Everyone is aware of Sholay actor Amjad Khan who rose to fame as Gabbar Singh, a ruthless dacoit, in the Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, and Jaya Bachchan starrer super hit film. But, few people know about his family, especially his father, who himself was a superstar in his time and worked in several films with superstars Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, and Kishore Kumar. We are talking about none other than Zakaria Khan, better known by his stage name Jayant. He was the father of actors Amjad Khan and Imtiaz Khan.
Jayant was born in 1915 and was named Zakaria Khan. Before starting his acting career, Jayant worked as a police officer in Alwar, Rajasthan. Jayant made his debut with Vijay Bhatt's first Gujarati movie Sansaar Leela (1933) and then went on to work in several memorable films, including Amar, Do Raaste, Memdidi, and Nazneen.
Jayant was married and his children were Amjad Khan (of Gabbar Singh fame), and Imtiaz Khan. Amjad Khan appeared with his father, Jayant, as a child actor in films like Nazneen (1951) and Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957).
Amjad Khan then made his debut as an adult actor with Hindustan Ki Kasam in 1973. However, his most significant, and often referred to as his 'real debut' film, remained Sholay. According to media reports, Jayant himself was very excited about his son playing Gabbar Singh. He wanted to go to the theatres to see his son's performance when the film was released. But, his last wish could not be fulfilled.
Jayant died on June 2, 1975, at age 60 in Mumbai, just two months before the release of his son Amjad Khan's most successful movie Sholay.
