name	Khuda Gawah
director	Mukul S. Anand
producer	Nazir AhmedManoj Desai
starring	Amitabh BachchanSrideviAkkineni NagarjunaShilpa Shirodkar
music	Laxmikant-Pyarelal
cinematography	W. B. Rao
editing	R. Rajendran
distributor	Glamour Films
released	May 8, 1992
runtime	193 mins
country	India
language	Hindi
website	}}

Khuda Gawah (Hindi: ख़ुदा गवाह, Pashto: خدا ګواه, Urdu: خدا گواہ, translation: ''God is witness'') is a 1992 Bollywood film directed by Mukul S. Anand and starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sridevi (in a dual role), Akkineni Nagarjuna, Shilpa Shirodkar and Danny Denzongpa.

Amitabh plays the role of an Afghan (''Pathan''), who travels between Afghanistan and India.

''Khuda Gawah'' had lavish production values and was extensively shot in India, Afghanistan, Nepal and Bhutan. The film was a success in India and Afghanistan winning much acclaim for all its actors and especially the lead pair Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi. Both stars won Filmfare nominations for their histrionics in the film. The film won four Filmfare awards including Best Director and Best Action. It is entered in India's Limca Book of Records as the first Bollywood film to use surround sound technique.

Plot

During a Buzkashi competition with a neighboring tribe in Afghanistan, Badshah Khan (Amitabh Bachchan) falls in love with Benazir (Sridevi) and wants to marry her. Benazir agrees to marry him on the condition that he must bring her the head of Habibulla who killed her father. Badshah Khan goes to India to search for Habibullah. He finds Habibullah in a prison and breaks him out to take him back. He has the jailer Ranveer Sethi (Vikram Gokhale) on his trail. In the end he chops off Habibulla's head. He told Ranveer that he would be back in one month to receive punishment (from the Law) for taking Habibulla. Badshah goes back to Afghanistan and marries Benazir; after the time limit he comes back to India and surrenders himself to Ranveer and is jailed for five years. While he is away he leaves his childhood friend Khuda Baksh (Danny Denzongpa) to take care of his wife.

To avenge Habibulla's death, his brother Pasha (Kiran Kumar) kidnaps the daughter of jailer Ranveer in return for Badshah. Badshah finds out about this and escapes from jail; heconfronts Pasha, only to have Inspector Aziz Mirza (Bharat Kapoor) kill Ranveer. With Ranveer's daughter as a pawn in Pasha's hands, Badshah admits to killing Ranveer and is sentenced to 15 years. When Aziz's wife (who thinks of Badshah as her brother) visits him, she ends up killing her husband to protect Badshah, but Badshah takes the blame for that murder as well since he believes that her son Raja needs her.

At that time, Benazir sends Khuda Baksh to check on Badshah. Due to his very long stay in prison, Badshah makes Khuda Baksh promise to take care of his daughter Mehndi and tell his wife Benazir that he is now dead, so that she can move on rather than wait for him. Benazir goes mad when she hears the news that her husband is dead.

On coming out of prison, Badshah meets with his now grown daughter, Mehndi (also Sridevi), who has found out the truth finally and has come to India to look for her father; the daughter of Ranveer, Henna Sethi (Shilpa Shirodkar) who is also in the police force and knows all about Badshah's past and respects him as her uncle; and the son of Inspector Aziz Mirza, Raja (Nagarjuna), who has found out that it was Badshah who had killed his father and is out for vengeance. In a twist of fate, Raja is in love with Mehndi, even though he wants to kill her father.

In this are added old enemies and rivalries when Pasha, now a major drug lord, becomes involved. Benazir and Khuda Baksh are kidnapped by him. The truth is revealed to Raja about his father, and all of them join together to beat their mutual enemy.

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan as Baadshah Khan

Sridevi as Benazir Mother/ Daughter Mehndi

Nagarjuna as Inspector Raja Mirza

Shilpa Shirodkar as Inspector Henna Ranveer Sethi

Kiran Kumar as Pasha

Ali Khan

Danny Denzongpa as Khuda Baksh

Vikram Gokhale as Jailer Ranveer Singh Sethi

Anjana Mumtaz as Salma Mirza

Beena as Laxmi Sethi

Bharat Kapoor as Insp. Aziz Mirza

Shammi as Khuda Baksh's mother

Surendra Pal

Deepak Shirke as Kaalia Danger

Anjan Srivastav as Kamaljit

Baby Tabassum

Vikas Anand as the Judge

Awards

Filmfare Award for Best Director

Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor

Filmfare Award for Best Action

Filmfare Award for Best Sound

Soundtrack

The music is composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Lyrics are penned by Anand Bakshi.

Track listing

External link

Khuda Gawah at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1992 films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Indian films Category:Filmfare Awards winners

name	Amitabh Bachchan
birth name
birth date	October 11, 1942
birth place	Allahabad, United Provinces, British India
residence	Prateeksha, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
occupation	Actor, producer, singer, television presenter
years active	1969–present
spouse	Jaya Bhaduri (1973–present)
website
signature	}}

Amitabh Bachchan (, born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades. Bachchan is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.

Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including four National Film Awards, three of which are in the Best Actor category, and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 37 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter, and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament from 1984 to 1987.

Early life

Bachban was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a Hindi poet, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan). Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab, inspired from the famous phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle. However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the name to Amitabh which means, "the light that would never go off." Though his surname was Shrivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan (meaning child-like in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his family. Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.

