As a child, he dreamt of becoming a cricketer, but life had something else in store for him. The son of veteran director K. Anand - a trendsetter in action movies, Afzal Khan would accompany his father on the sets of his films and that's where the magic of cinema reigned him in.
Just like any other beginner, struggle became a part of Afzal Khan's life and the first phase begun at a young age, as an assistant director to Raj Sippy, with movies like "Inkar", "Satte Pe Satta", "Krodhi", "Josh", "Gautam Govinda" and many more. This was not enough for a person with an obsession to learn and a burning desire to prove himself; therefore, he simultaneously worked with Mr. Subhash Ghai as an assistant director in films like "Karz", "Ram Lakhan" and others. Both the directors had different styles of working and this helped him explore the various aspects of filmmaking.
While assisting these accomplished directors of Bollywood, the ambition to become a director turned even stronger and it was only a matter of time before he decided to go it alone. All his seniors dissuaded him from making this drastic move but there was no looking back for the determined Afzal Khan. This gave birth to another phase of his struggle where, on the one hand, he had his family to take care of and on the other, he had his career where all eyes were on him, with huge expectations and responsibilities.
In the course of his struggle, he was introduced to Ayub Khan, producer of "Mahaanta,' which was under production, starring Sanjay Dutt and Madhuri Dixit. The stars of the movie were not happy with their director, and Afzal Khan was asked to take over. And thus, with "Mahaanta,' Afzal Khan made his debut as a full-fledged film director, in 1997.
Mid-way into the film, Sanjay Dutt was implicated in a court case and the film was delayed by over two and a half years. This long delay affected the film, giving it a dated look, and the film opened to poor responses at the box-office. However, this did not fetter Afzal Khan's zeal for directing movies. His forth-coming directorial venture "Mehbooba" is a love story starring Sanjay Dutt, Manisha Koirala and Ajay Devgan.
"Hum Kisise Kum Nahin,' marks Afzal Khan's debut as a producer. This star-studded film is a casting coup of sorts, with a never before line-up of stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan & Aishwarya Rai. A rip-roaring humorous caper, directed by the doyen of comedy, David Dhawan, this blockbuster releases nation-wide in May 2002.
