Starring Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, Hema Malini, and Sanjeev Kumar in the leading roles, the 1975 revenge action film Sholay is a cult classic in the history of Indian cinema. The Ramesh Sippy directorial also became a blockbuster, becoming the highest-grossing film Indian film of all-time upon its release, a tag it held for almost two decades.
But the actor, who reaped the most benefits due to Sholay and became an overnight star after its release was Amjad Khan, who played the iconic villain Gabbar Singh. Sholay was the second film as an adult for Khan after Hindustan Ki Kasam in 1973, following his few appearances as a child artiste. The actor went on to do impress the audiences with his sincere and impactful performances in multiple films such as Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Satte Pe Satta, Chambal Ki Kasam, Shatranj Ke Khiladi, Yaaraana, and Laawaris among others.
But destiny had other plans for the actor. Khan met with a serious accident in 1976, in which his ribs were broken and his lung was punctured. The actor remained in bed for three months after the incident, and from then on, he started gaining weight. After recovering, the actor suffered another leg injury and started becoming obese. After his leg injury, Amjad also suffered from Bell's Palsy, due to which the doctors kept him on steroids and he was prohibited from doing any workouts. As his health worsened due to obesity, the actor started losing films also.
In 1991, after Amjad Khan was left with no work, he had to go back to play Gabbar Singh again in Ramgarh Ke Sholay, which was Sholay's parody. The film starred lookalikes of Amitabh Bachchan, Dev Anand, Anil Kapoor, and Govinda, and Khan reprised his role of the iconic villain. A year later in 1992, the actor passed away due to a heart attack.
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