Amitabh is the eldest of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Calcutta now known as Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Early work: 1969–1972

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film ''Bhuvan Shome''. Thereafter he got his first acting role as one of the seven protagonists in '' Saat Hindustani'', a film directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Madhu and Jalal Agha. Though the film was not a financial success, Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

''Anand'' (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. Bachchan's role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He then played his first negative role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in ''Parwaana'' (1971). This was followed by several films including ''Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film ''Guddi'' which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film ''Bawarchi''. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy ''Bombay to Goa'', directed by S. Ramanathan. Many of his films during this early period did not do well, but that was about to change.

Rise to stardom: 1973–1983

Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film ''Zanjeer'' (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona—the "angry young man" of Bollywood cinema. He earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. Filmfare considers this one of the iconic performances of Bollywood history. The year 1973 was also when he married Jaya, and around this time they appeared in several films together; not only in ''Zanjeer'' but in films such as ''Abhimaan'' which followed and was released only a month after their marriage. Later, Bachchan played the role of Vikram in the film ''Namak Haraam'', a social drama directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of friendship. His supporting role won him his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

left|thumb|Bachchan in ''[[Deewar (1975 film)|Deewar''.]]In 1974, Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as ''Kunwara Baap'' and ''Dost'', before playing a supporting role in ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''. The film, directed and written by Manoj Kumar, addressed themes of honesty in the face of oppression and financial and emotional hardship. Bachchan then played the leading role in film ''Majboor'', released on 6 December 1974, which was a remake of the Hollywood film Zigzag. The film was only a moderate success at the box office. In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres from the comedy ''Chupke Chupke'', the crime drama ''Faraar'' to the romantic drama ''Mili''. 1975 was the year when he appeared in two films which are regarded as important in Hindi cinematic history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film ''Deewaar'', opposite Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, which earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4. ''Indiatimes Movies'' ranks ''Deewaar'' amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''. Released on 15 August 1975 was ''Sholay'' (meaning flames), which became the highest grossing film of all time in India, earning INR 2,36,45,00,000 equivalent to US$ 60 million, after adjusting for inflation. Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. In 1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like ''Deewar'', has been cited by ''Indiatimes movies'' as amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''. In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

Bachchan starred in comedies such as ''Chupke Chupke'' (1975) and ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' (1977) and in films such as ''Kabhie Kabhie'' (1976). In 1976, he was once again cast by director Yash Chopra in his second film, ''Kabhi Kabhie'', a romantic tale in which Bachchan starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja played by actress Rakhee Gulzar. The film saw him again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 1977, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. In 1978 he starred in all four of the highest grossing films of India in that year. He once again resumed double roles in films such as ''Kasme Vaade'' as Amit and Shankar and ''Don'' playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also performed in ''Trishul'' and ''Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'' which both earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. He was billed a "one-man industry" by the French director François Truffaut.

In 1979, for the first time, Amitabh was required to use his singing voice for the film ''Mr. Natwarlal'' in which he starred alongside Rekha. His performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards. In 1979, he also received Best Actor nomination for ''Kaala Patthar'' (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film ''Dostana'', in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. ''Dostana'' proved to be the top grossing film of 1980. In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film ''Silsila'', where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and rumoured lover Rekha. Other films of this period include ''Ram Balram'' (1980), ''Shaan'' (1980), ''Lawaaris'' (1981), and ''Shakti'' (1982) which pitted him against legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

1982 injury while filming ''Coolie''

On 26 July 1982, while filming ''Coolie'' in the University Campus in Bangalore, Bachchan suffered a near fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating. Nevertheless, he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success.

The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of ''Coolie'' after Bachchan's accident. Bachchan's character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. Also, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking this as the instant of the actor's injury and the ensuing publicity of the accident.

Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness made him feel weak both mentally and physically and he decided to quit films and venture into politics. At this time he became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film would be received and stated before every release, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop").

Politics: 1984–87

In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's seat of 8th Lok Sabha against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by one of the highest victory margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after three years, calling politics a cesspool. The resignation followed the implication of Bachchan and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not guilty of involvement in the ordeal.

His old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his company ABCL. Therefore Bachchan started to support Amar Singh's political party, the Samajwadi party. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi Party and became a Rajya Sabha member. Bachchan has continued to do favors for the Samajwadi party, including advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble again in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous incident of submission of legal papers by him, stating that he is a farmer.

A 15 year press ban against Bachchan was imposed during his peak acting years by ''Stardust'' and some of the other film magazines. In his own defense, Bachchan claimed to have banned the press from entering his sets until late 1989.

Slump and retirement: 1988–1992

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in ''Shahenshah'', which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan's comeback. After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film, ''Hum'', for which he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, for his performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film ''Agneepath''. These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of ''Khuda Gawah'' in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994, one of his delayed films ''Insaniyat'' was released but was also a box office failure.

Producer and acting comeback 1996–99

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India's entertainment industry. Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film was produced by the company. ''Tere Mere Sapne'' failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran. ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.

In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film ''Mrityudata'', produced by ABCL. Though ''Mrityudaata'' attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the ''1996 Miss World beauty pageant'', Bangalore but lost millions. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later declared a failed company by Indian Industries board. The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and two flats till the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.

Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with ''Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998), and received positive reviews for ''Sooryavansham'' (1999) but other films such as ''Lal Baadshah'' (1999) and ''Hindustan Ki Kasam'' (1999) were box office failures.

