Sajid Khan is an Indian film director, actor, comedian, and TV host. In 2022, he participated in the reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’ season 16.
Wiki/Biography
Sajid Kamran Khan was born on Monday, 23 November 1971 (age 51 years; as of 2022) in Bombay, Maharashtra. His zodiac sign is Scorpio.
Sajid Khan’s childhood picture with his sister
He did his schooling at Maneckji Cooper Education Trust School, Mumbai, Maharashtra. He pursued graduation in psychology from SVKM’s Mithibai College of Arts Chauhan Institute of Science and Amrutben Jivanlal College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai.
Sajid Khan’s college ID card
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Weight (approx.): 85 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Brown
Family
Sajid belongs to a Parsi family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Kamran Khan, was an Indian actor, director, and producer. His mother’s name is Menaka Khan Irani.
Sajid Khan’s childhood picture with his parents and sister
He has an elder sister Farah Khan, who is a famous Indian choreographer and film director.
Sajid Khan with Farah Khan
Wife
As of 2022, he is not married.
Other Relative(s)
The Indian filmmaker Sirish Kunder is his brother-in-law.
Sajid Khan with Farah Khan and Sirish Kunder
Sajid is the maternal uncle of Diva Kunder, Anya Kunder, and Czar Kunder.
Sajid Khan with his nephew and nieces
His maternal aunt Honey Irani was earlier married to the famous Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar.
Sajid Khan with his uncle Javed Akhtar
From Honey and Javed, Sajid has two cousins Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. Farhan is working as an actor and singer, and Zoya is a film director.
Sajid Khan with his sister and cousins
Sajid’s maternal aunt Daisy Irani is married to the Indian screenwriter K. K. Shukla.
Sajid Khan’s maternal aunt Daisy Irani, his mother Menaka Irani, and maternal aunt Honey Irani (from left)
Relationships/Affairs
In an interview, Sajid shared that while he was in his 20s and 30s, he dated many girls and made fake promises of marriage to them. He used to make fake promises of marrying to every girl he dated. He then dated a few Bollywood & TV actresses.
Gauhar Khan
In 2003, he was in a relationship with the Indian model and actor Gauahar Khan. After dating for a year, they got engaged in a private ceremony. Later, they broke their engagement and got separated. In an interview, while hinting towards Gauhar, Sajid said,
I wasn’t even a bad person that time. I didn’t even cheat her. I think that she got bored of me.”
A collage of Sajid Khan and Gauhar Khan
Rakshanda Khan
Sajid has also dated the Indian TV actress Rakshanda Khan for almost 10 years. However, their long-term relationship did not turn into marriage, and the duo got separated.
A collage of Sajid Khan and Rakshanda Khan
Tamannaah Bhatia
In 2014, there were rumours that Sajid was dating the South Indian actress Tamannaah Bhatia. In an interview, when Bhatia was asked about the same, she said,
These rumours are very funny and baseless. The Director Sajid is like my Brother and he calls treats me as his younger Sister and is quite protective of me. I tied a Rakhi to Sajid during the shoot of Himmatwala.”
Sajid Khan with Tamannaah Bhatia
Urvashi Dholakia
Once Sajid’s name was linked with the Indian TV actress Urvashi Dholakia. During an interview, when Urvashi was asked about her affair rumours with Sajid Khan, she said,
People don’t know that I have known Sajid for 15 years. I have worked with him. He’s been a friend. Yes, Sajid has come home over a couple of times. He is a friend, so why wouldn’t he? Let me tell everyone that I do have the liberty of going out with anybody I choose to go out with, but making assumptions is not right. If I am dating someone, I will come out and say it. Tomorrow if my boys work with another director, it will spark off another round of rumours. Yeh toh hadh ho gayi yaar!”
