Sanjay Khan (born Shah Abbas Ali Khan Tanoli, 3 January 1941) is an Indian actor, producer, and director known for his works 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 ...

films and television. Sanjay Khan made his debut in Chetan Anand's 1964 film '' Haqeeqat'', followed by the Rajshri film ''

Dosti Dosti may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Dosti'' (1964 film), an Indian black-and-white Hindi film. * ''Dosti'' (1971 film), a Pakistani Urdu film * '' Dosti: Friends Forever'', a 2005 Indian Hindi romantic-drama buddy film * ''Dosti'' ...

'' which won the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several a ...

for that year. Khan starred in hit movies like ''

Dus Lakh Dus Lakh (English: Ten Lakhs or One Million) is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language comedy film. It was produced and directed by Devendra Goel. Music was composed by Ravi. The star cast included Sanjay Khan, Babita, Helen, Pran, Om Prakash, Manora ...

'' (1966), ''

Ek Phool Do Mali ''Ek Phool Do Mali'' is a 1969 Indian Hindi film directed by Devendra Goel. The film is based on the book ''Do Kadam Aage'' by Sampat Lal Purohit. The film was a Blockbuster and second highest grossing movie of 1969 along with '' Aradhana'' & ...

'' (1969), ''

Intaquam ''Intaqam'' () is a 1969 Bollywood thriller film directed by R. K. Nayyar. It starred Sanjay Khan and Sadhana in the lead, supported by Ashok Kumar, Rehman, Jeevan, Rajendra Nath, Helen and Anju Mahendru. The film also features the iconic a ...

'' (1969), '' Dhund'' (1973), '' Mela'' (1971) etc. He co-starred with his elder brother Feroz Khan in the films '' Upaasna'' (1971), '' Mela'' (1971) and '' Nagin'' (1976). He later turned producer and director with '' Chandi Sona'' (1977) and ''

Abdullah Abdullah may refer to: * Abdullah (name), a list of people with the given name or surname * Abdullah, Kargı, Turkey, a village * ''Abdullah'' (film), a 1980 Bollywood film directed by Sanjay Khan * '' Abdullah: The Final Witness'', a 2015 Pakis ...

'' (1980). In 1990, he starred in and directed the famous historical fiction television series ''

The Sword of Tipu Sultan ' ''The Sword of Tipu Sultan'' is an Indian historical drama that was first broadcast on the DD National in February 1990. Based on a novel by Bhagwan Gidwani, this drama was a portrayal of the life and times of Tipu Sultan, the 18th century ru ...

''.

Early life

Sanjay Khan was born on 3 January, 1941 as Shah Abbas Ali Khan Tanoli in

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) into a

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

family. Son of an immigrant

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

Pashtun Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...

father of the

Tanoli The Tanoli (Hindko/ ur, تنولی ,تناولی ,تنولي) are a tribe living mostly in the Hazara area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They form the majority of the population of Lassan Nawab union council. The Tanoli describe themselves as ...

tribe, Sadiq Ali Khan Tanoli from

Ghazni Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...

and an immigrant

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

mother, Bibi Fatima Begum from

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, with five brothers and two sisters, Dilshad and Khurshid. His elder brother is Feroz Khan, who was a successful actor and also produced super hit movies like ''

Dharmatma ''Dharmatma'' () is a 1975 Hindi thriller movie and the first Bollywood film to be shot in Afghanistan. It was produced and directed by Feroz Khan. The movie is the first attempt in India to localise ''The Godfather''. The cast includes Feroz ...

'' and '' Qurbani''. His younger brothers Sameer and Shahrukh are businessmen, while Akbar Khan has made magnum opus '' Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story''. At the age of 12, Khan was taken to a theatre to see

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

's ''

Awaara ''Awaara'', also written ''Awāra'', ur, , Āvārā, group=n, name=HindiUrdu and known overseas as ''The Vagabond'', is a 1951 Indian Hindi crime drama film, produced and directed by Raj Kapoor, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. It stars Raj ...

'' and was mesmerised by the film. Following the film, he decided to visit with the actors. The manager of the theatre took Khan into the projection room and explained to him how the film is made. To Khan, that was a moment of epiphany and he decided to pursue an acting career. He obtained

Senior Cambridge The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in India, Jamaica, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Singapore. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations. History India The ...

through Cambridge School in Daryaganj,

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

. Deciding not to pursue further education, Khan moved to Mumbai where, before joining Bollywood, he assisted

John Guillermin John Guillermin (11 November 192527 September 2015) was a French-British film director, writer and producer who was most active in big-budget, action-adventure films throughout his lengthy career. His more well-known films include ''I Was Monty ...