Return to prominence: 2000–present

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, ''Mohabbatein'', directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in ''Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love'' (2001), ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' (2001) and ''Baghban'' (2003). As an actor, he continued to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in ''Aks'' (2001), ''Aankhen'' (2002), ''Khakee'' (2004) and ''Dev'' (2004). One project that did particularly well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Black'' (2005). The film starred Bachchan as an aging teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor and fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award. Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit films ''Bunty Aur Babli'' (2005), the ''Godfather'' tribute ''Sarkar'' (2005), and ''Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna'' (2006). All of them were successful at the box office. His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were ''Baabul'' (2006), ''Ekalavya'' and ''Nishabd'' (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.

In May 2007, two of his films ''Cheeni Kum'' and the multi-starrer ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' were released. ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while ''Cheeni Kum'' picked up after a slow start and only had average success. A remake of his biggest hit, ''Sholay'' (1975), entitled ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'', released in August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor critical reception. The year also marked Bachchan's first appearance in an English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh's ''The Last Lear''. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2007. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best ever since ''Black''. Bachchan was slated to play a supporting role in his first international film, ''Shantaram'', directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008. The film is currently "shelved" indefinitely. Vivek Sharma's ''Bhoothnath'', in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. ''Sarkar Raj'', the sequel of the 2005 film ''Sarkar'', released in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box-office. ''Paa'', which released at the end of 2009 was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards Bachchan's performance. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through ''Kandahar'', directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal. The film was based on the hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. Bachchan did not receive any remuneration for this film.

Television career

In the year 2000, Bachchan stepped up to host India's adaptation of the British television game show, ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' entitled, ''Kaun Banega Crorepati''. As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate success. He has hosted all but one of the seasons of the show. Canara Bank withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted ''KBC'' till November 2005, when he fell ill. At that time he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including ''KBC''. He has hosted all but one season of the show. Its success set the stage for his return to film popularity. In 2009 Oscar winning movie ''Slumdog Millionaire'' in the first question of ''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'' contest "Amitabh Bachchan" was the correct answer to the question "Who was the star of ''Zanjeer''? Feroz Abbas Khan performed as Amitabh Bachchan in a scene in the movie while Anil Kapoor performed as the host of the contest. Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show ''Bigg Boss'' in 2009.

Voice

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes. Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice, that he decided to use his voice as commentary in ''Shatranj Ke Khilari'' since he could not find a suitable role for him. In 2005, Bachchan has lent his voice to the Oscar-winning French documentary March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet.

Controversies and criticism

Barabanki land case

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power.

On 2 June 2007 a Faizabad court ruled that he had legally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers. It was speculated that he might be investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer. On 19 July 2007, after the scandal broke out, Bachchan surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate the lands that were allegedly acquired illegally in Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.

On 12 October 2007, Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On 11 December 2007, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a clean chit to Bachchan in a case pertaining to alleged fraudulent allotment of government land to him in Barabanki district. A single Lucknow bench of Justice said there was no finding that the actor "himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records".

After receiving a positive verdict in Barabanki case, Amitabh Bachchan intimated to Maharashtra government that he did not wish to surrender his land in Maval tehsil of Pune district.

Raj Thackeray's criticism

In January 2008 at political rallies, Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted Amitabh Bachchan, asserting that the actor was "more inclined" towards his native state than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of Amitabh's inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra. According to media reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he admires, stemmed out of his disappointment of not being invited to Amitabh's son Abhishek's marriage to Aishwarya, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.

Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife, SP MP Jaya Bachchan, said that the Bachchans were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land to build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai—Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here." Raj responded to it saying, "Jaya bachchan claims she does not know me then how come she knows how much property I own?". Amitabh abstained from commenting on the issue. However, he apologized to Raj for controversial remarks from Jaya in some other incidence. "

Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, stating, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him. The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste. It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting."

On 23 March 2008, more than a month and half after Raj's remarks, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview to a local tabloid saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give." Later, on 28 March at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so. He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which Bachchan won for his performances throughout the years, he has been awarded several honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In 1991, he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of Raj Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare Awards. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007 for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond". In 2011, actor Dilip Kumar blogged that ''Black'' should have been nominated for an Oscar. Kumar added: "If any Indian actor, in my personal opinion, deserves the world's most coveted award, it is you."

In 1999, Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC ''Your Millenium'' online poll. The organisation noted that "Many people in the western world will not have heard of [him] ...[but it] is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films." In 2001, he was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema. Many other honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film Festivals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.

In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been immortalised in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Another statue was installed in New York and Hong Kong in 2009.

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville. He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Jhansi, India, in 2004, the University of Delhi in 2006, the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, in 2006, the University Brandan Foster by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire, UK, in 2007, and the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, in 2011.

Severals books have been written about Bachchan. ''Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend'' was published in 1999, ''To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan'' in 2004, ''AB: The Legend: (A Photographer's Tribute)'' in 2006 /, ''Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti'' in 2006, ''Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar'' in 2006, ''Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me'' in 2007 and ''Bachchanalia'' in 2009. Bachchan himself also wrote a book in 2002: ''Soul Curry for you and me – An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life''.

Personal life

Bachchan is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri. They have two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan. Abhishek is also an actor and is married to actress Aishwarya Rai.

