Sanjay Khan has bared details of his eventful life in his autobiography, The Best Mistakes of My Life that reads more like a Bollywood blockbuster. There is action from his early years in Bengaluru, story of his foray into Hindi films, romance with Bandra girl Zarine, some drama, and anecdotes on the film sets that kept him on his toes, especially the one in which he was involved in a near fatal accident on the sets The Sword of Tipu Sultan.
Finally, he talks about his rise like a Phoenix from the fire of personal tragedies.
If handsome is as handsome does, then a 77-year-old actor, producer, director, entrepreneur-turned-author Sanjay Khan, who released his autobiography remains the most handsome inside out.
As we wonder how, he is quick to add, “I am a man of gratitude. I have a lot to thank the Almighty for, along with my family, friends and fans, who have made me what I am today,” he says.
Unlike others, he tends to celebrate his mistakes and says, “My life has gone through extraordinary circumstances, challenges, and experiences. So when Penguin asked me for a title, I wanted to call it , the best mistakes of my life.
Mistakes can be an error of judgement, a miscalculation or poor analysis. In his case, he is referring to the huge benefits and extraordinary opportunities that came his way, some of which I accepted and others, that he refused became the best mistakes of his well lived life.”
Khan has some exciting products lined up for TV and two war films in the offing. He has been busy working on his next, Maryada Purushottam Ram. “It is a big budget film, with extraordinary script and characterisation backed by exceptional visuals. It is one of my ambitions to release it because I am a great admirer of Lord Ram. I don’t like politicisation of Ram. Shri Ram is Shri Ram. If he was listening, he would not be happy to see the way people are using him for dirty political gains.”
His eyes light up behind his Cartier shades as he talks about the Seven Cities Theme Park in Agra that he has conceived. “It is the climax of my life because it is the biggest and most ambitious project of my life. My country has given me so much. As a thanksgiving gesture, I have conceived an extraordinary concept showcasing 5,000 years of India’s glorious history, culture and civilisation, intertwined with Mahabharata and Ramayana,” says Khan. It will harp on India’s science, technology, philosophy, cultural greatness and glorification, all of which will be narrated through special effects and real architecture. “It will be an ethereal experience and will make us proud of our country’s knowledge base and its contribution to mankind. After all, we gave zero to the world that put the man on the moon, he says”
Unfortunately, the entertainment park has been stuck for years, its fate being inadvertently drawn into a political quagmire. He rues, “I fulfilled all my obligation, signed a definitive agreement, paid the price of the land as per the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013. But the new government has stopped me, illegally. Instead of opting for conciliation or arbitration, they have served me a termination notice. And then tried to slander me by saying that ‘Mr Khan doesn’t have funds’. I have proved them wrong again and again. Each time I went to the table to pay the bill, they escalated the cost of the land, from `560 crores, it touched Rs 850 crores and is now Rs 1,055 crores, he adds. ”
The big-ticket project would have become the most significant employment generator in the state had it not been so insignificantly scuttled. Khan spent crores on it. This was meant to be a tribute to his motherland. He signs off on a musical note: Aye khuda har faisla tera mujhe manzoor hai.
The author writes on entertainment and food among other things.