MEHMOOD..........

Mehmood was one of nine children born to actor and dancer Mumtaj Ali in Bombay.

Mehmood started acting as a reluctant child actor in Bombay Talkies films like Kismet. Some of his early jobs before he started acting were driving, doing odd jobs, selling poultry. He worked as director P L Santoshi's driver (Later Santoshi's son Rajkumar Santoshi cast Mehmood in his venture Andaz Apna Apna). He was hired to teach table tennis to Meena Kumari in those days. He later married her sister Madhu. It was after marriage and becoming a father that he decided to act to earn a better living. He got a small break as a murder victim in CID. He started off by doing small unnoticed roles in films like "Do Bigha Zameen" and "Pyaasa". He later went on to act in lead roles but he was appreciated for his comedy.





This ultimate funster had done a lot of odd jobs like selling newspapers, tending a poultry farm to teaching Meena Kumari table tennis, before he seriously indulged himself into acting. He wanted an identity of his own and that's the reason he did not use his sister-in-law Meena Kumari's influence to get him work. He wanted to achieve everything by his own self.

Mehmood started his acting career with some offbeat movies like 'Do Dil' and 'Bedaag' with Mumtaz. He even worked as an assistant director. Without anyone's support and with whatever movies he got, he graduated into doing films like 'Parvarish' (1958) and 'Chhoti Behan' (1959) which brought him the much-needed recognition. His pairing with Shobha Khote was so appreciated by the audiences that they kept doing movies like 'Ziddi', 'Love in Tokyo', 'Sasural' and 'Humraahi' with each other. Slowly, the heroes were threatened by the applause Mehmood got as a comedian. They refused working with him and so he had to produce his own movies. Some of the movies produced by Mehmood are 'Kuwaara Baap', 'Ginny & Johnny' and 'Mastaana'. But like every good thing, even Mehmood's era came to an end and he had to do with less appreciation. But he is still considered as the biggest comedian Bollywood can boast of.

Born - 29 September 1932

Died - July 23 2004

Achievements - Mehmood Ali was an Indian actor, director as well as a producer in the Indian film industry i.e. Bollywood and has worked in more than 300 films in a career spanning over three decades. However, his fans remember him as one of the most hilarious comedian of all time.

Mehmood Ali was an Indian actor, director as well as a producer in the Indian film industry i.e. Bollywood and has worked in more than 300 films in a career spanning over three decades. However, his fans remember him as one of the most hilarious comedian of all time. Known more commonly as Mehmood even in present times, he was one of the nine children born to actress and dancer, Mumtaz Ali. Read on to know more about the biography of Mehmood Ali.

The acting career of Mehmood began as an unwilling child actor in Bombay Talkies films like Kismet. Before he began working in movies, Mehmood did odd jobs like driving, selling poultry and so on. He used to be the driver of film director P L Santoshi. And later, it was Santoshi's son, Rajkumar Santoshi who gave Mehmood an opportunity to star in his venture Andaz Apna Apna. In this movie, Mehmood was employed to teach table tennis to actress Meena Kumari.



The life history of Mehmood Ali's career blossomed after his marriage to Madhu, who was the sister of Meena Kumari. It was post wedding and becoming a father that Mehmood decided to take his acting career seriously. So he got a minor break as a murder victim in the film CID starring actor Dev Anand. He got very insignificant roles initially in movies like Do Bigha Zameen and Pyaasa. When he went on to act in lead roles, he was really appreciated by the audience for his comedy.

Sadly, Mehmood died in his sleep on 23 July 2004 at Pennsylvania the United States. He had gone there for the treatment of a lung disease after suffering from poor health for several years. Later his fans, family and friends gave him a grand homage at the Mehmood studio in Mumbai. Some of the famous films he worked in are Zindagi (1964), Gumnaam (1965), Pyar Kiye Ja (1966), Love in Tokyo (1966), Patthar ke Sanam (1967), Padosan (1968) , Aankhen (1968), Do Phool (1968) and several others.

Some famous Bollywood songs for which people still remember Mehmood are 'Ek chatur naar' from film Padosan, 'Aao Twist Karen' from Bhoot Bangla, 'Yeh do deewane dil ke' from Johar Mehmood in Goa, 'Hum kaale hai to kyaa huaa dilwaale hain' from Gumnaam and so on. He received the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Dil Tera Diwana and Filmfare Best Comedian Award twice for films Pyar Kiye Jaa and for Vardaan.