Filmography

Latest films

''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' ''Jodhaa Akbar'' ''Delhi-6'' ''Rann (film) ''Department (film) ''Taalismaan''

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
rowspan="4"	2006	''Family — Ties of Blood''	Viren Sahi
''Darna Zaroori Hai''	Professor
''Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna''	Samarjit Singh Talwar (aka. Sexy Sam)
''Baabul (2006 film)	Baabul''	Balraj Kapoor
rowspan="7"	2007	|	Eklavya
''Nishabd''	Vijay
''Cheeni Kum''	Buddhadev Gupta/Ghaspus
''Shootout at Lokhandwala''	Special appearance, Dingra
''Jhoom Barabar Jhoom''	Special appearance, Sutradhar
''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag''	Babban Singh
''Om Shanti Om (film)	Om Shanti Om''	Special appearance, Himself
rowspan="5"	2008	|	Narrator
''Bhoothnath''	Bhoothnath (Kailash Nath)
''Sarkar Raj''	Subhash Nagre aka Sarkar
''God Tussi Great Ho''	God Almighty
''The Last Lear''	Harish 'Harry' Mishra
rowspan="3"	2009	|	Special appearance, Dadaji
''Aladin (2009 film)	Aladin''	Genius the Gennie
''Paa (film)	Paa''	Auro
rowspan="3"	2010	Rann'' ||	Vijay Harshvardhan Malik
''Teen Patti (film)	Teen Patti''	Venkat
''Kandahar (2010 film)	Kandahar''	Lokanathan Sharma
rowspan="4"	2011	Department'' ||
''Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap''
''Aarakshan''	Prabhakar Anand
''Shoebite (2010 film)	Shoebite''	John Periera
	2012	|		Filming

Producer

! Year !! Film
1996
	''Ullaasam''
''Mrityudata''
1998	''Major Saab''
1998	''Saat Rang Ke Sapne''
2001
2005	''Viruddh... Family Comes First''
2006	''Family — Ties of Blood''

Playback singer

! Year !! Film
	''The Great Gambler''
''Mr. Natwarlal''
''Silsila''
	''Mahaan''
1984	''Sharaabi''
	''Toofan''
''Jaadugar''
1992	''Khuda Gawah''
1998	''Major Saab''
1999	''Sooryavansham''
''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...''
2002
''Aetbaar''
2006
	''Nishabd''
''Cheeni Kum''
2008	''Bhoothnath''
2011	''Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap''

Further reading

Mazumdar, Ranjani.'' Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

References

External links

Amitabh Bachchan's official blog

Amitabh Bachchan Documentary, Classic BBC Archive video and exclusive interview conducted in Amitabh's own house for BBC Asian Network

British Academy of Film and Television Arts brochure

Category:1942 births Category:Bigg Boss Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian actor–politicians Category:Indian amateur radio operators Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian Hindus Category:Indian hip hop singers Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian playback singers Category:Indian pop singers Category:Indian socialists Category:Indian television presenters Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Kirori Mal College alumni Category:Living people Category:National Film Award winners Category:People from Allahabad Category:People from Uttar Pradesh Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Uttar Pradesh politicians Category:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Category:8th Lok Sabha members Category:University of Delhi alumni

ar:أميتاب باتشان as:অমিতাভ বচ্চন az:Amitabh Baççan bn:অমিতাভ বচ্চন br:Amitabh Bachchan ca:Amitabh Bachchan de:Amitabh Bachchan dv:އަމީތާބް ބައްޗަން el:Αμιτάμπ Μπατσάν es:Amitabh Bachchan eo:Amitabh Bachchan fa:آمیتاب باچان fr:Amitabh Bachchan gu:અમિતાભ બચ્ચન ko:아미타브 밧찬 hi:अमिताभ बच्चन id:Amitabh Bachchan it:Amitabh Bachchan he:אמיטאב באצ'אן jv:Amitabh Bachchan kn:ಅಮಿತಾಭ್ ಬಚ್ಚನ್ kk:Амитабх Баччан hu:Amitábh Baccsan ml:അമിതാഭ് ബച്ചൻ mr:अमिताभ बच्चन arz:اميتاب باتشان ms:Amitabh Bachchan nl:Amitabh Bachchan ne:अमिताभ बच्चन ja:アミターブ・バッチャン no:Amitabh Bachchan or:ଅମିତାଭ ବଚନ ps:اميتاببچن pl:Amitabh Bachchan pt:Amitabh Bachchan ru:Баччан, Амитабх sa:अमिताभ बच्चन् sh:Amitabh Bachchan fi:Amitabh Bachchan sv:Amitabh Bachchan ta:அமிதாப் பச்சன் te:అమితాబ్ బచ్చన్ th:อมิตาภ พัจจัน tg:Амитабх Бачан tr:Amitabh Bachchan uk:Амітабх Баччан ur:امیتابھ بچن zh:阿米塔布·巴沙坎

name	Shilpa Shirodkar
birth date	November 19, 1969
years active	1989 - 2000
spouse	Apresh Ranjit (2000 - present)
occupation	Actress }}

Shilpa Shirodkar (born 20 November 1969) is an Indian actress who enjoyed a period of popularity in the 1990s.

Personal Life

Shirodkar is the elder sister of actress and former Miss India Namrata Shirodkar. Shilpa and Namrata started their careers together, but Shilpa started with films and Namrata with modeling; and by the time Namarata became an actress, Shilpa had quit. Shilpa is granddaughter of the famous Marathi actress Meenakshi Shirodkar, who starred in the Marathi film ''Brahmachari'' (1930s), and was the first actress to wear a swimsuit, albeit to depict Lord Krishna bathing in the Yamuna river with his gopis.

