Feroz Khan is best remembered for his drop-dead handsome looks that would make any and every woman go weak in her knees. Moreover, he had also credited the history of Indian cinema with some of the most iconic films such as Dharmatma, Qurbani, Janbaaz, Mela, Welcome among others. While his acting career has been quite widely acclaimed, it was also his personal life that has been widely discussed, quite frequently. From having multiple link-up rumours, a troubled marriage and extra-marital affairs, the veteran actor has had a fair share of buzz around his personal life. Well then, let us take a look at a few of them.
Feroz Khan was born as Zulfiqar Ali Shah Khan in Bangalore. While his mother belonged from Persian ancestry, his father was a true-blue Afghan. He was born along with his other three brothers and two sisters, out of whom Shah Abbas Khan, a.k.a Sanjay Khan went on to become a leading actor in Bollywood much like him. During his growing up years, Feroz was quite aware of his good and charming looks and therefore at a very early age, had decided to try his luck in modelling, due to which he shifted his base to Mumbai from Bangalore. After doing a few B-grade films, Feroz got into mainstream debut with the 1965 film, Arzoo which made him a notable film star.
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Being one of the most charming actors of his generation, it was quite evident that Feroz Khan went on to garner a lot of female attention, be it through his fans or even his co-stars. In fact, Feroz too loved to be in the company of women, which quickly led him to be tagged as a womaniser. He was reportedly involved with many of his co-actresses, romantically and even Zeenat Aman was one of his ardent admirers. Feroz once spoke about his cassanova nature back in his youthful days and mentioned in an interview:
“I was quite a Casanova when I was a bachelor and was often spotted at clubs and parties with the most gorgeous women of Bollywood. I treat women with the respect that is due to them and this explains my large number of female friends. Unfortunately, I was branded as a womaniser by some people.”
It was said that Feroz Khan was quite a bit of a socialiser and post-pack up from his film shoots, he would be most apparently spotted in parties, clubs and other social gatherings. It was evidently one such event which made Feroz meet the woman of his life, Sundari Khan who was a fellow socialite much like him. The duo met and found common ground and fell in love. Incidentally, Sundari was already separated from her first marriage and lived along with her daughter, Sonia. The duo dated for quite a long time before tying the knot in 1965. They were later blessed with two kids of their own, their son, Fardeen and their daughter, Laila.
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Feroz was enjoying a happy household with wife, Sundari and their three kids for the longest time until he flew out to Bangalore for work. This travel brought about a complete change in his life since it was at this time that he gave his heart to an air-hostess much younger to him, Jyotika Dhanrajgir. Since Jyotika was based out of Bangalore, Feroze used this as a common ground to often stay out of Mumbai with his new-found beloved, while leaving his wedded wife and children in the dark. For the unversed, Jyotika belonged from a royal family in Hyderabad and was the daughter of Raja Mahendragir Dhanrajgir.
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Slowly and gradually, Sundari Khan learnt about Feroz’s secret affair that went on all this while. She was quick to decide and moved out of their house along with their kids. Sadly, rather than reacting or stopping Sundari for taking such a decision, Feroz reportedly let her go, while he himself started to be in a live-in relationship with Jyotika. Speaking about her overnight decision to walk out of Feroz’s home, Sundari Khan once opened up on the same in an interview and revealed:
“I can say I became independent only when my back was against the wall. It was an overnight decision. I packed my bags and moved downstairs. Feroz and I lived under the same roof; the only difference was that he was most of the time away in Bangalore with his new lady. It took me nearly a year to adjust to the emotional upheaval and to the solitude. I missed the life of a wife but not the life of Mrs Khan.”
Feroz Khan and Jyotika Dhanrajgir stayed in a live-in relationship for the longest time without being officially committed to one another. It was frequently reported how Jyotika had on many occasions approached him for marriage. Unfortunately, Feroz refused her every time citing that he was, in fact comfortable with such kind of an arrangement in their relationship. Moreover, while Feroz was with Jyotika, he also on the other hand, made sure to fulfil his fatherly duties and would often go back to his family in order to spend time with his children. Apparently, this fickle-mindedness of Feroz became the deal breaker in their relationship and Jyotika broke up with him.
Well, after his breakup from Jyotika, Feroz found his way back to his family and started to reconcile things with his wife, Sundari. But things were far from being perfect for the second time and it only worsened to make Sundari and Feroz call it quits in 1985. Interestingly, with all this having said about Feroz’s extra-marital affair resulting in his divorce, the actor had something completely different to say about it. He not only dismissed knowing Jyotika or being in a relationship ever, but also highlighted that their divorce happened because the couple had grown apart. In his words:
“There were no fights and there was nobody else in our lives- we just grew apart. We are divorced but it does not alter our feelings or our commitment towards our children as parents. I have been responsible in my relationships. I have been a fair father”.
After their divorce, things were at first quite unstable for Sundari Khan, especially since she was responsible for her kids. But with time, she found suitable ground and started her own business that helped her to look after herself and her children. Speaking about the same, she once mentioned:
“I plunged myself into my designing business. That gave me a grip on myself. I broke free from the emotional turmoil. My walking out was a bit of a shock to Feroz. He must have thought like a typical husband and wondered where I would go at this stage with the kids. But I must give him credit for giving me and the kids a decent home and life. Today, I’ve reached a point where I am actually enjoying my business. I broke free from the emotional turmoil.”
After leading a glorious film career and a peaceful personal life with his kids, Feroz Khan faced a severe battle against his health when he was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2000. He fought the disease bravely for 9 years, during which he even shot his last film, Welcome. Unfortunately, he lost the battle and bid adieu to the world on April 27, 2009.
What do you think about Feroz Khan’s love life?
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