Ajit Khan

Biography

An iconic actor, Hami Ali Khan, better known by his stage name, Ajit Khan was a Bollywood actor who was noted for portraying mostly villainous and supporting roles and his unique dialogue delivery continues to reverberate to date amongst every movie lover in India. The famous dialogue, 'Mona Darling' from Yaadon Ki Baraat and 'Lily don't be silly' from Zanjeer remains one the biggest highlights of his career.

Born in Golconda, Hyderabad, Ajit ran away from home and arrived in Mumbai to pursue a career in acting; he sold his college books to get funds for the travel. Although Ajit wanted to become a hero, initially he had to struggle a lot, he mostly appeared in supporting and/or small roles and his first appearance on the silver screen was with Shahe Misra (1946). 

Following his debut, the superstar actor continued doing small roles in films like Sikander, Hatimtai, Aap Beeti, and Sone Ki Chidiya.

After appearing in mostly supporting roles for a few years, Ajit decided to go through an image makeover and during the mid-70s switched to doing villainous roles. His first film as an antagonist was Suraj, which was followed by super-hit films like Zanjeer and Yaadon Ki Baaraat. 

His brilliant role in the films not only garnered him wide fame and recognition but also he soon came to be associated with being one of the most talented actors in Hindi cinema, who could portray villainous roles with supreme ease and panache.

Over the years, in an illustrious career spanning more than four decades, Ajit Khan starred in more than 200 films and he is credited with giving Bollywood lovers some of the most catchy phrases like 'smart boy' and 'how very interesting'. Ajit's glorious career came to an end when he passed away on 22nd October 1998.