Amjad Khan named Amitabh Bachchan ‘Shorty’ during Sholay, Big B filled in for his family after life-threatening accident
It’s been over 45 years of Gabbar Singh creating menace in Sholay and leaving his imprint on Indian cinema. The film is celebrated for many reasons, not the least of which is this iconic character and the man who set the highest benchmark for cinema villains – Amjad Khan.
On the 29th death anniversary of Amjad Khan, we go back to when his Sholay co-star Amitabh Bachchan spoke about Khan as his close friend, and how he once had to sign crucial medical papers for him after a serious accident.
In an interview dated 2016, Bachchan had told Filmfare that Khan addressed him as ‘Shorty’ on their first day on the sets of Sholay. Calling him a ‘friend of friends’, Big B recalled the time when Khan had a major road accident and how Bachchan did the hospital formalities.
The incident happened when both the actors were to begin shooting for The Great Gambler (1979) in Goa. Amjad Khan was driving down with his family from Mumbai when he met with a terrible road accident. With no one coming to his rescue, he managed to drag his injured wife and two kids to a Panjim hospital before slipping into coma himself. Khan had punctured his lungs due to broken ribs.
“I had reached Goa earlier and on coming to know of the incident rushed to meet him. The scenario was grave. He was unconscious and breathing with difficulty. He needed immediate surgery. The doctors did not advise shifting him to Mumbai,” Bachchan told Filmfare.