A collage of Sajid Khan and Urvashi Dholakia
Jacqueline Fernandez
The most talked about affair of Sajid Khan was with the Indian actress Jacqueline Fernandez. In 2011, while shooting for the Hindi film ‘Housefull,’ they started dating. The couple dated for almost three years, and later, they got separated. In an interview, when Sajid Khan was asked about his relationship and break up with Jacqueline, he said,
While we broke up in May 2013, in reality right from December 2012, it started becoming sour. So you are already preparing your mind in those five months. Also, when you don’t have a woman in your life, you don’t have someone constantly nagging you, so you end up working better and are more focused. I went for a holiday with her for five days in the middle of making Himmatwala and felt so bad when the film didn’t do well. For Humshakals, I have not taken a single holiday.”
Sajid Khan with Jacqueline Fernandez
Esha Gupta
After the break-up of Sajid and Jacqueline, he was rumoured to be in a relationship with the Indian actress Esha Gupta. According to a media source,
They bonded well and it looked more than just a director-actress thing. The two have suddenly found things in common to give them company. Their close friendship raised eyebrows on the sets.”
In an interview, when Esha was asked about the same, she said,
I have a steady boyfriend. Why would I date Sajid Khan? I hate rumours which imply that I can’t get work unless I sell my soul. Merit counts.”
Sajid Khan with Esha Gupta
Address
Sanjay Plaza, A. B. Nair Road, Juhu, Mumbai
Career
Television
Host
Sajid started his career as a host of the DD Metro TV show ‘Superhit Muqabla’ (1990). He once did the shooting of 16 episodes in a day for the TV show ‘Superhit Muqabla.’ In 1995, he hosted the TV show ‘Main Bhi Detective.’ In 1996, he hosted the popular TV show ‘Ikke Pe Ikka.’ The show was registered in the Limca Book of Records for working with one host (Sajid Khan) for the longest time.
Sajid Khan in Ikke Pe Ikka
He then hosted a few other TV shows like ‘Kehne Me Kya Harj Hai’ (1988), ‘Sajid No.1’ (1999), ‘Sajid’s Superstars’ (2008), and ‘Yaaron Ki Baraat’ (2016).
Sajid Khan in Kehne Me Kya Harj Hai
Judge
Sajid has judged a few TV shows like ‘Nach Baliye 6’ (2013) and ‘India’s Best Dramebaaz’ (2017). He has also worked as a judge in a few episodic TV shows.
Sajid Khan as judge in Nach Baliye 6
Contestant
In 2022, he participated in the Hindi reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss’ season 16. In an interview, he shared that he was offered the show 3-4 times before, but he was rejecting the offer as he was could not spend a day without watching a film. In an interview, while talking about participating in Bigg Boss (2022), he said,
I spent four years sitting at home. There hasn’t been much work for me lately. I thought I ought to host Bigg Boss when the channel first approached me. I want to perform some housework like cleaning, sweeping, and wiping the floor as well as discover more about who I am. We typically ask our staff to complete all of these tasks for us when we are at home, so if I am able to complete them here, I believe I will become a more kind and modest person, Sajid added. In my life, there have been many ups and downs. Basically, the biggest has been one. For the last 30 years, I have connected with the television public. I refer to myself as an entertainment public servant. I haven’t felt that connection or touch in the past four years. Bigg Boss is the ideal venue for reestablishing contact with them. I have no idea how long I’ll be staying there—it could be a week, two weeks, or months.”
Sajid Khan in Bigg Boss 16 (2022)
Film
Director & Writer
In 2006, he made his debut as a director and writer with the Hindi horror film ‘Darna Zaroori Hai’ for the opening story of the film.
Darna Mana Hai film poster
He then worked as a writer and director in various Hindi films like ‘Heyy Babyy’ (2007), ‘Housefull’ (2010), ‘Housefull 2’ (2012), ‘Himmatwala’ (2013), and ‘Humshakals’ (2014).
Sajid Khan on the sets of ‘Himmatwala’ (2013)
Actor
In 1998, Sajid made his acting debut with the Hindi film ‘Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate’ as Chunky.
