Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 25 (ANI): Recalling the story behind late actor Mushtaq Khan’s one of the most memorable moments in the film ‘Welcome’, Filmmaker Anees Bazmee remembered his old friend and actor following his death in Mumbai on Thursday evening.
Bazmee revealed that Mushtaq Khan was not initially meant to have a major role in the film. However, the actor agreed to be part of the project despite being told that he would largely remain in the background.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Bazmee shared, “I didn’t have any major role for Mushtaq Khan initially. I told him the same and shared that he would be standing behind the bodyguard, but assured him to do something. He loved me so much that he came.”
According to the filmmaker, it was only several days into the shoot that he realised Khan needed dialogues. On the eighth or ninth day, Khan told Bazmee that he still had no lines in the film. Bazmee then decided to develop a dedicated portion for the actor.
“It was then that I sat throughout the night for Mushtaq Khan’s portion,” he said.
Bazmee also remembered approaching Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor, who were central to the scene, and asking them to let Khan take the spotlight.
“I told Nana Patekar and Anil Kapoor that they won’t speak, but the man behind them will. They are such good actors, and they are my good friends. They readily agreed,” Bazmee recalled.
That collaboration eventually produced the now-famous line: “Meri ek taang nakli hai, main hockey ka bahut bada player tha.”
The filmmaker said the sequence became a memorable part of the film and that everyone involved was pleased with how the scene turned out.
“Everyone’s work was good, and they were so happy. They came because of my love,” Bazmee said.
Bazmee also recalled Khan telling him how audiences continued to associate him with the dialogue years after Welcome was released.
“I remember Mushtaq Khan told me some time back, ‘Believe me. I have done so many films, but people still recognise me. Wherever I go, they ask me to say the dialogue’,” Bazmee recalled.
During the conversation, Anees Bazmee also expressed deep grief over the death of actor Mushtaq Khan, recalling their friendship and their time working together on ‘Welcome’.
Speaking about the actor’s sudden demise, Bazmee said he had received a call earlier in the day informing him that Khan was unwell, but he was in Pune and could not visit him at the hospital.
“I got the news in the evening that he is no more. And it’s a very, very sad thing as he was a very good friend of ours. I had a lot of fun with him in ‘Welcome’. He was such a nice soul and a very good actor,” he said.
Bazmee also recalled meeting Khan around two months ago, when the two spent time chatting and reminiscing. The filmmaker said he was unaware of any serious health condition, noting that Khan had never spoken to him about having any health problems.
“He never told me that he had any problem. Neither did his son. I never knew that he was suffering from any serious illness,” he said.
Remembering his friend’s contribution to cinema, Bazmee said, “People like him, they leave the world, but their memories remain. He has done such beautiful work. People will miss him.”
A veteran figure in the Indian film industry, Mushtaq Khan breathed his last on Thursday evening. The late actor was reportedly battling lung cancer for a long period. (ANI)
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