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Born Sep 29
Before joining the movies, Mehmood had tried his hand at various things like poultry farming, selling newspapers and teaching Meena Kumari table tennis. Subsequently, he married her sister Madhuri. After the birth of his son (singer Lucky Ali), he got serious about giving his acting abilities a try.
Refusing to take the help of his famous sister-in-law, he did minor roles in fifty odd films, some co-starring Mumtaz, who was also struggling to make a career. He worked as an assistant director before he found his niche as a comedian in movies like Parvarish and Chhoti Bahen. He and Shubha Khote made a hit comedy pair and they appeared together in films like Sasural, Humraahi, Ziddi and Love in Tokyo.
In Aankhen and Gumnaam, Mehmood made an art out of idiocy. His popular numbers 'Hum Kaale Hain Toh Kya Hua Dilwaale Hain' and 'Muthukodi Kawwadi' are imitated even today.
Mehmood devised his own mannerisms, language and even words that personalized his style. The audiences loved him and soon began flocking to the cinema halls solely on the strength of his appearance in the film. His success made a lot of heroes uncomfortable and it reached a point where they refused to work if he was in the same movie.
Mehmood then started producing films for himself but the audience could not enjoy his pathos-filled performances in Kunwaara Baap, Mastana and Ginny Aur Johnny. Pure comedies like Do Phool were appreciated more and Padosan, where he plays a bizarre South Indian music master, pitting his talent against Kishore Kumar's eccentric genius is unforgettable. 'Ek Chatur Naar' - the song from Padosan - still has the power to send audiences into gales of laughter even twenty odd years after it was sung.
He retired to his farm in Bangalore when he felt that the audiences were not responding to him. Now though, the King Of Comedy is back, in the thick of making movies because for him, the show must go on.
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