In 1989, a devastating fire on the sets of the TV show The Sword of Tipu Sultan at Premier Studios, Mysore, changed actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan’s life forever. Triggered by faulty equipment and ignored safety measures, the tragedy claimed the lives of 52 crew members. Khan suffered 65% third-degree burns and endured 74 surgeries during a grueling recovery.
Zayed Khan reflects on father Sanjay Khan’s life-threatening Tipu Sultan set fire: “I didn’t recognize him. His head was swollen like a football”
In an emotional conversation with Siddharth Kannan, actor Zayed Khan reflected on the traumatic experience of his father Sanjay Khan’s accident and the strength he showed in its aftermath. “It was very tough because I was only 11 years old,” Zayed recalled. “I remember when he was finally brought to the hospital after a month–I was dying to see him.”
He added, “My mother said, ‘Go say hi!’ There were two beds in the ICU, both with burn victims. I passed the first bed thinking he was in the second, and suddenly, from behind, a hand raised and called out, ‘Zayed.'”
What followed was a moment forever etched in Zayed’s memory. “At first, I didn’t recognize him. His head was swollen like a football, his skin literally melting into the sheets. He hadn’t even seen himself in the mirror yet,” Zayed shared. “He held my hand and asked, ‘Zayed, are you scared?’ I couldn’t say a word. Then he said something impossible in that moment — ‘Before you know it, I’ll build a better hospital than this, so that people like me don’t have to come here… and you don’t have to see me like this. I’ll make Tipu Sultan again, and we’ll have a great time together, my son.’”
Zayed shared that despite doctors losing hope, his father’s unwavering spirit defied all expectations. “He was made of steel–his soul and heart were something else entirely,” he said.
Two years later, Sanjay Khan silenced all doubts with his remarkable comeback. “He got back on a horse after undergoing 74 surgeries,” Zayed revealed. “He completed Tipu Sultan, and then took me to Bangalore. He bought land there, handed me the first brick—the foundation brick—and asked me to name it. I named it Golden Palms. And later, he built a hotel there.”
On the professional front, Zayed Khan is preparing for his comeback with the upcoming OTT film The Film That Never Was.
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