Living life Khan-size

Ironical that Feroz Khan had tosuccumb to cancer; because in his lifetime he wasn���t afraid of thedisease. The flamboyant star of the 60s who loved his smoke anddrink had once said to me, ���I actually gave up smoking and drinking for apoint in life somewhere in the 80s because I had a health scare, but itwasn���t for long. One day I just went back to it all ��� my logic beingsimple. What is a man without fire (cigarette) on one end and fuel (alcohol) onthe other?��� In his 70 odd years, Feroz never knew fear.A totalcharmer and a ladies man, the star and maker of films like Aadmi Aur Insaan(1969) ��� for which he won a Filmfare award, Qurbani (1980), Jaanbaaz(1986), Yalgaar (1992) and Welcome (2007) FK lived life king-size. Of course healso knew how to crack the whip when he was working. Actors big and small��� Amrish Puri, Anil Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia, Sanjay Dutt, Manisha Koiralaand Sridevi toed the line when FK called the shots; and I���ve also seenthem eating out of his palm because after pack-up, he was charm personified.When he wanted the weather of England at his home in Jussawala Wadi inMumbai way back in the 70s, he put four air-conditioners in his drawing room tobring home the English chill; when he had to smash a car for effect in Qurbani,he actually got hold of a Mercedes and banged it up. For Feroz there were noshortcuts.His farm at Tumkur, on the Mumbai-Bangalore expressway, iseasily one of the most lavish superstar homes there ever is. The sprawling whitebungalow surrounded by coconut palms (attended to by Tamil workers), his racehorses (that he passionately bred as thoroughbreds) and his swimming pool andouthouse all came straight out of an American western. He spoke chaste Tamil tome (with an accent of course), had breakfast fit for a king every morning, drankhis mid-afternoon beer with ��lan, and slipped effortlessly out of hiswhite silk kaftan with a gold sash and dashed into his pool for a morning swimin his briefs showing off an athletic physique that he was very proudof.Feroz took ill sometime in June-July 2007 but his deterioratinghealth was a closely guarded secret till January 2008, when his brothers had tobe informed. Costumer Shahid Aamir, who is close to Fardeen Khan, said, ���Iuse to tremor at the sound of his voice, and I felt so hapless in recent monthswhen I saw just a shadow of the man/star I so admired. Fardeen has been hispillar of support all through. While most visitors to Breach Candy were turnedaway because FK Sr wanted it that way, a family member said, ���Dharmendra,Vinod Khanna and Feroz got together just a few months ago. They hugged eachother and wept like babies.��� Today I see myself doing exactlythat ��� weeping for the loss of a man who cherished life, and who lived itto the fullest. They definitely don���t make them like Feroz Khananymore.