Celebrating 100 years of Ajit Khan, legendary actor from Hyderabad

Ajit’s son Shahid Ali Khan, senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, a former member of Salar Jung Museum Zakir Hussain, and president of Deccan Heritage Trust Veda Kumar will attend the ceremony.

Hyderabad: Birth centenary celebrations of the legendary actor of yesteryears Hamid Ali Khan, better known as Ajit, will begin with a floral tribute and prayers at his grave situated at Jamali Kunta graveyard, near Golconda Fort, on Thursday.

Ajit’s son Shahid Ali Khan, senior IAS officer Jayesh Ranjan, a former member of Salar Jung Museum Zakir Hussain, and president of Deccan Heritage Trust Veda Kumar will attend the ceremony.

“On the occasion, a coffee table book on his life and times would be released. We are also planning a screening of his super-hit films over the next few days,” Managing trustee of Hyderabad-based Deccan Heritage Trust Mohammad Safiullah said.

A series of picture postcards would be released and a webinar on his life, times, and legacy was also being planned. Similar events are being planned at various centres across the country in the centenary year.

He further said that a request had been made to the Telangana government for the naming of a road after him.

According to Safiullah, Ajit, born at Golconda in Hyderabad on January 27, 1922, had his early education in Hyderabad and Warangal. He went to Bombay in the early 1940s to pursue a career in acting. After some small roles in films, he got a break in 1946 as a lead actor in the film ‘Shah-e-Misr”.

He played leading and supporting roles for 20 years in films such as Nastik, Guest House, Anand Mutt, Bada Bhai, Marine Drive, Delhi Junction, and Naya Daur, before switching over to villainous roles in films such as Suraj, Zanzeer, Kalicharan, Yaadon Ki Barat, Ram Balram, and Dharma.

In his career spanning more than five decades, Ajit starred in more than 200 films and was known for his unique mannerism and dialogue delivery. His catchy phrases like ‘Mona Darling’ and ‘Smart Boy’ were a craze among the film buffs those days.

Ajit returned to Hyderabad in the 1980s after he stopped acting due to age-related issues. He died on October 22, 1998, at his Hyderabad residence.

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