Veteran actor Raza Murad has criticised prominent Bollywood stars for not attending the funeral of actor Mushtaq Khan, who died on September 24.
In a strongly worded video message, Raza questioned the absence of major film industry personalities from Khan’s last rites, which were held on September 25. He noted that several of Khan’s colleagues and fellow actors attended the funeral but expressed disappointment that no major star was present.
Raza said that Bollywood stars readily attend lavish events involving influential people, alleging that they would even “serve the guests like waiters” at an industrialist’s son’s wedding. He also alleged that stars turn up when a political party “shows its power”, while failing to make time to attend the funeral of someone who devoted nearly five decades to the film industry.
He reminded members of the film fraternity that fame, wealth and status are temporary, while a person’s conduct and deeds ultimately matter.
Praising Mushtaq Khan, Raza said the actor built his identity through his work and did not rely on misleading or flattering others to establish himself in the industry.
Raza also expressed regret that several prominent stars who had worked with Khan did not come to pay their final respects, saying it was unfortunate that people who had shared professional associations with the actor did not spare even a few moments to attend his funeral.
He concluded by stressing that fame, wealth and honour do not last forever.
Mushtaq Khan was known for his supporting performances in films including Welcome, Aashiqui, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke and Jodi No. 1. Over his long career, he worked alongside several leading Hindi film actors, including Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar and Anil Kapoor.