Smooth criminal

White suits, slicked-back hair, posh parties... and those endearingly silly one-liners - there really hasn't been another villain like Ajit

- Poonam Saxena

That's a 25-year-old “Ajit joke”. I can’t remember when I heard my first such quip but this remains one of my favourites.

I don’t think any other Hindi film villain has had this kind of mini-industry of affectionate quips built around them. Of course, the jokes had to be narrated with his specific slow drawl or they wouldn't work.

In the wake of his 27th death anniversary (Ajit died on October 22, 1998; aged 76), I want to look back on this unusual actor.

His onscreen persona, of white suits, carefully-combed-back hair, cigar and distinctive accent, seemed designed for mimicry. The delightful absurdity was heightened by add-ons of elaborate jewellery, and a flashy lifestyle that often saw him lounging by pools in a bathrobe, wearing sunglasses and sipping a drink.

Even his son Shehzad Khan mimicked him, in tribute, when he played the villain’s sidekick in Andaz Apna Apna (1994).

Ajit was born Hamid Ali Khan, in Hyderabad. His father was a veterinary officer with the Nizam of Hyderabad's army, looking after the horses. He wanted his son to join the army too, but Hamid had different ideas.