In Conversation With The Golden Boy Of Bollywood Sanjay Khan

Actor-director Sanjay Khan, better known as the Golden Boy of Bollywood, had given some of the biggest hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s – Ek Phool Do Mali, Dosti, Dhund, Mela, Chandi Sona, Abdullah, to name a few. His foray into the Indian television was equally successful.

Khan was at the peak of his career when a fire tragedy on the sets of ‘The Sword of Tipu Sultan’ left him battling sixty five percent third-degree burns, changing the course of the rest of his life. Khan’s fans had long been waiting to read his story. His autobiography was made possible by the tireless efforts of one of India’s top literary agents, Suhail Mathur of The Book Bakers. Mathur, who represents about three hundred authors in the country, clinched a publishing deal for Khan in a record time. In ‘The Best Mistakes of My Life’ (published by Penguin Random House), Khan chronicles his Bollywood journey and clears the air on his linkups with actresses, especially Zeenat Aman.

In a candid chat with the noted journalist and columnist, Vani, who is also the author of ‘The Recession Groom’, Khan answers questions on his personal and professional life. Here are the excerpts from the interview…

Vani: You started the book with one of the most traumatic episodes of your life, the fire on the sets of The Sword of Tipu Sultan. How did this one incident change your perception about life and about yourself ? Have you completely “accepted” that incident and made peace with it or do you still find it difficult to talk about it? What is your self-talk like?