Revision as of 14:51, 9 May 2015

Kamaal Khan in Jo Bole So Nihaal

Who is Kamaal Khan?

Kamaal Khan is a pop singer. Till 2015 he was best known for his hit song O O Jaane Janaa.

However, since May 2015 the spotlight has been on him because he was a prime witness in the Salman Khan: hit-and-run case, 2002.

His statement, three of four days after the incident in 2002, was recorded in Marathi in which he revealed that it was Salman Khan who was driving on the fateful night. At the time of the May 2015 verdict against Salman, Kamaal Khan was in London (The Times of India)

This statement did not sour things between Salman Khan and Kamaal Khan, because the latter continued to sing for superstar Salman Khan, including after 2007, when Kamaal is said to have 'disappeared' from Mumbai and India, as will be seen below.

Indeed, Kamaal seems to have sung in only one film in which Salman did not star.

Personal details

Height 5' 10½" (1.79 m)

Relationship status

Was engaged to actress Shilpi Sharma imdb, who played FBI Agent Satinder "Suzanne" Kaur in Jo Bole So Nihaal [1]

Lesser known facts

The Times of India

Kamaal Khan: Lesser known facts about the singer

The Salman Khan: hit-and-run case, 2002 was full of twists and turns.

In an interesting turn of events, Salman's close friend and singer Kamaal Khan has become the talking point of the case. The singer-turned-actor is the same person who was present in Toyota Land Cruiser that night with Salman Khan back in 2002, when the accident happened. Salman's lawyer Amit Desai and Abha Singh raised a question on Kamaal Khan's whereabouts. His absence has been termed as the major loophole in the case, from the prosecution's side.

In 1995, Kamaal wrote and produced his debut single ‘O O Jaane Jaana’ in London. The song released in 1996 and became a hit in UK, achieving platinum status.

Salman Khan and singer Kamaal Khan's friendship goes way back in 1998 when Salman gave the latter a break in his film Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya starring Kajol and himself. Kamaal sang one of the most popular songs of the film album O O Jaane Jaana.

The song was released worldwide in 1998 and simultaneously featured in the Bollywood blockbuster Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya,. The soundtrack went on to sell over 10 million copies and the huge success of the movie has widely been attributed by film pundits to the popularity of Kamaal's Filmistan-debut song.

In the 2002 case, Kamaal Khan is said have to fled the spot with Salman Khan after the accident took place. Ever since then, the singer has apparently been missing. According to reports, Kamaal is said to be in England, and advocate Abha Singh has been demanding to either bring him back or do an audio or video conference.

After the success of his debut song from Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, there was no looking back for Kamaal Khan. According to reports, thanks to the success of his debut song, Kamaal was immediately signed by record label HMV in December 1997. He then went ahead to sing few more songs for Salman Khan for movies like Hello Brother, Tere Naam, Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, and Wanted. He didn't limit himself to singing, and also tried his hands at acting. He worked as the main antagonist in 2005 Sunny Deol-starrer Jo Bole So Nihaal. However, he couldn't impress the audience and critics with his acting talent. The film bombed at the box-office.

Kamaal Khan may have kept a low-profile, but when the singer was pursuing his career in Bollywood, he also made headlines for his love life. Kamaal, who has worked with Oscar winner AR Rahman in Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa, was apparently dating Malaika Arora Khan's younger sister Amrita Arora who is now married to Shakeel Ladak. The singer and the actress were apparently quite open about their relationship then. According to reports, they were frequently spotted together at parties.

2007: Decamps from Mumbai

Kamaal ka Khan who vanished into the blue

Meena Iyer, The Times of India

The Times of India/ Filmfare’s Meena Iyer met the then twentysomething UK-based pop singer, writer, composer Kamaal Khan when he arrived in India in the 1990s. He had already tasted fame back home in London because of his vocals. One of his songs Oh Oh Jaane Janaa made Kamaal become a part of Salman's khandaan. For a while, he dated Amrita Arora (sister of Malaika Arora Khan). Looking to make an acting foray in Bollywood, opportunity knocked when he bagged the role of the main villain in N R Pachisia's Jo Bole So Nihaal. The film was a dud and its fate put paid to Kamaal's acting career.

An insider recalled that though he was reportedly in the car with Salman on that fateful night, Kamaal managed to keep a very low profile on that particular count. “He barely spoke about the incident,“ said Iyer’s informant.

Though he made frequent trips to London and back, he never showed any signs of stress.

Like other actors, Kamaal also secured a work permit for the foreign shoot, and allegedly lived in with an actress (who was also a part of his debut film) at Duplex Heights in Lokhandwala. Though he made frequent trips to London and back, he never showed any signs of stress.

Kamaal, the recipient of the 1999 R D Burman Award for fresh music talent, never showed talent, writes Iyer.

One unit hand told Iyer, “Sometime around 2007 , Kamaal hurriedly got in touch with a realty broker; sold off his suburban flat, took all his belongings and never came back. It is assumed that he has an address in the UK or Switzerland because he was born there. In fact, Kamaal left India on such a secret note that he didn't even inform his live-in girlfriend or her mother. They found out from the broker that the flat had been sold! Over night they found themselves without a roof...and without a benefactor.

[Iyer quipped:] Kamaal hai na?

Filmography

As a playback singer

1998 Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (starring Salman Khan)

2002 Na Tum Jaano Na Hum (starring Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan)

2003 Tere Naam (starring Salman Khan)

2009 Wanted (starring Salman Khan)

As an actor

2005 Jo Bole So Nihaal