Mushtaq Khan, best known for his minor yet memorable roles in films like Anees Bazmee’s 2007 blockbuster comedy Welcome, died of cancer on Thursday. For the uninitiated, Mushtaq played Ballu, a henchman of gangster Uday Shetty (Nana Patekar), in the film. He memorably warns their targets with the line, “Meri ek taang nakli hai, main hockey ka bohot bada khiladi tha (One of my legs is fake. I was a great hockey player).”

However, it’s a lesser-known fact that Mushtaq got paid only Rs 1 lakh by producer Firoz Nadiadwala, much lower than what he was promised, despite shooting for extra days. “When we sign an agreement, we’re told it’s a 20-day or 25-day shoot. Based on that, we decide our payment. But when, after the 25-day shoot is over, they ask for 10 more days, and then another 15 days after that, I felt that was not right. The payment wasn’t increased,” Mushtaq revealed last year.

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He argued that his compensation for Welcome ended up being even less than that of the staff of the lead actor, Akshay Kumar. “I’ll tell you the reason. For us, it was fixed that we would do the film for Rs 1 lakh, whether it took 20 days or 25 days. But their staff worked on a per-day basis. Just imagine how much money we would have made if we were also paid per day,” he added.

Welcome also starred Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Mallika Sherawat, and Feroz Khan, among others.

However, despite the low payment, Mushtaq Khan reprised his role in Bazmee’s 2015 sequel, Welcome Back, which didn’t prove to be as big a success at the box office.

More about Mushtaq Khan

Mushtaq Khan made his film debut with Saeed Akhtar Mirza’s 1980 cult film Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai?. He had a long association with filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, acting in films like Kabzaa (1988), Aashiqui (1990), Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, Sadak (1991), Junoon (1992), Gunaah, Sir, and Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke (1993).

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Besides these, Mushtaq also appeared in Mansoor Khan’s 1997 romantic drama Akele Hum Akele Tum, Priyadarshan’s 2000 comedy Hera Pheri, Anil Sharma’s 2001 blockbuster cross-border action film Gadar: Ek Prem Katha and Gadar 2 (2023), David Dhawan’s 2004 romantic comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, Prabhu Deva’s Wanted (2009) and Rowdy Rathore (2012), Amar Kaushik’s 2024 horror comedy Stree 2, and Shiv Rawail’s 2023 Netflix India period show The Railway Men. He was last seen in Rakesh Sawant’s 2026 thriller Hum Angrezon Ke Zamane Ke Jailor Hai earlier this year.