Why did Kader Khan leave the country in his final years?

Bhaijaan, that’s what everyone called Kader Khan, was the backbone of Hindi cinema. Why was he in Canada at the time of his death? Kader Khan gave so much to our entertainment industry. He was one of the pillars of Bollywood. He was not just an excellent actor who fitted into any role, but also an outstanding writer.

If you met Kader Saab he regaled you with his intellectual mind and deep study of commercial Indian cinema. I don’t know of any talent in Bollywood who was as in demand as Kader Saab. He used to write and act in five-six films at the same time from 1970 to 90s. He was so busy that he would dole out dates in hours.

He was never just an actor or a writer in a project. He jumped into it the whole hog. A part of the success of Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda must go to Kader Saab for his writing.

Meeting him was always like running into an embodiment of the Hindi film industry. He could do anything, and he did everything. It’s a pity his health began to fail in the last ten years. Kader Saab had so much more to give. Not many know this, but he taught mathematics in his spare time.

For close to 40 years, Khan ruled Bollywood first as a writer, then as an actor. He was associated with many of Amitabh Bachchan‘s and Govinda‘s biggest hits. He used to be writing and acting in five, six films at the same time in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Shakti Kapoor, David Dhawan and Govinda were others who worked very closely with Kader Khan during the 1980s and 1990s. Govinda has gone on record to say Kader Khan was like a father figure to him.

However, Kader Khan’s son Sarfaraz revealed to me that Govinda had not inquired about Kader Khan’s well-being even once.

Said Sarfaraz, “There are no real feelings for those who have contributed to Indian cinema when they’re no longer active. The top guns may be seen getting clicked with these retired veterans. But the affection goes only as far as photographs. No more. Look at the condition in which Lalita Pawarji and Mohan Chotiji died. Luckily, my father had three sons to look after him. What about those who die with no financial and emotional support? My father’s final years were very painful for him. He suffered from a degenerative disease that left him completely without the will to do anything. He got the best possible medical care here in Toronto.”

There is a lesson to be learnt from Kader Khan’s death in a foreign country. We need to take better care of our artistes so that they don’t feel neglected.

Was it difficult for the family to lay their distinguished patriarch to rest so far away from home?

“Canada was my father’s home during his last years. All of us have moved to Canada,” said Sarfaraz.

When the Padma Shri had been posthumously announced for Kader Saab, Sarfaraz had told me, “The Padma Shri) is a statement on my father’s hard work in Indian cinema for 45 years. And I accept it with joy pride and humility on his behalf. If God is happy with what an individual has done in his life, He will find a way to give love and respect to that individual even when he’s gone.”

Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.

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