Tearful farewell to the Janbaaz of Bollywood

All Namita Gupta wanted was to pay her last respects to actor-producer-director Feroz Khan. Instead, she ended up being the only journalist inside the farmhouse where his mortal remains lay. A friend of the Khans tells her that Feroz wished to be with his family when he died

Tearful farewell to the Janbaaz of Bollywood

In control: Zayed Khan is being escorted to Feroz Khan's farmhouse

Grieving: Hrithik Roshan and wife Suzanne

All I wanted to do was pay my last respects to the actor, director and producer all rolled in one. Little did I know that I had just walked past hordes of people,u00a0 including journalists and cameraman, and security guards armed with a list of a select group of people who could enter. And I ended up being the only journalist inside.

Close quarters

There were only about 10 people in the living room inside family and a few really close friends as Feroz was watched over in one bedroom.

Feroz's nephew Zayed Khan and son Fardeen Khan walked around, making sure everything was fine. Brother Sanjay Khan sat in a plush brown leather sofa in the room, set ablaze by bronze artefacts all around.

But the journalist's thrill of an exclusive began to wear away as I watched the faces of the family in mourning.

From different corners of the house came chants of Bismillah Al-Rahman Al-Rahim and Maulvis read the suras (verses) from the Quran.

Feroz's daughter, Laila, dressed in black trousers and a long kurta, sobbed her heart out, weeping continuously from dawn to dusk. Fardeen and wife Natasha Madhwani were quiet though the pain on Fardeen's face was evident.

Last moments: Feroz Khan's relatives and fans assemble at the Shia Khabarasthan near Johnson Market. Close friends and relatives console each other (below) Pics\ramesh hs
Last wish

Feroz, who was being treated for cancer at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai, wanted to return to Bangalore where he was born.

A close family friend said, "Feroz was not responding to machines in the last few days. He wanted to be in the city of his birth when he died, with his three brothers Sanjay, Sameer and Akbar and sister Dilshad by his side. His last wish was to be buried next to his mother at the burial ground on Hosur Road."

The burial ground

The scene here was completely chaotic with many of Feroz's fans and well-wishers wanting to be a part of his last journey.

But the crowd's behaviour while namaz for the dead soul was being read didn't go down too well with some of the older women in the family, leading to a few scuffles and police trying to force the crowd back.

The last rites were performed in a closed room by Fardeen while the women sat outside reading the kalma. The body was then brought outside while the maulvi read from the Quran. Other family members like Hrithik Roshan and wife Suzanne Khan, Feroz's niece, arrived from Mumbai in time for the burial. Celina Jaitley, Sajid Khan and a few others also arrived at the same time.u00a0

The body was then transported to the Salat-i-Janazah, where prayers were being held in an open courtyard.

The men then took the body to the cemetery for al-dafin (burial).

The curtains had come down for the very last time.

Attack before the funeral
Mourners went into a tizzy at around 1 pm when Zarine Khan, Feroz Khan's cousin from Chandigarh, collapsed due to a severe asthma attack.

Feroz's sister Dilshad, nephew Zayed and son Fardeen rushed her into one of the bedrooms while daughter Laila called for medical help. The room was cleared, a doctor rushed in and the estate manager sent for medicines. Meanwhile, a group of maulvis calmly continued with the prayers.

The family's focus was on Zarine and they waited tensely till she recovered. Sanjay Khan, who kept checking on her progress, looked relieved when Zarine reported that she felt much better. He immediately instructed everyone to get ready to leave for the funeral.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels