Debuted with Kajol, a rival to three Khans; this Bollywood star saw his father murder whole family, 'vanished' for years

Once considered a rival to the three Khans, this actor battled a personal tragedy and an uneven career to sustain in Bollywood.

Updated on: Sep 8, 2026, 14:19:40 IST

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The early 1990s saw a boom in Bollywood with many young actors starting their careers or finding their feet. As the older stars gave way to this younger lot, the three Khans became the frontrunners in no time. But for a while, they had competition in Rahul Roy, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, and Suniel Shetty, to name a few. Among them was one star, who battled a personal tragedy just to get where he was.

The star who saw his family murdered

Kamal Sadanah debuted in Bollywood in 1992, the same year that Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar began their journey. Kamal’s debut film, Bekhudi, also marked a 17-year-old Kajol’s debut. The film was not a success, but he later found success with Rang. The 1993 release, also starring Divya Bharti, established Kamal as a bankable star. With his boyish looks, the 21-year-old was considered a rival to the three Khans as a viable romantic lead. One may assume that Kamal found success easily. But his path to this ‘overnight’ stardom was a tough one.

In 1990, on the day Kamal was celebrating his 20th birthday, tragedy befell his household. As Kamal was busy preparing for his birthday party, his father, producer Brij Sadanah, shot and killed his wife and daughter (Kamal’s mother and sister). He shot at Kamal and then turned the gun on himself. Kamal was shot in the neck but survived.

In 2023, he recalled the night in an interview with Siddharth Kanan. “ "It is traumatic. To see your family being killed in front of your eyes. I was also shot. I had a bullet go from one side of my neck and come out from the other side. I have survived that. There is no logical reason for me to survive. It's almost as (if) the bullet dodged every nerve and came out from the other side. And I survived without any problems. No physical problems,” he said.

Kamal Sadanah’s career

After Rang, Kamal signed a string of films, but all of them failed at the box office. In 2005, he directed Karkash, a vehicle aimed to relaunch his career. But the film tanked, too. The following year, he remade his father’s film, Victoria No 203. But that too did not work at the box office. And Kamal ‘vanished’ from Bollywood.

He told in 2021 that he spent his time away upgrading his skills and learning new filmmaking craft. “At that time, I got back into production. I made independent films and directed and edited them. I did a course about visual effects, which I had to use while filming Roar: Tigers of the Sundarbans (2014). That was also amazing. Then I also did a course in animation, following which I started a small studio, which specialised in pre-visualisations.”

In 2022, after being away from acting for close to two decades, Kamal returned to the big screen with a supporting role in Revathi’s Salaam Venky, reuniting with her first co-star Kajol. The following year, he had a minor role in Pippa, where he played Field Marshall Sam Manekshaw.

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