# Sanjay Khan

Sanjay Khan (born as Shah Abbas Ali Khan, 3 January 1941) is an Indian actor, producer and director known for his works in Hindi films and television. Sanjay Khan made his debut in Rajshri film Dosti (1964), which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi for that year, followed by Chetan Anand's Haqeeqat (1964).
Sanjay Khan starred in a series of hit movies like Dus Lakh (1966), Ek Phool Do Mali (1969), Intaquam (1969), Dhund (1973) 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 the films like Chandi Sona (1977) and Abdullah (1980). In 1990, he starred in and directed the famous historical fiction television series The Sword of Tipu Sultan.

## Early life

Sanjay Khan was born on 3 January 1941 as Shah Abbas Ali Khan in Bangalore, Kingdom of Mysore, British India (now in Karnataka, India) into a Muslim family. Born to an immigrant Afghan father, Sadiq Ali Khan from Ghazni and a mother of Persian ancestry, Bibi Fatima Begum.
He had five brothers and two sisters, Dilshad and Khurshid. His elder brother Feroz Khan was a well-known actor and produced successful films like Dharmatma 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's Awaara 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 through Cambridge School in Daryaganj, New Delhi.
Deciding not to pursue further education, Khan moved to Mumbai where, before joining Bollywood, he assisted John Guillermin, Hollywood film director for the MGM Production of Tarzan Goes to India (1962) which starred his brother Feroz in a supporting role and Sanjay also made a brief uncredited appearance.

## Career

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 Dosti. He went on to star in hit films like Dus Lakh (1966), Ek Phool Do Mali (1969), Intaqam (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 and Raj Kapoor. In 1980, he directed and starred in Abdullah alongside Raj Kapoor and Zeenat Aman. He made his last film appearance in the 1986 film Kala Dhanda Goray Log, 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 The Sword of Tipu Sultan. 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 from 1990 to 1991 and lasted 60 episodes. This would be his final acting role but he went on to produce and direct several other popular television series like The Great Maratha, 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 Katrak, they have three daughters and a son. Their eldest daughter Farah Khan Ali is married to DJ Aqeel, their second daughter Simone Arora married Ajay Arora and they own D'decor, while their youngest daughter is Sussanne Khan (formerly married to actor Hrithik Roshan) and son is former actor Zayed Khan married to Malaika.

### Marriage to Zeenat Aman

Sanjay Khan was briefly married to Zeenat Aman; the marriage took place on 30 December 1978 in a private ceremony with two witnesses in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. 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 numerous guests at a party. It is also widely alleged that the abuse she had endured 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 The Sword of Tipu Sultan 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 to release his autobiography titled The Best Mistakes of My Life and same year announced that he will build a theme park in Agra.

### Assalamualaikum Watan

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

## Filmography
### Actor

List of Sanjay Khan film credits :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1962 | Tarzan Goes to India | Pilot | Uncredited |
| 1964 | Dosti | Ashok | Debut |
| 1964 | Haqeeqat | Soldier | Based on 1962 war |
| 1966 | Dus Lakh | Kishore | First romantic lead |
| 1966 | Dillagi | Joseph Amrine | |
| 1967 | Dil Ne Pukara | Ramesh / Rajan | |
| 1967 | Milan Ki Raat | Shankar | |
| 1968 | Abhilasha | Arun Singh | |
| 1969 | Beti | Dr. Rajesh | |
| 1969 | Ek Phool Do Mali | Amar | |
| 1969 | Shart | Raj | |
| 1969 | Madhavi | Senapati Jai Singh | |
| 1969 | Intaquam | Rajpal "Raju" | |
| 1970 | Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi | Deepak Chaudhary "Deepu" | |
| 1970 | Pushpanjali | Dinesh Khanna | |
| 1970 | Maharaja | Mohan / Maharaja | |
| 1971 | Haseenon Ka Devata | Jai | |
| 1971 | Upaasna | Mohan | |
| 1971 | Mela | Kishan Singh / Kanhaiya | |
| 1971 | Woh Din Yaad Karo | Ajay / Raja | |
| 1972 | Chori Chori | Raja | |
| 1972 | Wafaa | Shyam Thakur | |
| 1972 | Sub Ka Saathi | Amrit / Ramu | |
| 1972 | Dharkan | Suraj Prakash | |
| 1972 | Babul Ki Galiyaan | Sudheer | |
| 1972 | Anokhi Pehchan | | |
| 1973 | Dhund | Advocate Suresh Saxena | |
| 1973 | Sone Ke Haath | Vijay Khanna | |
| 1973 | Daaman Aur Aag | Raja | |
| 1974 | Asliyat | | |
| 1974 | Trimurti | Vijay | |
| 1974 | Duniya Ka Mela | Shyam | |
| 1976 | Nagin | Suraj | |
| 1977 | Mera Vachan Geeta Ki Kasam | Hari Singh / Rahim Khan | |
| 1977 | Mastan Dada | Narendra | |
| 1977 | Chandi Sona | Mayur | |
| 1980 | Qurbani | Narrator | |
| 1980 | Abdullah | Sheikh Mohammed Al-Qamaal | |
| 1986 | Kala Dhanda Goray Log | Raja | |
| 1989 | Chingari | Inspector Mohan | Delayed release |

### Television

List of Sanjay Khan television credits :
| Year | Title | Character | Actor | Producer | Director | Year completed |
| 1990 | The Sword of Tipu Sultan | Tipu Sultan | Yes | Yes | Yes | 1991 |
| 1994 | The Great Maratha | | No | Yes | Yes | 1994 |
| 1997 | Jai Hanuman | | No | Yes | Yes | 2000 |
| 2001–2002 | Jai Mahabharat | | No | Yes | Yes | 2002 |
| 2002 | 1857 Kranti | | No | Yes | Yes | 2003 |
| 2003 | Maharathi Karna | | No | Yes | Yes | 2003 |

### Director

* Maharathi Karna (2003) TV series
* 1857 Kranti (2002–2003) TV series
* Jai Mahabharat (2001–2002) TV series
* Jai Hanuman (1997–2000) TV series
* The Great Maratha (1994) TV series
* The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990–1991) TV series
* Kala Dhanda Goray Log (1986)
* Abdullah (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
* The Great Maratha (1994) TV series
* The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990–1991) TV series
* Kala Dhanda Goray Log (1986)
* Abdullah (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
* The Great Maratha (1994) TV series
* The Sword of Tipu Sultan (1990–1991) TV series
* Kala Dhanda Goray Log (1986)
* Abdullah (1980)
* Chandi Sona (1977)