Mother India Actor Sajid Khan Passes Away At 71!

Sajid Khan, known for his role as the young Birju in Mehboob Khan's Mother India and later gaining recognition in international projects like Maya and The Singing Filipina, has passed away after battling cancer. Khan was in his early 70s.

According to his son Sameer, the actor passed away on Friday. As per reports, Sameer further revealed that Sajid was adopted by Rajkumar Pitamber Rana and Sunita Pitamber, and was fostered by filmmaker Mehboob Khan. He took a break from the film industry and focused on philanthropy. Sameer mentioned that his father used to visit Kerala frequently, enjoyed the place, remarried, and eventually settled there.

The actor was buried at the Kayamkulam Town Juma Masjid in the Alappuzha district of Kerala.

Following the success of Mother India, which received an Oscar nomination, Sajid Khan took on the lead role in Mehboob Khan's film Son of India.

Khan achieved international fame as a teenage heartthrob through his portrayal of a local boy named Raji in the film Maya and the Singing Filipina. In the movie, he befriends a character played by Jay North. The success of the film resulted in a series with the same title, further contributing to Khan's popularity.

He made a guest appearance on an episode of the American TV show The Big Valley and served as a guest judge on the music show It’s Happening.

 The actor rose to fame in the Philippines and appeared in films like My Funny Girl, and The Prince and I alongside actress Nora Aunor.

Sajid Khan also portrayed the character of a bandit leader in the film Heat and Dust starring Shashi Kapoor and directed by James Ivory.