Sajid Khan in Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate
He then made cameo appearances in a few Hindi films such as ‘Main Hoon Na’ (2004), ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’ (2004), and ‘Happy New Year’ (2014).
Sajid Khan in Happy New Year
Controversies
Verbal Spat with Ashutosh Gowarikar
In 2009, while the Indian director Ashutosh Gowarikar was on the podium to receive the Best Film of The Year for ‘Jodha Akbar’ by Screen Awards, Ashutosh expressed that he was hurt by the jokes cracked by Sajid on his film. Ashutosh even said that he felt insulted, deeply hurt, and upset about Sajid making fun of him on the podium. When Sajid tried to clarify things, Ashutosh asked him to shut up. Later, Sajid’s sister, Farah came on stage and said that no one could tell them to shut up. Later, Sajid and Ashutosh sorted things out.
#MeToo Allegations
Karishma Upadhyay
In 2018, around nine Indian actresses and models shared their #MeToo moments against Sajid Khan. On 11 October 2011, an Indian journalist Karishma Upadhyay took to her Twitter account to talk about Sajid’s misconduct with her. She wrote that while she was at Sajid’s home for an interview, he talked about his private parts and even touched her inappropriately. She further wrote,
A few years later, I had to work with Sajid when I was at MTV. Initially, I wanted to find a way to not work on that show. Then I realised, why should I let go of an opportunity because a man can’t keep his dick in his pants. At the end of the first meeting, I forewarned him about behaving himself. I’ll never forget what he said to me ‘You are fatter than you used to be I won’t touch you with a barge pole.’ And then he laughed.”
A tweet of a journalist accusing Sajid Khan of misconduct
Saloni Chopra
Later, the Indian-born Australian actress and model Saloni Chopra shared her #MeToo movement with Sajid Khan. She shared that the most horrible time of her life was when she worked with Sajid Khan. She said that she used to assist Sajid in 2011. In her blog, she talked about it, she said,
The indecent behaviour started with the interview itself, with him asking her questions like, “Do you masturbate?” and “How many times a week?”
Later, when she was selected for the job, she was told that her job role was not an assistant director but a director’s assistant. She said that Sajid then started calling her at odd hours and even asked her for her bikini photos as he wanted to know how she would look if she became an actress. She further revealed that he even asked her to cast her in his film. She was so keen to work in Bollywood that she kept ignoring his inappropriate behaviour. She said,
He’d say horrible, horrible things about his supposed girlfriend at the time, who also happened to be one of the kindest, nicest women I’d ever met in the industry. I wondered why she was with a man like that. adding that Sajid would describe their sex life in ways I didn’t need to know and talk about his p***s is supposedly really big and describe his sexual needs. He would ask me to touch his d**k and get irritated with me when I said I didn’t want to.”
A tweet of Saloni Chopra accusing Sajid Khan
Saloni then shared an incident from a costume trial for one of his films. She wrote,
This one time, during a costume trial for a character in the movie he came in to see the girl in the outfit and asked her to lift her skirt and show her ass to him, she looked at me confused and I asked Sajid if it was necessary. She lifted her skirt and he started insulting her telling her she didn’t have any breasts or any ass, how did she think she’d become an actress? Then he asked me to leave the room and let them talk, and I did.”
She further wrote about him and said that Sajid then started calling her at his home. He started annoying her by calling her daily during night hours. One night, Saloni was so frustrated that she told Sajid that if he only wanted to have a physical relationship with her she would come to his place but after that, he would not disturb her again. In reply, Sajid yelled at her and said,
You are naive and stupid if you thought it was just about sex. You think I want to fuck you? I have such a hot girlfriend, why would I fuck a girl like you thats not even sexy?’”
Then Saloni asked him why he was calling her daily. Saloni wrote,
He wanted me to follow his every command. Stay with him. Maybe he’ll ask me to touch myself in front of him, maybe he’ll want to record it. He’ll do things to me and give me orgasm and teach me the art of sex but maybe he won’t actually put his dick inside me. Maybe he will. But it would be up to him what he wanted,” she revealed, adding that he told her that unless she was ready to be someone’s keep, no one would cast her.”
