'You can smell hypocrisy from a mile away in film industry today'

28 October,2018 08:22 AM IST |  Mumbai  |  PTI

Sanjay Khan says the reason for the downfall of quality relationships between people in the industry could be material gain.

Sanjay Khan


Veteran actor Sanjay Khan says he has enjoyed several long-lasting friendships in Bollywood but believes the equation among the current crop of actors is so superficial that they are ready to "backbite" anytime. Khan says these things existed in the industry in his heyday but there was elegance and class.

"The value of friendships among the current reigning lot pains me. It is superficial. It's just to show courtesy. The extra hugs and the taps on the back, you can smell hypocrisy from one mile away, that they don't have anything in common," Khan told PTI in an interview.

"The moment they turn around, they backbite. This is a downside of the film industry. In those days we could say it was like this too but it had elegance, some class, respect. Now there is naked aggression," he adds. Khan says the reason for the downfall of quality relationships between people in the industry could be "material gain." "In those days, the parity of money was more or less the same. Today with changing times and too much of money and politics in films, (there is a) dog-eat-dog mentality."

Some of Khan's closest friendships and other important events of his life find a mention in his autobiography "The Best Mistakes of my Life", published by Penguin Random House India. The "Dosti" actor's life changed after a major fire accident which took place in 1989 on the sets of his TV show "The Sword of Tipu Sultan", in which he played the title role, alongside directing and producing. Fifty-two people died in the fire. Khan, 78, recalls how Dharmendra came to visit him in the hospital and was "crying like a boy."

"Two months after I came back from coma, I saw a stream of VIPs from Delhi and Dharmendra. Those people were watching me with pathetic looks, I was telling them I'll meet them soon but they must've thought I am a goner and were expressing sympathies with me. But Dharmendra was crying like a boy. He kept on saying, 'My friend, I'm with you.' That was the friendship I shared with him. I shared an extremely long and close friendship with Raj Kapoor and Sanjeev Kumar among others." Khan still remembers the day of the mishap.

"The whole set was consumed by fire. Smoke and flames had engulfed me. I was hit on my head with something like a cannonball, which later I was told was a tin of paint I fell and was taken to the hospital. I had 65 percent third-degree burns, 52 of my crew lost their lives. I've carried this pain for a long time. Only seven months after the accident, I was informed about it."

The actor says he was told by the doctors that he could never work again but his will kept him going. "My survival itself was rare - trauma with third-degree burns, 73 surgeries, I was called 'The Miracle Man'. But I knew I must work, otherwise, I would die."

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
sanjay khan bollywood news
Related Stories