...
'', the Indian version of
''Big Brother'', in 2009; he later appeared in the
stand-up comedy show, ''
Comedy Nights Bachao
''Comedy Nights Bachao'' (English: ''Comedy Nights, Help!'') was an Indian Hindi-language comedy television series which premiered on 5 September 2015. The series used to air on Sunday nights on Colors TV. The series was a reality show with a ...
'' in 2015.
Besides films and television, he has also starred in music videos including "Tum Meri Ho" (2019) sung by
Javed Ali
Javed Ali is an Indian playback singer who predominantly sings in Hindi. He has also sung in various Indian languages including Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Gujarati, Marathi, Odia, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu.
Early life
Javed Ali was born Javed H ...
, which he also produced and wrote the lyrics for.
He has since shifted to the profession of a
YouTuber
A YouTuber is an online personality and/or influencer who produces videos on the video-sharing platform YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006.
Influence
Influent ...
, posting film reviews and box office analysis. These videos, which often target Indian celebrities, have attracted controversy.
Carry Minati
Ajey Nagar (; born 12 June 1999), popularly known as CarryMinati, is an Indian YouTuber and Video game live streaming, streamer from Faridabad, India. He is known for his Roast (comedy), roasting videos, comedic skits and reactions to various ...
, another Indian YouTuber, roasted Khan in a 2016 video "KRK India's Best Film Actor/Producer/Critic".
Mika Singh
Mika Singh (born 10 June 1977) is an Indian singer. His songs include "Bas Ek King" ('' Singh Is Kinng''), "Mauja Hi Mauja" (''Jab We Met''), "Ibn-e-Batuta" (''Ishqiya''), and "Dhanno" ('' Housefull''). He has released several solo albums and a ...
, an Indian singer, released a
diss track
A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...
against Khan, "#krkkutta: Barking Dog - Mika Singh" in 2021.
He was a candidate in the
2014 Indian general election
General elections were held in India in nine phases from 7 April to 12 May 2014 to elect the members of the 16th Lok Sabha. With 834 million registered voters, they were the largest-ever elections in the world until being surpassed by the 2019 ...
for the
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-past ...
(lower house of the Indian Parliament) from the
Samajwadi Party
The Samajwadi Party ( SP; translation: ''Socialist Party'', founded 4 October 1992) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India, headquartered in New Delhi but mainly based in Uttar Pradesh, with significant presence in other states as w ...
. He quit the party citing differences with Samajwadi Party leader
Abu Azmi
Abu Asim Azmi (born 8 August 1955) is a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Constituency, Mumbai. He belongs to the Samajwadi Party.
He is the President of the Maharashtra state branch of ...
's son Farhan Azmi and contested as an independent politician but did not win. He also has business interests in Dubai.
Kamal R Khan has been at the centre of controversies since 2005. Courts in Mumbai granted injunctions to restrict Khan from posting
defamatory content against actor
Salman Khan
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan (; 27 December 1965) is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. In a film career spanning over thirty years, Khan has received numerous awards, including two Nation ...
and producers
Nikhil Dwivedi
Nikhil Dwivedi is an Indian actor and producer who works in Hindi cinema. He is best known for his role in television series ''Scam 1992'' (2020). His other acting roles include '' My Name Is Anthony Gonsalves'' (2008), '' Raavan'' (2010), '' ...
and
Vashu Bhagnani
Vashu Bhagnani is an Indian film producer who works in Bollywood films. His films include '' Coolie No. 1'' (1995), '' Hero No. 1'' (1997), '' Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998), ''Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai'' (2001), '' Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein'' (20 ...
in separate cases in 2021. He was arrested and detained in 2022 by the
Mumbai Police
The Mumbai Police (Marathi: मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Mumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay Police'') is the police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibiliti ...
, when returning from Dubai where he had been residing, for complaints (filed by
Yuva Sena
Shiv Sena ( IAST: ''Śiva Sēnā'') () was a right-wing to far-right Marathi regionalist and Hindu ultranationalist political party in India founded in 1966 by cartoonist Bal Thackeray. Originally emerging from nativist movements in Bo ...
politician
Rahul Kanal
Rahul is a popular male name in India and has a variety of meanings. The earliest meaning found in the Upanishads is "conqueror of all miseries." Later use of the word is attributed to the Buddha, who named his son ''Rahula'' as he felt that fam ...
) on his 2020 tweets against
Akshay Kumar
Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...
-starrer ''
Laxmii
''Laxmii'' is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language horror comedy film written and directed by Raghava Lawrence, marking his directorial debut in the Hindi film industry. A remake of his own Tamil film '' Kanchana'' (2011), it stars Akshay Kumar and Kiar ...
'', a 2020
LGBT film
This article lists lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender-related films involving participation and/or representation of LGBT. The list includes films that deal with or feature significant LGBT issues or characters. These films may involve LG ...
dealing with
transgender issues (
hijras), and tweets against director
Ram Gopal Varma
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Bollywood, Hindi, Kannada cinema, Kannada language ...
. After spending nine days in
judicial custody
The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...
, he was granted bail for the tweets and for a separate 2021
sexual molestation
Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...
complaint filed by model Taashaa Hayaat.
Exclusive Interview of Taashaa Hayaat on Molestation Against KRK Controversy
26 July 2021. ''FilmiBeat
Oneindia.com is an Indian website established in January 2006 by BG Mahesh. The website provides news updates, information on sports, events, travel, entertainment, business, lifestyle, videos, and classifieds in seven different Indian language ...
''.
Filmography
Feature films
Television
Music videos
Notes
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Kamaal Rashid
Living people
1975 births
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Indian male film actors
Film producers from Uttar Pradesh
Indian male screenwriters
Indian lyricists
Participants in Indian reality television series
People from Deoband
People from Dubai
Indian expatriates in the United Arab Emirates
Candidates in the 2014 Indian general election
Bigg Boss (Hindi TV series) contestants
Samajwadi Party politicians
Male actors in Bhojpuri cinema
Hindi film producers
Hindi screenwriters
YouTube critics and reviewers
Indian YouTubers