The next day, when Saloni reached the sets of Sajid’s film, he acted like nothing had happened and asked her to write an article. She then started doing her work, and in the middle of it, Sajid shouted at her and asked her to spread her legs while sitting, to which she disagreed. He then told her that she was so unattractive and was not good enough to become an actress. In her blog, she shared the incident, she wrote,
He then tried to grab my hand and put it on his d**k to show me that I didn’t give him a boner. I shrugged it off and asked him to stop. He frantically started walking around the room telling me I was never going to have a future in this industry and no man would ever find me sexy and he should have a boner but he doesn’t, he doesn’t have a boner looking at me. And then, he pulled his pants down and showed me his dick as he kept yelling ‘see? You don’t even make me hard!’”
Saloni then ran out of the room and decided that she would never work with Sajid again. A few days later, he even called her to rejoin his office, but she was so petrified by his behaviour that if she rejoined him as an assistant, she would probably commit suicide. She further wrote that when She discussed it with people from Bollywood, they said,
That’s Sajid Khan for you, he’s pulled off this shit with so many girls. It took me years to get over the trauma he put me through. I was so scared around the people I worked with. And I’m sure he’s done this to so many other girls, I just want them to know they’re not alone. It’s been 7 years, and it’s about time I said it out loud.”
Sajid Khan’s tweet on allegations
Rachel White
After reading Saloni’s tweet on Sajid Khan, the Indian actress Rachel White gained the strength to talk about her horrible experience with Sajid Khan. She said that she was once called by the team of Sajid for a role as a third lead in the Hindi film ‘Humshakals’ (2014). His team told her that all the star cast was finalised for the film except the third lead. She then agreed to it and went for the auditions. Later, she gave a call to Sajid to talk about the film, but he talked indecently to her. In an interview, while talking about it, she said,
The first thing he said to me on call was ‘Hello! Bengal Tigress! You Bongs are so hot, man!’. I asked him how did he know I was from Kolkata because I found that very creepy. I thought to myself, ‘How does this guy know? I haven’t given it out yet.’ So, he goes like, ‘I checked you on Google darling.’”
She then interrupted him in between and said that the call was regarding the film. Sajid then called her at his home, and when she refused the offer and said that she would meet him at his office only, then Sajid said that his mother would be at home, so she need not worry. When she reached his home, his mother was not present at his home, he then started talking to her about the private parts of her body. In an interview, she said,
When he asked me about my b***s, he got off his treadmill and I was standing right in front of the treadmill, leaning on the wall, in the most uncomfortable spot wondering where I am. He was staring directly at my b***s and he was asking me, ‘Are they real?’ And he poked his finger into my cl****ge. I just moved away from him. I don’t know what my reaction should have been. Ideally, I would slap a guy but then you know you have ‘Sajid Khan’ in front of you. You think, ‘Can I do this? Or not?’ So, I was standing there, laughing like a buffoon.”
He then asked her to strip, because he said that there were bikini scenes in the film, but she refused to do so and told him that she had already sent her bikini portfolio to him. He did not stop there and asked her to seduce him. While talking about it, she said,
I was so pissed. I really didn’t know what had just happened. I had met the creepiest man in my entire life! This is not a horny person, this is not even about sex. He is just sick and a pervert and you can see it on his face.”
Rachel then decided that she would not work in the film, and the role was then offered to Bipasha Basu. Rachel said that even Bipasha was not comfortable on the sets of the film. In an interview, when Bipasha was asked about the same, she said,
He cracked lewd jokes openly and was pretty rude to all girls, (though) he never ever did the same with me. I had sworn never to work in a humiliating environment for women ever again after Humshakals. Everyone knows I dissociated from the film for exactly this reason. I made it loud and clear.”