Career

Shirodkar made her debut with the 1989 film ''Bhrashtachar'' in which she played the role of a blind girl. She then starred opposite Anil Kapoor in the super hit film ''Kishen Kanhaiya'' (1990), She had several other successful films such as ''Trinetra'' (1991), ''Hum'' (1991), ''Dil Hi To Hai'' (1992), ''Aankhen'' (1993), ''Pehchaan'' (1993), ''Gopi Kishan'' (1994), ''Bewafa Sanam'' (1995) and the critically acclaimed ''Mrityudand'' (1997). Her last film appearance was in the 2000 film ''Gaja Gamini''. She was praised for her performances in films like ''Mritiyudand'', ''Khuda Gawah'', ''Choti Bahu'' and ''Gopi Kishan''. She was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Khuda Gawah''.

She tied the knot with Apresh Ranjit, a merchant banker from the UK on 11 July 2000 in Mumbai. She quit acting after marriage and settled down in London where her husband is employed with Barclays Bank. She gave birth to a daughter, Anushka, in 2003, and is now a home-maker.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
	''Bhrashtachar''	Gopi
	''Kishen Kanhaiya''	Radha
''Ghar Ki Laxmi''
''Paap Ki Kamaee''
''Nyay Anyay''	Anju Singh
	''Yodha''		Special Appearance
''Trinetra''	Mona
''Hum''	Anita Pratap Singh
''Benaam Badsha''	Bijli
''Do Matwale''	Dr. Pooja
''Swarg Yahan Narak Yahan''	Radha S. Kumar
''Lakshmanrekha''	Vaishali
	''Tilak''
''Dil Hi To Hai''	Jayshree
''Apradhi''	Kamini
	''Prateeksha''	Renu Khanna
''Pehchaan''	Seema
''Jeevan Ki Shatranj''	C.I.D. Inspector Kiran
''Aankhen''	Chandramukhi
''Khuda Gawah''	Insp. Henna Ranveer Sethi
''Parwane''	Mona S. Saxena
''Aakhri Chetawani''
	''Juaari''
''Gopi Kishan''	Chanda (Kishan's wife)
''Gopalaa''	Sandra Dimento
''Chhoti Bahoo''	Radha
''Hum Hain Bemisaal''	Didi
	''Raghuveer''	Roshni
''Bewafa Sanam''	Mamta Prasad Shukla
	''Return of Jewel Thief''	Sonu
''Apne Dam Par''	Sapna Saxena
''Bandish''
''Hum Hain Premi''
''Rangbaaz''
	''Death Sentence''	Kanti
''Jayate''	Pooja M. Desai	(TV movie)
''Arasiyal''
	''Hitler''	Advocate Sheila S. Sharma
''Dand Nayak''
''Badmaash''	Geeta
	''Jai Hind''	Roshni
	''Gaja Gamini''	Sindhu

References

External links

Shirodkar,Shilpa Category:Indian film actors Category:1969 births Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Mumbai

name	Ashima Bhalla
birth place	Assam, India,
occupation	Actress, Model
years active	2001–present
notable role	}}

Ashima Bhalla is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Assamese language films. Bhalla made her debut with ''Pyaar Zindagi Hai'' starring with Mohnish Bahl and Rajesh Khanna.

She also went on to appear on television, portraying the lead role in the Indian soap ''Meri Awaz Ko Mil Gayi Roshni'' on Star Plus. Furthermore, she also participated in the show "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena" alongside Irfan Pathan.

Filmography

Film ''Pyaar Zindagi Hai'' Priya ''Na Tum Jaano Na Hum'' ''Alaudin'' ''Cheppave Chirugali'' ''Maa - Where Are You'' ''Sudesi'' ''Thambi Arjuna''

Year	|	Role	Language	Notes
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Priya	Hindi
''Daddy (2001 film)	Daddy''	|	Telugu
rowspan="3"	2002	|	Tanya	Hindi
''Hathyar (2002 film)	Hathyar''	|	Hindi	Guest appearance
''Ramana (film)	Ramana''	|	Tamil
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Preethi	Tamil
''Zinda Dil (2003 film)	Zinda Dil''	|	Hindi
rowspan="2"	2004	|	Nirmala	Telugu
''Jyesta''	|	Kannada
rowspan="2"	2005	|	Shalini	Hindi
''Naidu LLB''	|	Telugu
rowspan="1"	2006	|		Tamil
rowspan="1"	2010	|	Radhika	Tamil

External links

Category:Indian actors Category:Assamese actors Category:Living people

Name	Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
Birth date	c. 1890
Birth place	Hashtnagar, Utmanzai, Charsadda, British India
Death date	1988
Death place	Peshawar, North West Frontier Province
Resting place	Jalalabad, Afghanistan
Other names	Badshah Khan, Bacha Khan, Sarhaddi Gandhi, Fakhr-e-Afghan
Movement	Indian Independence Movement
Organization	Khudai Khidmatgar, Indian National Congress, National Awami Party
Religion	Muslim }}

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890 - 20 January 1988) (, ) was an Afghan, Pashtun political and spiritual leader known for his non-violent opposition to British Rule in India. A lifelong pacifist, a devout Muslim, and a close friend of Mohandas Gandhi, he was also known as Fakhri Afghan ("The Afghan pride"), ''Badshah Khan'' (also ''Bacha Khan'', ., "King Khan") and ''Sarhaddi Gandhi'' (Urdu, Hindi lit., "Frontier Gandhi").

He was initially encouraged by his family to join the British Indian Army; however the treatment of a British Raj officer towards a native offended him, and a family decision for him to study in England was put off after his mother's intervention.

Having witnessed the repeated failure of revolts against the British Raj, he decided social activism and reform would be more beneficial for Pashtuns. This ultimately led to the formation of the Khudai Khidmatgar movement (Servants of God). The movement's success triggered a harsh crackdown against him and his supporters and he was sent into exile. It was at this stage in the late 1920s that he formed an alliance with Gandhi and the Indian National Congress. This alliance was to last till the 1947 partition of India.

