We have been preparing ourselves for Feroz Khan's death

Akbar Khan says his brother was fearless to the end

He was gracious and loving till the end, says Feroz Khan's brother Akbar. He added that they had been preparing themselves for his death for quite a few months.

"For three months now we've been watching him slowly sink. We prayed to either relieve him from pain, or life," Akbar told IANS.

Feroz Khan died on Sunday (April 26) at his farmhouse in Bangalore after a year-long battle with cancer. He was 69. The entire family was gathered in Bangalore for the funeral, which took place on Monday (April 27).

"The entire family was here towards his end literally feeding him out of our hands," said the grief-stricken sibling. "And he enjoyed his glass of wine in the evenings with us till the end. He was a very loving friend and bhai (brother).

"We buried him next to our mother. It's unfortunate that we couldn't bring him back to Mumbai for so many of his friends and well-wishers to see him for the last time. But his last wish was to lie eternally next to our mother in our home town near Bangalore. And we had to fulfil that wish."

Akbar, who recently made the historical epic "Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story", says that contrary to his flamboyant image, Feroz Khan was a sensitive person.

"He was much loved by all his friends and colleagues. Contrary to his flamboyant image, he was a very gentle sensitive soul. Even in his frail condition towards the end he'd get up from his chair to greet each one of us in the family no matter how old or young. He was a friend first, then a father-figure," said Akbar.

"He was fearless even when faced with death. He was the apple of our mother's eyes. All of us five brothers and two sisters looked up to him. We've lost a father-figure. But he's relieved of his pain. But he was fearless to the end. He didn't even fear death. He'll always be with us."

Meanwhile, actress-politician Hema Malini, who is busy campaigning for the ongoing Lok Sabha polls, catches her breath to remember Feroz Khan and says he was the only colleague to use an endearment for her and give her a sensuous avatar in his hit film "Dharmatma".

"He was the first and last man who called me 'baby'. No one has ever dared. I wish they would. What a suave man he was," Hema told IANS.

"When I agreed to do 'Dharmatma' he made it very clear I was there in the first-half only. He said, 'You can't say no, baby!' That was a new experience for me. My mother was more shocked than I was. With everyone addressing me as 'ji' it feels nice if someone comes up with a term of endearment.

"Earlier this week I was in Darjeeling campaigning when someone from the crowd shouted out 'Hemu' and disappeared into the mountains. I felt good because that's what my near and dear ones call me," she added.

Feroz Khan calling Hema 'baby' was not the only change that he brought to her life.

"He decided to take on the challenge of making me look more glamorous and sensuous than ever before. That was a tough job because I was constantly fighting to cover myself up more than those costumes by Parmeshwar Godrej allowed. I don't think I've ever used so many safety pins in my entire lifetime. He wanted me to be as uninhibited as today's heroines. That wasn't possible for me."

Hema shot in Afghanistan for "Dharmatma" and says it was a memorable experience.

"I don't think any film unit had gone there before. It was a memorable experience. And we really had to rough it out. It was freezing cold in Kabul. We had to stay in tents. In the evenings, we'd all sit together and prepare for next day's scenes.

"Otherwise after shooting I always kept to myself. But he persuaded not just me but also my mother to join the unit in the evening. 'Come on, mom. Join us.' My mother was taken aback. We're basically very shy people. But he'd make her part of the discussions. That's the way to make films. One gets so charged and enthusiastic. I wish Feroz Khan and I had done more films together," Hema said.