Bollywood actor Feroz Khan dies

Apr 27, 2009, 9:35 GMT

   New Delhi - Bollywood actor-filmmaker Feroz Khan, once known as the 'Clint Eastwood of the East' for his macho style and swagger, died Monday after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 69.

   Khan died at 1:30 am (2000 GMT Sunday) at his farmhouse in the southern city of Bangalore.

   His funeral was scheduled to take place in the city later on Monday, his family said.

   A leading Bollywood star through the 1970s and 1980s who appeared in more than 50 movies, Khan had a place in the hearts of millions of Hindi film lovers with his romantic male leads in blockbusters like Qurbani (Sacrifice) and Jaanbaaz (Daredevil).

   He also made Dharmatma (A Virtuous Soul), the first Indian film to be shot in Afghanistan. The film was inspired by the Hollywood movie The Godfather.

   The filmmaker who led a quiet and simple life in Bangalore had been battling cancer for the last year and was under treatment in a Mumbai hospital. His son Fardeen Khan is also a Bollywood actor.

   Feroz Khan was last seen on the screen in the 2007 comedy Welcome. He won many prestigious awards instituted by the Indian film industry.