Ghaffar Khan strongly opposed the Muslim League's demand for the partition of India. When the Indian National Congress accepted the partition plan, he told them "You have thrown us to the wolves."

After partition, Ghaffar Khan was frequently arrested by the Pakistani government in part because of his association with India and his opposition to authoritarian moves by the government. He spent much of the 1960s and 1970s either in jail or in exile.

In 1985 he was nominated for the Nobel peace prize. In 1987 he became the first person not holding the citizenship of India to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award. Upon his death in 1988, he was buried in Jalalabad, despite the heavy fighting at the time, both sides in the Afghan war declared a ceasefire to allow his burial.

Early years

Ghaffar Khan was born into a generally peaceful and prosperous family from Utmanzai in the Peshawar Valley of British India. His father, Behram Khan was a land owner in the area commonly referred to as Hashtnaggar. Ghaffar was the second son of Behram to attend the British run Edward's mission school since this was the only fully functioning school because it was run by missionaries. At school the young Ghaffar did well in his studies and was inspired by his mentor Reverend Wigram to see the importance of education in service to the community. In his 10th and final year of high school he was offered a highly prestigious commission in The Guides, an elite corp of Pashtun soldiers of the British Raj. Young Ghaffar refused the commission after realising even Guide officers were still second-class citizens in their own country. He resumed his intention of University study and Reverend Wigram offered him the opportunity to follow his brother, Dr. Khan Sahib, to study in London. An alumnus of Aligarh Muslim University,he eventually received the permission of his father, Ghaffar's mother wasn't willing to lose another son to London—and their own culture and religion. So Ghaffar began working on his father's lands while attempting to discern what more he might do with his life.

Ghaffar "Badshah" Khan

In response to his inability to continue his own education, Ghaffar Khan turned to helping others start theirs. Like many such regions of the world, the strategic importance of the newly formed North-West Frontier Province (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) as a buffer for the British Raj from Russian influence was of little benefit to its residents. The oppression of the British, the repression of the mullahs, and an ancient culture of violence and vendetta prompted Ghaffar to want to serve and uplift his fellow men and women by means of education. At 20 years of age, Ghaffar opened his first school in Utmanzai. It was an instant success and he was soon invited into a larger circle of progressively minded reformers.

While he faced much opposition and personal difficulties, Ghaffar Khan worked tirelessly to organize and raise the consciousness of his fellow Pushtuns. Between 1915 and 1918 he visited 500 villages in all part of the settled districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. It was in this frenzied activity that he had come to be known as ''Badshah (Bacha) Khan'' (King of Chiefs).

He married his first wife Meharqanda in 1912; she was a daughter of Yar Mohammad Khan of the Kinankhel clan of the Mohammadzai tribe of Razzar, a village adjacent to Utmanzai. They had a son in 1913, Abdul Ghani Khan, who would become a noted artist and poet. Subsequently, they had another son, Abdul Wali Khan (17 January 1917–), and daughter, Sardaro. Meharqanda died during the 1918 influenza epidemic. In 1920, Abdul Ghaffar Khan remarried; his new wife, Nambata, was a cousin of his first wife and the daughter of Sultan Mohammad Khan of Razzar. She bore him a daughter, Mehar Taj (25 May 1921–), and a son, Abdul Ali Khan (20 August 1922-19 February 1997). Tragically, in 1926 Nambata died early as well from a fall down the stairs of the apartment they were staying at in Jerusalem.

Khudai Khidmatgar

In time, Ghaffar Khan's goal came to be the formulation of a united, independent, secular India. To achieve this end, he founded the ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' ("Servants of God"), commonly known as the "Red Shirts" (''Surkh Posh''), during the 1920s.

The ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' was founded on a belief in the power of Gandhi's notion of Satyagraha, a form of active non-violence as captured in an oath. He told its members:

"I am going to give you such a weapon that the police and the army will not be able to stand against it. It is the weapon of the Prophet, but you are not aware of it. That weapon is patience and righteousness. No power on earth can stand against it."

The organization recruited over 100,000 members and became legendary in opposing (and dying at the hands of) the British-controlled police and army. Through strikes, political organisation and non-violent opposition, the ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' were able to achieve some success and came to dominate the politics of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. His brother, Dr. Khan Abdul Jabbar Khan (known as Dr. Khan Sahib), led the political wing of the movement, and was the Chief Minister of the province (from the late 1920s until 1947 when his government was dismissed by Mohammad Ali Jinnah of the Muslim League).

Ghaffar Khan & the Indian National Congress

Ghaffar Khan forged a close, spiritual, and uninhibited friendship with Mahatma Gandhi, the pioneer of non-violent mass civil disobedience in India. The two had a deep admiration towards each other and worked together closely till 1947.

The ''Khudai Khidmatgar'' (servants of god) agitated and worked cohesively with the Indian National Congress, the leading national organization fighting for freedom, of which Ghaffar Khan was a senior and respected member. On several occasions when the Congress seemed to disagree with Gandhi on policy, Ghaffar Khan remained his staunchest ally. In 1931 the Congress offered him the presidency of the party, but he refused saying, "I am a simple soldier and Khudai Khidmatgar, and I only want to serve." He remained a member of the Congress Working Committee for many years, resigning only in 1939 because of his differences with the Party's War Policy. He rejoined the Congress Party when the War Policy was revised.

