Bollywood mourns maverick actor Feroz Khan’s death

Saddened by the death of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Bollywood has come out grieving to express its loss and sorrow. The actor passed away late Sunday night at his Bangalore residence. Known for his style and lavish lifestyle, the actor awed many with his praiseworthy acts over the years. Survived by his two children- Fardeen and Laila, the 70 yr old actor delivered a series of entertaining films.

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai, April 27: Saddened by the death of veteran actor Feroz Khan, Bollywood has come out grieving to express its loss and sorrow. The actor, who lost his battle against cancer, passed away late Sunday night at his Bangalore residence. Known for his signature style and lavish lifestyle, the actor awed many with his praiseworthy performances over the years.Survived by his two children - actor Fardeen Khan and daughter Laila, the 70 year old actor delivered a series of entertaining films like ‘Dharmatma’ and ‘Qurbani’ and most recent ‘Welcome’ that continued to charm audiences with his inimitable style. Expressing sadness over the tragic incident, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta said, "Feroz Khan was, is and will always be there for me. I have no qualms in saying that my life is inspired by him. He is basically a reason why I became a filmmaker. He is a hero figure to me. His death is a very sad moment for all of us".Shivu, a close friend of the actor fondly recalled, "He loved Bangalore where he was born. He stayed in Bangalore most of the time in his farmhouse. More than Mumbai, it was in Bangalore that he had spent a larger part of his life. He was part of the racing world of Bangalore. He had shot many films in his farm house in Bangalore." Writer-turned director Anees Bazmee, who directed Feroz Khan in his last film "Welcome" in 2007, is "heartbroken" to hear of the death. "I have come back to Mumbai this morning and got to know about his death. It is very sad and I am heartbroken. He was very close to me and an extremely good human being. I used to be in regular touch with him," Bazmee told reporters. Beauty queen-turned-actress Celina Jaitley, who was launched by Feroz Khan in his home production's "Janasheen" (2003), headed to Bangalore Monday to pay her last respects. "Farewell my friend, my mentor... The many things we talked about... The many things I learnt from you are with me as my courage, you have gone but the love and support you gave me remains as a part of my heart... I wait for the day we will meet again back in god's hand where it all began. Love always, your 'Celine'," Celina told reporters. The actor did his schooling in Bangalore after which he went to Mumbai to pursue a career in Bollywood. He made his debut in "Didi" in 1960. Getting good roles was not easy for the actor and he ended up working in a lesser known English film "Tarzan Goes To India". But he went on to act in popular films like "Arzoo", "Aurat" and "Safar" as well as playing important roles in his own directorial ventures "Qurbani" and "Dharmatma". He won a Filmfare award for best supporting role in "Aadmi Aur Insaan" in 1970 and was honoured with the lifetime achievement award in 2000. In 1972, Feroz Khan debuted as director and producer with "Apradh", made under the banner of F.K. Films Pvt Ltd. But it was his second film "Dharmatma", based on the then successful Hollywood thriller "Godfather", that catapulted him into the big league of Hindi film industry. "Dharmatma", the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan, became a blockbuster. After the success of the film, Feroz Khan became a name to reckon with as an actor, director and producer. His another big hit was "Qurbani" in which he teamed up with Vinod Khanna and Zeenat Aman. In the eighties and nineties, he made films like "Dayavan" and "Yalgaar". While struggling to find a firm foothold in Bollywood, Feroz Khan married Sundari in 1965. They had a son Fardeen Khan, who is an actor, and a daughter Laila, a painter married to tennis player Rohit Rajpal. Fardeen tied the knot with Natasha Madhwani, daughter of yesteryears actress Mumtaz who had played the leading role in many of Feroz Khan`s films. His brother Sanjay is also an actor and both of them worked together in the hit film "Mela". His brother Akbar too is in films and recently produced and directed "Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story", while Sameer stays in Bangalore. He also launched his son Fardeen with "Prem Aggan" in 1998 and directed him again in the 2003 film "Janasheen", but both failed at the Box Office.