Aahana Kumra
After Saloni Chopra’s revelation, many other Indian models and actresses came to her support and shared their bad experiences with Sajid Khan. One such actress is Aahana Kumra. In an interview, she shared that once Sajid called her to his home for a professional meeting. She was sitting in the living area, but she was then asked to go to his room as his mother was sitting in the living area. He initiated the chat with her in a decent manner. He asked her if she would make a physical relationship with a dog for Rs 100 crore. During the conversation, she even hinted that her mother was a police officer. In an interview, while talking about the incident, she said,
I guess he was trying to give me gyaan on how I need to be a dumbf*** or laugh at his sexist jokes, if I wanted to be a mainstream heroine in his films. He implied that I think too much and that I am too vocal about what I think. Hence, I am not mainstream actress material.”
Mandana Karimi
Another model and actor who accused Sajid Khan was Mandana Karimi. In an interview, she said that in 2014 while discussing a role in the Hindi film Humshakals, Sajid asked her to remove her clothes, and said that if she did so, only then she would get the role in the film. In 2019, after a series of allegations, Sajid Khan stepped down as the director of the Hindi film ‘Housefull 4.’ He tweeted,
In the wake of the allegations against me and the pressure being put on me and my family, the producers and stars of my film Housefull 4, I must take the moral responsibility of stepping down from my directorial post, till the time I can allay the allegations and prove the truth.”
In 2022, when Sajid participated as a contestant in the reality TV show ‘Bigg Boss,’ Mandana questioned the film industry for giving him an opportunity to work even after so many allegations against him. In an interview, she said,
It was just a few women, they came, they spoke and that was it. What is the action? Who is boycotting these people? Nothing is going to happen. Because we are talking about the bigger industry, which is a place where someone is someone’s mom, boyfriend, girlfriend or husband. It’s like you, you scratch my back, and I will scratch your back. To be honest, I’m not surprised to see him back in the spotlight. For people, life has become like I will put my head under the sand. If it is going to benefit me, and I can make money, then who cares? That shows why the MeToo movement in India and many other countries didn’t really reach anywhere.”
She further said that she would love to quit Bollywood after watching Sajid in Bigg Boss. She said,
It does make me feel sad. To be honest, that is also the reason I have not worked for the last seven months. I’m not working anymore. I didn’t go to any auditions. I don’t want to work in Bollywood. I don’t want to be involved with an industry where there is no respect for women. I’m still fighting for my money. My full payment hasn’t come, the show was over five months back. I am still waiting to know why they aren’t clearing my dues. Because being a woman, it’s not easy. I need to see what makes me happy because life is too short to compromise for anyone… There are people who agree to compromise and keep their mouth shut, or not talk about the things happening around, thinking what difference will one person make. That is the main problem.. Let’s see where my life takes me,” she concluded.”
A few other girls who accused Sajid of misconduct were Sherlyn Chopra, Jiah Khan’s sister, Paula, and Simran Suri.
Awards
- 2004: Indian Television Academy Award for Best Anchor – Music & Film-Based Show ‘Ikke Pe Ikka’
- 2013: Zee Cine Award for Power Club – Box Office Award for Housefull 2
- 2017: Zee Rishtey Award for Favourite TV Judge for India’s Best Dramebaaz
Car Collection
- Rolls Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe
Income/Salary
In 2022, his fees for the TV show Bigg Boss were around Rs 4-5 lakhs per week.
Favourites
- Film Director: Ramesh Sippy
- Film: Sholay (1975), Shaan (1980)
Facts/Trivia
- When he was 6 years old, his parents got separated. Sajid, along with his mother and sister, shifted to a chawl. Sajid and his sister used to spend a few days at his mother’s place and a few days at his father’s place.
- His father used to pay his school fees and enrolled him in a school for rich students, whereas he used to live in a slum area. He did not even have food to eat at his home, and his mother used to work in a hotel for Rs 300. This created a disbalance in his life and affected him psychologically. At the age of 10, Sajid started stealing things which started with stealing a pencil or eraser from his classmates. He then formed a gang with the boys in his slum area, and his gang made a fake donation form. From the money, he used to buy groceries for his home. When his mother used to ask him from where he got the money to buy the groceries, he said that he won it in a lottery.