On April 23, 1930, Ghaffar Khan was arrested during protests arising out of the Salt Satyagraha. A crowd of Khudai Khidmatgar gathered in Peshawar's Kissa Khwani (Storytellers) Bazaar. The British ordered troops to open fire with machine guns on the unarmed crowd, killing an estimated 200-250. The Khudai Khidmatgar members acted in accord with their training in non-violence under Ghaffar Khan, facing bullets as the troops fired on them.

Ghaffar Khan was a champion of women's rights and nonviolence. He became a hero in a society dominated by violence; notwithstanding his liberal views, his unswerving faith and obvious bravery led to immense respect. Throughout his life, he never lost faith in his non-violent methods or in the compatibility of Islam and nonviolence. He viewed his struggle as a jihad with only the enemy holding swords. He was closely identified with Gandhi because of his non-violence principles and he is known in India as the 'Frontier Gandhi'. One of his Congress associates was Pandit Amir Chand Bombwal of Peshawar.

"O Pathans! Your house has fallen into ruin. Arise and rebuild it, and remember to what race you belong." -- Ghaffar Khan

The Partition

Ghaffar Khan strongly opposed the partition of India. While many Pashtuns (particularly the Red Shirts) were willing to work with Indian politicians, many other Pashtuns were sympathetic to the idea of a separate homeland for India's Muslims following the departure of the British. Targeted with being Anti-Muslim, Ghaffar Khan was attacked in 1946, leading to his hospitalization in Peshawar.

The Congress party refused last ditch compromises to prevent the partition, like the Cabinet Mission plan and Gandhi's suggestion to offer the Prime Ministership to Jinnah. As a result Badshah Khan and his followers felt a sense of betrayal by both Pakistan and India. Badshah Khan's last words to Gandhi and his erstwhile allies in the Congress party were: "You have thrown us to the wolves."

When the referendum over accession to Pakistan was held, Badshah Khan and the Indian National Congress Party boycotted the referendum. As a result, in 1947 the accession of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa to Pakistan was made possible by a slight majority of the 50.1% votes cast. A ''loya jirga'' in the Tribal Areas also garnered a similar result as most preferred to become part of Pakistan. Ghaffar Khan and his Khudai Khidmatgars, however, chose to boycott the polls along with other nationalistic Pakhtuns. Some have argued that a segment of the population voted was barred from voting,.

Arrest and exile

Ghaffar Khan took the oath of allegiance to the new nation of Pakistan on 23 February 1948 at the first session of the Pakistan Constituent Assembly. He pledged full support to the government and attempted to reconcile with the founder of the new state Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Initial overtures led to a successful meeting in Karachi, however a follow-up meeting in the Khudai Khidmatgar headquarters never materialised, allegedly due to the role of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Abdul Qayyum Khan who warned Jinnah that Ghaffar Khan was plotting his assassination.

Following this, Ghaffar Khan formed Pakistan's first National opposition party, on 8 May 1948, the Pakistan Azad Party. The party pledged to play the role of constructive opposition and would be non-communal in its philosophy.

However, suspicions of his allegiance persisted and under the new Pakistani government, Ghaffar Khan was placed under house arrest without charge from 1948 till 1954. Released from prison, he gave a speech again on the floor of the constituent assembly, this time condemning the massacre of his supporters at Babrra.

"I had to go to prison many a time in the days of the Britishers. Although we were at loggerheads with them, yet their treatment was to some extent tolerant and polite. But the treatment which was meted out to me in this Islamic state of ours was such that I would not even like to mention it to you."

He was arrested several times between late 1948 and in 1956 for his opposition to the One Unit scheme. The government attempted in 1958 to reconcile with him and offered him a Ministry in the government, after the assassination of his brother, he however refused. He remained in prison till 1957 only to be re-arrested in 1958 until an illness in 1964 allowed for his release.

In 1962, Abdul Ghaffar Khan was named an "Amnesty International Prisoner of the Year". Amnesty's statement about him said, "His example symbolizes the suffering of upward of a million people all over the world who are prisoners of conscience."

In September 1964, the Pakistani authorities allowed him to go to Britain for treatment. During winter his doctor advised him to go to America. He then went into exile to Afghanistan, he returned from exile in December 1972 to a popular response, following the establishment of National Awami Party provincial government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

He was arrested by Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhuttos government at Multan in November 1973 and described Bhuttos government as "the worst kind of dictatorship".

In 1984, increasingly withdrawing from politics he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. He visited India and participated in the centennial celebrations of the Indian National Congress in 1985; he was awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award for International Understanding in 1967 and later Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in 1987.

His final major political challenge was against the Kalabagh dam project, fearing that the project would damage the Peshawar valley, his hostility to it would eventually lead to the project being shelved after his death.

Ghaffar Khan died in Peshawar under house arrest in 1988 and was buried in Jalalabad, Afghanistan according to his wishes. This was a symbolic move by Ghafar Khan, this would allow his dream of Pakhtun unification to live even after his death. The Indian government declared a five-day period of mourning in his honour.

Although he had been repeatedly imprisoned and persecuted, tens of thousands of mourners attended his funeral, described by one commentator as ''a caravan of peace, carrying a message of love'' from Pashtuns east of the Khyber to those on the west, marching through the historic Khyber Pass from Peshawar to Jalalabad. A cease-fire was announced in the Afghan Civil War to allow the funeral to take place, even though it was marred by bomb explosions killing 15.

