Amjad Khan was a well known Indian actor who has been featured in more than one hundred and thirty Hindi films in a period of twenty years. The Bollywood actor is most popular for his portrayal of the legendary antagonist character Gabbar Singh in the film Sholay (1975). He began his acting career on the stage, where he was noticed by the scriptwriters of Sholay, Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar. They recommended him to director Ramesh Sippy for the role in what was to become one of the greatest hits of Hindi cinema. Later he attained fame as an established actor for the role of Dilawar in the film Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978).

Early Life of Amjad Khan
Amjad Khan was born on 12 November 1940, in Hyderabad to father Jayant, who was also an actor. He has two brothers Imtiaz Khan and Inayat Khan, who were also actors. Amjad Khan completed his education from St Theresa`s High School, Bandra. Lter he studied from R D National College, Bandra. His first experience was with the film Ab Dili Dur Nahin in 1957.

Career of Amjad Khan
Amjad Khan was initially a theatre actor before he started acting in films. His first film was Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957) at the age of 17. In the year 1973, Amjad Khan made his acting debut with Hindustan Ki Kasam. In 1975 he appeared in the role of a villain as Gabbar Singh in the film Sholay, which became a blockbuster hit and his performance was acclaimed and appreciated. He took the spotlight with his unconventional acting, even when the film featured veteran and popular actors like Dharmendra, Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjeev Kumar. The success of Sholay overshadowed much of Amjad Khan`s later work. Typecast as a villain, he featured in popular hits such as Kaaliya, Satte Pe Satta and Muqaddar Ka Sikandar. Thereafter director Satyajit Ray cast him in a role totally out of his usual screen persona: that of Wajid Ali Shah, the last ruler of Avadh, in Shatranj Ke Khiladi. It was a sympathetic portrayal of a king whom the events of history turned into a doomed and tragic figure.

In the 1980s, Amjad Khan often played character roles. He played the hero`s friend in films such as Yaarana, and the buffoon in a series of films from the South. He did a particularly memorable comic turn as the sage Vatsyayan in Girish Raghunath Karnad`s Utsav, and another in an effort to exercise the ghost of Gabbar Singh in a spoof film, Ramgarh Ke Sholay. He also directed the films Amir Admi Gareeb Admi and Chor Police.

In the year 1986, Amjad Khan was severely wounded after meeting with a fatal accident on the Bombay-Goa highway. The drugs that he had consumed during treatment caused a serious weight problem. On 27th July 1992, he died due to a massive heart failure.