Sajid Khan at the age of 16
- In an interview, while he was in class 10, he failed in the Marathi subject three times.
- Since childhood, he loved to do mimicry for his slum friends. In his teens, he started working as a DJ at various local parties and events. He then hosted events at his college.
- In 1988, Sajid, along with his friends, made a video at his home titled ‘Adventures of Ram Lakhan.’
A home video of Sajid Khan
- In 1985, Sajid and his sister Farah Khan performed as backup dancers in the Hindi song “Bacha Le Sambha Le Koi To Yahan Se Nikale” from the film 3D Saamri.’ In the song, their face was covered with mud.
- Since his teens, he is a cinephile. He used to watch the first-day first show of many Hindi films. He even has a ticket collection of all the films he has watched. In an interview, while talking about his love for films, he said,
My films will never flop because I make films for the audience and not for myself. Since childhood, I have done nothing other than watch films. I may be not a great director, but I am the greatest audience; Cinema is my life!” (Films for the audience and not for yourself ha?”
A film ticket collection of Sajid Khan
- Since childhood, he used to participate in various dance competitions at his school and college.
Hahaha..26years ago..26kgs ago..mithibai college annual day function..#WorldDanceDay pic.twitter.com/zqIwBgJzKK
— Sajid Khan (@SimplySajidK) April 29, 2017
- Sajid and the Indian actor Ajay Devgn have studied in the same college. In an interview, while talking about Ajay, Sajid said,
Ajay Devgn used to pay for my food and cigarette bills as I didn’t have money. I am greatly inspired by Ajay Devgn’s style since childhood.”
Sajid Khan and Ajay Devgn
- At the age of 15, he remained in jail for a day. While he was in a TV show, he talked about the same, he said,
Once when I went to watch a film with a friend, I decided that I would go home through the route by crossing the railway track. When I was walking in the middle of the railway track with a friend, the constable caught him. Havaldar also hit me with a stick and put me in jail.”
- Sajid does not consume alcohol. He is often spotted smoking cigarettes. In an interview, he talked about smoking, he said,
I had almost become a juvenile delinquent when I was a teenager. I troubled her a lot. I think mom and my aunts just gave up on me. I used to smoke, was part of a gang… Farhan, Zoya, Farah were all so good. Mom must have thought ladka haath se gaya… Now I am 44 and mom still chides me saying, ‘Look at your hair’, ‘Why are you smoking so much?’ or ‘Lose weight. Who will marry you if you put on so much weight?’ That’s mom for you.”
- He has been organising motivational classes in various schools and colleges for the past few years. He has also helped drug addicts in getting help from various rehab centres.
- Sajid has been often criticised for his arrogance and being a self-praiser. He once said that he made the Indian actor Akshay Kumar get out of the bad phase in his career by casting him in the Hindi film ‘Housefull’ (2010). In an interview, he even said that the veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah has worked in C-grade films. During the press conference of his Hindi film ‘Himmatwala’ (2013), he made big claims. He said,
I promise that people will not get tickets during the first three days of the Himmatwala release, as I make films for the audiences and this film will also work. Himmatwala’ would be Ajay Devgn’s biggest grosser till date. Ajay’s entry in Himmatwala will be one of the best three introduction scene in Hindi cinema done ever by an Indian hero. I’ll change my name, if 80 per cent of the audience in a theatre doesn’t whistle and clap during his entry.”
However, instead of being the biggest hit, the film failed miserably at the box office. The film is also considered one of the biggest flops in Bollywood. The film received the Surfers’ Choice Movie Award for Worst Film of the Year, the Golden Kela Award for Worst Film, and The Ghanta Award for Worst Director. In an interview, while talking about the failure of the film, Sajid said that the failure brought him back to the ground. He realised that he was too arrogant. He even said that he became mature after facing failures.