Teenage Heartthrob In The US And Philippines, Mother India Fame Sajid Khan Succumbs To Cancer
Renowned actor Sajid Khan who was best known for playing the role of young Birju (Sunil Dutt) in Oscar-nominated 1957 movie Mother India has passed away following a long battle with cancer. He was 70.?
Mother India fame?Sajid Khan Succumbs To Cancer
Fought a courageous battle with cancer until his last breath
Born in the poverty-stricken slums Bombay, Sajid was adopted by Mehboob Khan, the founder of Mehboob Studios. He worked in a handful of movies including?international projects such as?John Berry's American movie?Maya and?The Singing Filipina, a?Philippines film.??
"He had been battling cancer for a while. He passed away on Friday (December 22)," his son Sameer told PTI.?
From slums to films
He was first spotted in slums by Mehboob Khan, who offered him a role in Mother India. For playing the child actor in the film, he was given a salary of Rs 750, which is now equivalent to Rs 75,000 in 2023). Later, Khan and his wife?Sardar Akhtar adopted him and named him Sajid Khan.?
Settled in the US
After Mother India, he played the titular role in his father's 1962 movie Son of India. While the film didn't perform well at the box office, his acting skills were appreciated by all critics. After his father's death in 1964, he moved to?USA with his mother.
Teenage sensation
In the US, he shot to fame with 1966 film Maya, in which he starred alongside Jay North. The movie was so successful that they made a series on it which was aired on NBC. By, now he was a teen idol in the US and Philippines.
International projects??
He also made his singing debut with the namesake album and went on to feature in TV series like?The Big Valley. He was also a guest judge on the show?It's Happening.
Helped Rekha
Rekha at that time was looking to make her debut when she approached Sajid. Since she could speak good English but not fluent Hindi, she thought the Sajid could help her bag international shows. He even tried to get her a role in the television series he was doing at that time, but things didn't work out.
Comeback to Hindi films
While he enjoyed a successful career in the US, he also made a comeback in Hindi films like?Zindagi Aur Toofan, Mandir Masjid and Dahshat but none of them worked financially.?
Sajid Khan's demise marks the end of an era??
He passed away in Kerala's Alappuzha district. "My father, adopted by Rajkumar Pitamber Rana and Sunita Pitamber and fostered by filmmaker Mehboob Khan, had made Kerala his home. Despite his hiatus from films, he was actively engaged in philanthropy and had a deep affinity for Kerala. He eventually remarried and chose to settle down in this picturesque state," said his son.?
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