Cinemaazi salutes Ajit on his death anniversary

Known for his suave and ruthless villainous avatar, Ajit initially started off in cinema as a hero. Born as Hamid Ali Khan to Bashir Ali Khan and Sultan Jehan Begum in Hyderabad on 27th January, 1922. From a young age, he was a proficient speaker of Urdu and Telugu. His father was a member of the Nizam's army and disapproved of Hamid's wishes to be an actor. After school he sold his textbooks and travelled to Bombay to try his luck in the film industry. He initially had to struggle and live in extreme poverty. In his initial few films he was credited as Hamid Khan. LaterK Amarnathsuggested a name change, and he became known as Ajit. His initial films as a leading man in the 50s did not perform well at the box office, but he quickly decided to shift to playing character roles and villains. One of his notable leading roles came in S M Yusuf's hit Mehndi (1958). His first role as a villain was in Suraj (1966). He became one of the top villains of the 70s, with his distinctive dialogue delivery a trademark. Zanjeer and Yaadon Ki Baarat (both 1973) were particular highlights of his career. Some of the notable films of his career were Beqasoor (1950),Saiyan (1951), Dholak (1951),Anand Math (1952), Nastik (1954), Halaku(1956), Naya Daur (1957), Mehndi (1958), Mughal-e-Azam (1960), Shikari (1963), Prince(1969), Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969), Heer Ranjha (1970),Andaz (1971),Chhupa Rustam (1973), Khote Sikkay (1974), Pratigya (1975), Kalicharan(1976), Hum Kisi Se Kam Naheen (1977), Chalta Purza(1977), Des Pardes (1978), Mr Natwarlal (1979) and many more. His iconic lines like Mona darling have become part of popular culture due to numerous reiterations and parodies. He passed away on this day in 1998. Cinemaazi salutes the veteran actor on his death anniversary.