, Hollywood film director for the

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

Production of ''

Tarzan Goes to India ''Tarzan Goes to India'' (1962) is the first film featuring Jock Mahoney as Tarzan. It was written by Robert Hardy Andrews and directed by John Guillermin, who also directed ''Tarzan's Greatest Adventure''. The film also stars Indian Bollywood ac ...

'' (1962).

Career

Zayed Khan, Zarine Khan, Sanjay Khan at Esha Deol's wedding reception 02

Khan made his debut in Chetan Anand's 1964 war film '' Haqeeqat'' in a small role as a soldier. Later that year, he played a pivotal supporting role in the big blockbuster film ''

''. He went on to star in hit films like ''

'' (1966), ''

'' (1969), ''

Intaqam ''Intaqam'' () is a 1969 Bollywood thriller film directed by R. K. Nayyar. It starred Sanjay Khan and Sadhana in the lead, supported by Ashok Kumar, Rehman, Jeevan, Rajendra Nath, Helen and Anju Mahendru. The film also features the iconic ...

'' (1969), ''Shart'' (1969), '' Mela'' (1971), '' Upaasna'' (1971), '' Dhund'' (1973) and '' Nagin'' (1976). In 1977, he made his directorial debut with '' Chandi Sona'' starring himself,

Parveen Babi Parveen Babi (4 April 1954 – 20 January 2005) was an Indian actress and model. Recognized for her roles in Hindi films throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Babi was known for her "glamorous" acting style, and was one of the highest-paid ...

and

. In 1980, he directed and starred in ''

'' alongside

and

Zeenat Aman Zeenat Khan (born 19 November 1951), better known as Zeenat Aman, is an Indian actress and former fashion model. She first received recognition for her modelling work, and at the age of 19, went on to participate in beauty pageants, winning both ...

. He made his last film appearance in the 1986 film ''

Kala Dhanda Goray Log ''Kala Dhanda Goray Log'' () is a 1986 Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Sanjay Khan, starring Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Khan, Anita Raj, Akbar Khan and Amrita Singh. The film's music was by Louis Banks and Laxmikant–Pyarelal, while t ...

'', which was his third and last film as a director. He shifted his focus on television in the late 1980s, directing and starring in the big-budget historical television drama series ''

''. During the making of the series in 1989, a fire broke out on the sets and killed more than 40 crew members and Khan suffered 65% burns to his body. He recovered after 72 surgeries and production on the series resumed later that year with him and his brother Akbar Khan jointly directing episodes of the series. The series first aired on

DD National DD National (formerly DD1) is a state-owned public entertainment television channel in India. It is the flagship channel of Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster, and the oldest and most widely available terrestrial television channel ...

from 1990 to 1991 and lasted 60 episodes. This would have been his final acting role but he went on to produce and direct several other popular television series like ''

The Great Maratha ''The Great Maratha'' is an Indian historical drama television series directed by Sanjay Khan and produced by Numero Uno International Limited. The drama aired on DD National. The series is based on the life of Mahadaji Shinde. The show compr ...

'', '' Jai Hanuman'' and '' 1857 Kranti''.

Awards

* Uttar Pradesh Film journalists Association Award (1981) * Andhra Pradesh journalist award (1986) * The Gem of India Award for Excellence (1993) * The Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award (1993) * The Udyog Ratna Gold Medal Award (1994) * The Aashirwad Award (1994). * The Arch of Excellence Award (1994) * National Citizen's Award (1994) * The Glory of India Award (1995) * The Super Achiever of India Award (1995) * Hind Gaurav Award (1997) * Kashi Pandit Sansad Award (1997) * Business Initiation Development Award (1997) * Honour of Lifetime Achiever Award (1997) * Achiever of Millennium Award (1999) * The Millennium Achievers (2000) * American Federation of Muslims of Indian Origin (2006) * The Lifetime Achievement Award by Screen Star (2009) * Biographer of the year award from Power Brands at BFJA (Bollywood Film Journalist's Awards) (2019)

Resort

In 1997, he launched his dream project – the five-star deluxe Golden Palms Hotel and Spa in Bangalore. He completed this 150-room hotel with built up area of approximately 300,000 sq ft, with the largest swimming pool ever built in India containing 300,000 litres of water. Golden Palms Hotel and Spa was conceived, designed, constructed was owned by him till 2010; his wife Zarine Khan designed the interiors.

