One of Indian cinema’s most revered and cherished entertainers; Mehmood is widely recognised as the country’s national comedian. The actor was born Mehmood Ali to Mumtaz Ali, a popular Indian dancer and character actor from the 1940’s to 70’s era.
Mehmood started his film journey as a child artist in Kismet and went on to do nearly 300 films in a career spanning four decades. It is believed that Mehmood was a performer of such a calibre that leading men of his time rejected films fearing that Mehmood’s presence will overshadow them. The actor is fondly remembered for his impeccable comic timing and witty dialogues. Mehmood’s hilarious antics, his street smart ways and animated facial expressions almost always managed to tickle the viewers’ funny bone. He breathed his last at the age of 71 on July 23, 2004 in Pennsylvania.
It is the 88th anniversary of the late veteran on September 29, 2020. To commemorate the special day, here are a few of his select performance bests from Mehmood’s filmography.
Padosan (1968)
In addition to an actor, Mehmood was also a director and producer. He co-produced the film in which he played the role of Bindu’s (Saira Banu) south Indian music teacher. Master Pillai or Masterji was totally besotted with Bindu. The biggest musical face-offs in Indian cinema was the Chatur Naar sequence. It was designed as a quest to decide who will win Bindu’s heart. As a result, the most outrageous musical battle ensued between Masterji on one side and Bhola (Sunil Dutt) with Vidyapati (Kishore Kumar) on the other. The stellar and impactful contest was the best and the most entertaining outcomes of locking horns between music greats in the film.
Bhoot Bungla (1965)
In his directorial debut, Mehmood wanted a rare blend for those times – comedy horror genre. He produced the film, acted in it and wrote Bhoot Bungla with Rangan Bose. Mehmood also cast Tanuja and Nazir Hussain in a revenge tale panning generations. The film gave audiences the freak of their lives but also hauled out several hearty laughs. The unique film established Mehmood as a comedy force to reckon with. Mehmood gave SD Burman, the son of RD Burman, his first break as a music composer with this film.
Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966)
In a film that included equally entertaining Kishore Kumar, Mehmood’s flawless rendition was an undisputed standout by a mile. The unforgettable scene in the film where Mehmood’s character narrates the script of his project to his father, Ramlal (played by Om Prakash) is an all-time classic. Considered one of his best performances ever, Mehmood as the film crazy steals the show with thorough sound effects, hyperboles and an urge to entertain. For his brilliant comic timing, Mehmood won his first Filmfare award for Best Comedian.
Bombay To Goa (1972)
Mehmood played the centric character Khanna, who was the bus conductor on this memorable journey. A fun riot, Mehmood delivered amazingly comic moments in the film along with his fellow actor Anwar Ali who played the driver. The film had Shatrughan Sinha as the baddie and Aruna Irani in the lead who is a runaway aspiring actress on a Bombay to Goa road trip. Mehmood is all you remember after watching this classic directed by S.Ramanathan.
Gumnaam (1965)
An adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel And Then There Were None, the film consisted of a large star cast. Alongside Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen and Madan Puri, Mehmood flaunted a bad haircut, Hitler moustache and a shabby lungi. He essayed the eccentric servant of the cryptic house where a diverse group of strangers have been lumped together. The highlight of the film is the iconic ‘Hum Kaale Hain To’ song crooned by Mohammed Rafi. Picturised on Mehmood and Helen, the actor implores the beautiful diva for attention throughout the song.
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