Sahabzade Yaseen Ali Khan, who is the father of the unforgettable Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, was a well-to-do businessman from the city of Tonk, Rajasthan. He was seen as a man of principle, with great wisdom and only a bit of humor, always ready to help and—more than anything—having strong faith. Yaseen Ali Khan lived a life that exemplified the fundamentals of being a Pathan: bravery, generosity, and faith. Even though he is mainly identified with being Irrfan Khan’s father, it is easy to see his own life as a story of a person whose main values were tradition, spirituality, and helping others.
Early Life and Background
Yaseen Ali Khan was born in 1919 in the small district of Tonk, Rajasthan. He was a member of a Pathan (Pashtun) family whose ancestors were thought to be from either Pakistan or Afghanistan. The title “Sahabzade,” which was used in his name, was an indicator of a background marked by honor and greatness. Even though Yaseen Ali Khan belonged to a little-known region, he was like an eagle with the power of vision, and he established a successful business that made him respected in his neighborhood.
Professional Life and Character
A man of strong work ethic, Yaseen Ali Khan owned and managed a tyre business in Tonk, which became one of the well-known establishments in the area. His honesty and hard work gave him a lot of goodwill. In addition to his business ventures, he knew Pashto, Urdu, and Hindi well. And he was a person of elegant speech and manners—traits that were firmly established in his Pathan upbringing.
His character was built around hospitality. Like other Pashtuns, he was of the opinion that a guest should be treated as a god. The locals praised him for being very generous, and his warmth was like the ancient Pashtunwali code that stresses friendship and a sense of community.
Personal Life and Family
In 1945, Sahabzade Yaseen Ali Khan tied the knot with Saeeda Begum, a lady from a learned Hakim family in Jaipur. Yaseen was the one with traditional and religious values, while his wife was more of a philosophical and liberal thinker. The couple was blessed with four children: three sons, Irrfan Khan, Salman Khan, and Imran Khan, and a daughter, Rukhsana Begum.
The son who got the most notoriety, Irrfan Khan, became one of India’s most reputable and internationally acknowledged actors. His grandkids, Babil Khan and Ayan Khan, are still carrying on the family’s creative tradition, with Babil already making his way into the film industry as an actor and filmmaker.
Religious Beliefs and Lifestyle
Yaseen Ali Khan was a very religious Muslim, and he had the practice of doing Namaz (Salah) five times daily and would often mention the spiritual benefits of prayer. He made it a point to perform Wudu (ablution) before prayers and claimed that worship brought together the mind, body, and soul.
He also abided by the tenets of Zakat, the Islamic practice of giving to the poor, and was known to take a part of his fortune for the support of less fortunate families in his neighborhood. Yaseen made a pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) several times, which is one of the five pillars of Islam.
Despite being a non-vegetarian, he humorously called his son “a Brahmin in a Pathan family” because Irrfan preferred a vegetarian diet — a difference that reflected the evolving generational perspectives within their home.
Interests and Personality Traits
Yaseen Ali Khan was passionate about hunting, which was one of the common activities of the Pathans. Nonetheless, his wife and son, Irrfan, considered this practice to be unkind and thus they disapproved of it. The difference in ideals sometimes brought about playful family quarrels, but on the other hand, it demonstrated the variety of thinking that was present in their household.
Among his favorite dishes were Kabuli Pulao and Sheer Khurma, which were traditional ones and at the same time represented his cultural background. People who were in his circle often said that he was very polite, humble, and had strong ties with his roots.
Death and Memory
Sahabzade Yaseen Ali Khan passed on in 1987 at the age of 68 after a fight with cancer. His death, especially that of the very young Irrfan, who often referred to his father’s discipline and virtues as the reasons behind his own character traits, greatly affected the family.
After Yaseen’s death, Saeeda Begum brought up their four kids single-handedly, showing strength and tough character. In April 2020, she died in Jaipur, just months before her actor son Irrfan Khan died in a similar tragic way.
The legacy of Sahabzade Yaseen Ali Khan lives on through his offspring, especially his grandsons Babil and Ayan, who are the ones recreating the Khan family’s artistic and cultural inheritance.
