From Bollywood stardom to a brush with death, the complex life of Sanjay Khan
In short: Sanjay Khan rose from a mesmerized twelve-year-old in a projection room to a titan of Indian cinema and television. Yet, his career is defined as much by his creative ambition—including a near-fatal set disaster—as it is by the turbulent personal controversies that have shadowed his public legacy.
Born Shah Abbas Ali Khan in 1940, the actor was captivated by cinema at a young age, eventually launching a prolific career in Hindi films during the 1960s. He became a fixture of the industry, starring in hits like Dosti and Nagin, and later transitioning into production and direction. His most ambitious project, the historical television drama The Sword of Tipu Sultan, became a defining moment of his life, though not for the reasons he intended.
In 1989, a catastrophic fire on the set of The Sword of Tipu Sultan in Mysore claimed 52 lives. Khan himself suffered severe burns, requiring over a year of hospitalization and more than 70 surgeries to survive. Despite this trauma, he resumed production, completing the series which aired from 1990 to 1991. Beyond his film work, Khan ventured into hospitality, developing the Golden Palms Hotel and Spa in Bangalore, a massive project featuring one of India's largest swimming pools.
Khan’s personal life has been marked by significant controversy, most notably his 1978 marriage to actress Zeenat Aman while already wed to Zarine Katrak. The union ended in 1979 following a violent assault by Khan against Aman, an incident that left the actress with permanent eye damage. Despite these dark chapters, Khan remains a notable figure in Indian media, having authored books and pursued diverse business interests, while maintaining a personal devotion to Lord Hanuman.
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