Political legacy

His eldest son Ghani Khan was a poet, his other son Khan Abdul Wali Khan is the founder and leader of the Awami National Party and was the Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan National Assembly. Ghaffar Khans family was the frequent target of government arrests due to their involvement in politics and being accused of being anti-Pakistani.

His third son Khan Abdul Ali Khan was non-political and a distinguished educator, and served as Vice-Chancellor of University of Peshawar. Ali Khan was also the head of Aitchison College, Lahore and Fazle Haq college, Mardan. Asfandyar Wali Khan is the grandson of Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan, and leader of the Awami National Party, the party in power in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. Abdul Ghaffar Khan's political legacy is mixed he is renowned amongst Pakhtuns and internationally as a leader of a non-violent movement. He is credited with his tireless advocacy of peace in the region he belonged to. However, within Pakistan, there is a large section of society which still has not come to grips with his siding with the All India Congress over the Muslim League as well as his opposition to Mr. M. A. Jinnah who is revered in Pakistan as the father of the nation. In particular people have questioned Ghaffar Khan's patriotism following his insistence that he be buried in Afghanistan after his death and not Pakistan. Others ask how one's choice of burial place is an indication of one's Patriotism since a better indicator is one's actions while living and even though Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan spent half of his 98 year life in jail most of it in Pakistani jails doing hard labor he continued to reside in Pakistan.

Film, literature and society

In 2008, a documentary, titled ''The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace'', by filmmaker and writer T.C. McLuhan, premiered in New York. The film received the 2009 award for Best Documentary Film at the Middle East International Film Festival (see film page).

In Richard Attenborough's 1982 epic ''Gandhi'', Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was briefly portrayed by Dilsher Singh.

Badshah Khan was listed as one of 26 men who changed the world in a recent children's book published in the United States. He also wrote an autobiography (1969), and has been the subject of biographies by Eknath Easwaran (see article) and Rajmohan Gandhi (see "References" section, below). His philosophy of Islamic pacificism was recognised by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a speech to American Muslims.

In the Indian city of Delhi, the popular Khan Market is named in honour of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and another market in the Karol Bagh of New Delhi is named after him called Ghaffar Market

Vibhu Puri is reportedly making a Bollywood Biopic on the life of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan titled Chenab Gandhi.

Footnotes

References

Caroe, Olaf. 1984. ''The Pathans: 500 B.C.-A.D. 1957'' (Oxford in Asia Historical Reprints)." Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-577221-0

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1969). ''My life and struggle: Autobiography of Badshah Khan (as narrated to K.B. Narang)''. Translated by Helen Bouman. Hind Pocket Books, New Delhi.

Rajmohan Gandhi (2004). ''Ghaffar Khan: non-violent Badshah of the Pakhtuns''. Viking, New Delhi. ISBN 0-670-05765-7.

Eknath Easwaran (1999). ''Nonviolent Soldier of Islam: Ghaffar Khan, a man to match his mountains''. Nilgiri Press, Tomales, CA. ISBN 1-888314-00-1

''Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan: A True Servant of Humanity'' by Girdhari Lal Puri pp 188–190.

Mukulika Banerjee (2000). ''Pathan Unarmed: Opposition & Memory in the North West Frontier''. School of American Research Press. ISBN 0-933452-68-3

''Pilgrimage for Peace: Gandhi and Frontier Gandhi Among N.W.F. Pathans,'' Pyarelal, Ahmedabad, Navajivan Publishing House, 1950.

''Tah Da Qam Da Zrah Da Raza'', Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Mardan [Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa] Ulasi Adabi Tolanah, 1990.

''Thrown to the Wolves: Abdul Ghaffar'', Pyarelal, Calcutta, Eastlight Book House, 1966.

External links

Pashtun boycott and barred in Pakistan referendum

Photo Gallery of Bacha Khan

bachakhan.com (website dedicated to Bacha Khan

Bacha Khan: The grandest Pakhtoon Hero (biography at afghanan.net)

Badshah Khan (biography at mkgandhi.org)

Ghani Khan (Poet and son of Ghaffar Khan); Interview, film, and sound recordings

Interview with Ghaffar Khan

Pervez Khan: Remembering Baacha Khan: memory of his courage to stay for ever

Rajmohan Gandhi: Mohandas Gandhi, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, and the Middle-East today

Rajmohan Gandhi: Badshah Khan and our times

Khan's triumph of will

Baacha Khan Trust

The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace

Photographs

Columbia University pictures

Biography

Amitabh Pal: A pacifist uncovered

Robert C. Johansen: People power: non-violent political action in Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions

http://www.adityaaryaarchive.com/

Category:1890 births Category:1988 deaths Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Civil disobedience Category:Civil rights activists Category:Community organizing Category:Indian pacifists Category:Indian Muslims Category:Pakistani Muslims Category:Muslim pacifists Category:Gandhians Category:Khyber Pakhtunkhwa politicians Category:Pakistani politicians Category:Pashtun people Category:Nonviolence advocates Category:Pakistani humanitarians

ar:عبد الغفار خان bn:খান আবদুল গফফর খান da:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan de:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan es:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan eo:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan fr:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan hi:खान अब्दुल गफ्फार खान ml:ഖാൻ അബ്ദുൽ ഗാഫർ ഖാൻ mr:खान अब्दुल गफारखान no:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan pnb:خان عبدالغفارخان ps:خان عبدالغفار خان pl:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ru:Абдул Гаффар-хан sv:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan ta:கான் அப்துல் கஃப்ஃபார் கான் te:ఖాన్ అబ్దుల్ గఫార్ ఖాన్ tr:Abdulgaffar Han ur:خان عبدالغفار خان yo:Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan