I will miss Feroz Khan: Anees Bazmee

Writer-director Anees Bazmee was the last director, the late Feroz Khan worked under. The film was the super duper hit of 2007, Welcome which clashed with Aamir Khan"s Taare Zameen Par at the box office. Feroz Khan"s relatively small but significant character in Welcome, funnily titled RDX was very popular. His dialogue – Abhi Hum Zinda Hain was greeted with roaring laughter whenever he spoke it on screen in the film.

Recalling his entire experience of working with Feroz Khan Anees Bazmee tells us, “It was an experience of my life time. He was not just an actor but a great director. Welcome was his last film and he was not interested in doing it. He often told me to sign some other actor. I was a great fan of Feroz Khan and always wanted to work with him. For me he was an icon. I told him about it when I met him for the first time. When he saw No Entry, he liked the film and called me and told me that I had made a fantastic film. He liked Fardeen"s character in the film.

“Later I met him in South Africa. I narrated dialogues from his films Dahrmatma, Qurbani and Apradh. He was surprised. I also liked the way he presented his heroines in his films. Be it Mumtaz, Sridevi in Jaanbaaz or Zeenat Aman in Qurbani. One day I went and narrated the story of Welcome to him but he refused. He liked the script and said that the film would be a hit. I was adamant and kept insisting that he did the role, He agreed because he didn"t want to hurt me. When Welcome became a hit he called me and congratulated me. Today I feel honoured that I worked with him. I was not in town when he passed away hence I could not attend his funeral. I will miss him."