Personal life

He is married to Zarine Khan, they have three daughters and a son, elder daughter Farah Khan Ali married to

DJ Aqeel DJ Aqeel (born Aqeel Ali) is an Indian DJ and composer. Biography Family Aqeel married Farah Khan Ali, who is the daughter of actor Sanjay Khan, and is the sister of the Bollywood actor Zayed Khan, in 1999. The couple have two children. Night ...

, now divorced, second daughter Simone Arora married to Ajay Arora they own D'decor, his youngest daughter Sussanne Khan (formerly married to actor

Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan (; born 10 January 1974) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He has portrayed a variety of characters and is known for his dancing skills. One of the highest-paid actors in India, he has won many awards, including six ...

) and son an actor

Zayed Khan Zayed Abbas Khan (born 5 July 1980) is a former Indian actor and producer who appeared in Hindi films. The son of Bollywood actor Sanjay Khan, he has received a Filmfare Award nomination. After graduating in Business Management at the Montgom ...

married to Malaika. Sanjay Khan at Rajesh Khanna's prayer meet 15

Marriage to Zeenat Aman

Sanjay Khan was briefly married to

, the marriage took place on 30 December 1978 in a private ceremony with two witnesses in

Jaisalmer Jaisalmer , nicknamed "The Golden city", is a city in the Indian state of Rajasthan, located west of the state capital Jaipur. The town stands on a ridge of yellowish sandstone and is crowned by the ancient Jaisalmer Fort. This fort contains a ...

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...

. The relationship lasted less than a year, being annulled on 24 November 1979. The relationship was a difficult one for Zeenat Aman, having suffered domestic abuse including being beaten by Khan in the presence of various guests. It is also believed that the abuse she had to undergo resulted in permanent damage to her right eye.

Fire accident

A major fire accident took place on 8 February 1989 in the Premier Studios of Mysore where the serial ''

'' was being shot. Loose wiring and the absence of ventilators were further causes for the fire to spread. Instead of fire-proofing material, the walls had gunny bags and the temperature rose to around 120 °C (248 °F) because of huge lights being used. All these factors contributed to the massive fire, and the final death toll was 52. Khan suffered major burns and had to spend 13 months in hospital and undergo 73 surgeries.

Books launched

Autobiography

In 2018, he announced that he signed a deal with

Penguin Books Penguin Books is a British publishing, publishing house. It was co-founded in 1935 by Allen Lane with his brothers Richard and John, as a line of the publishers The Bodley Head, only becoming a separate company the following year.Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

Assalamualaikum Watan

In 2020, he launched his second and last book "Assalamualaikum Watan".

Filmography

Actor

Television

Director

* Maharathi Karna (2003) TV series * '' 1857 Kranti'' (2002–2003) TV series * Jai Mahabharat (2001–2002) TV series * '' Jai Hanuman'' (1997–2000) TV series * ''

'' (1994) TV series * ''

'' (1990–1991) TV series * ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1980) * '' Chandi Sona'' (1977)

Producer

* Maharathi Karna (2003) TV series * '' 1857 Kranti'' (2002–2003) TV series * Jai Mahabharat (2001–2002) TV Series * '' Jai Hanuman'' (1997–2000) TV series * ''

'' (1994) TV series * ''

'' (1990–1991) TV series * ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1980) * '' Chandi Sona'' (1977)

Scripting

* Maharathi Karna (2003) TV series * '' 1857 Kranti'' (2002–2003) TV series * Jai Mahabharat (2001–2002) TV series * '' Jai Hanuman'' (1997–2000) TV series * ''

'' (1994) TV series * ''

'' (1990–1991) TV series * ''

'' (1986) * ''

'' (1980) * '' Chandi Sona'' (1977)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Sanjay 1941 births Living people Indian people Pashtun people Indian people of Afghan descent Indian people of Pashtun descent Indian people of Iranian descent Male actors from Bangalore Indian male film actors Indian male television actors Film producers from Bangalore Male actors in Hindi cinema Hindi-language film directors 20th-century Indian film directors 20th-century Indian male actors Hindi film producers Film directors from Bangalore Male actors in Hindi television 21st-century Indian film directors 21st-century Indian male actors