Mehmood Ali (29 September 1932 – 23 July 2004), popularly known simply as Mehmood, was an Indian actor, singer, director and
producer best known for playing comic roles in
Hindi films
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
.
[Indian comedy actor Mehmood dies on BBC news website]
Published 23 July 2004, Retrieved 5 November 2019
During his career of more than four decades, he worked in over 300 Hindi films. He is known as India's national comedian.
[Indian film comedian Mehmood dies at 72]
Dawn (newspaper), Published 24 July 2004, Retrieved 7 November 2019 Mehmood received 25 Nominations for filmfare awards, 19 for 'Best Performance in a Comic Role', while the awards started in 1954, awards for the best comedian category started only in 1967. Prior to that Mehmood also received 6 nominations for 'Best Supporting Actor'.
Early life
Mehmood Ali was born on 29 September 1932. He was the second of the eight children, and eldest son to Latifunnisa and film and stage actor/dancer Mumtaz Ali
Mumtaz Ali (15 March 1905 – 6 May 1974) was an Indian dancer and character actor in Hindi cinema from the 1940s to 1970s. He was the father of Indian actor Mehmood. He also had his own dance troupe "Mumtaz Ali Nites" which performed all ...
, who was a huge star of the 1940s and 1950s cinema in Bombay
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
. Mehmood had an elder sister and six younger siblings. His sister, Minoo Mumtaz
is a city in northwestern Osaka Prefecture, Japan. Its name is commonly romanized as "Minō" or "Minoo"; however, the city government officially uses the spelling Minoh in English. As of October 2016, the city has an estimated population of 134 ...
, was also a successful dancer and character actress in Bollywood movies. His youngest brother, Anwar Ali, is also an actor as well as a producer of such movies as ''Khud-daar
''Khud-Daar'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Ravi Tandon. The music is by Rajesh Roshan and the lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjeev Kumar, Parveen Babi, Vinod Mehra, Prem Chopra, M ...
'' and ''Kaash
''Kaash'' is an 1987 Bollywood film written and directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It is produced by the comedian Mehmood's brother Anwar Ali. Like several other 1980s films by Mahesh Bhatt, ''Kaash'', was described as a semi-art film and upon release, ...
''.[
]
Career
Early career
As a child, he worked in Bombay films like '' Kismet''. He later had a number of odd jobs, selling poultry products and working as a driver for director P. L. Santoshi. Santoshi's son, Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of Hindi films. Having received several accolades including three National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards, he made his directorial debut with the crime film ''Ghayal ( ...
, would later cast him in the film ''Andaz Apna Apna
''Andaz Apna Apna'' () is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Vinay Kumar Sinha. It stars Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal (in a dual role) and Shakti Kap ...
'' (1994). Many of Mehmood's film songs were sung by Manna Dey
Prabodh Chandra Dey (May 1, 1919 − October 24, 2013), known by his stage name Manna Dey, was an internationally acclaimed and celebrated Indian playback singer, music director, and a musician. As a classical vocalist, he belonged to the Bhen ...
.[
Mehmood reportedly taught table tennis to actress Meena Kumari. After marrying legendary actress ]Meena Kumari
Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Popularly known as ''The Tragedy Queen'', she was active between 1939 and 1972. Kumari is widely considered one of ...
's younger sister Madhu in the early 1950s and becoming a father by having a son, Masood, he decided to act to earn a better living starting with a small break as a killer in the film ''C.I.D. (1956 film)
''C.I.D.'' is a 1956 Indian crime thriller film directed by Raj Khosla and produced by Guru Dutt. It stars Dev Anand, Shakila, Johnny Walker, K. N. Singh and Waheeda Rehman. The film has Dev Anand playing a police inspector investigating a mur ...
''. He started off by doing small, unnoticed roles in films like the peanut seller in ''Do Bigha Zameen
''Do Bigha Zamin'' () is a 1953 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Bimal Roy. Based on Rabindranath Tagore's Bengali poem " Dui Bigha Jomi", the film stars Balraj Sahni, Nirupa Roy in lead roles. Known for its socialist theme, it is ...
'' and ''Pyaasa
''Pyaasa'' (; ) is a 1957 Indian Hindi drama film directed and produced by Guru Dutt, who stars alongside Mala Sinha, Waheeda Rehman, Rehman, and Johnny Walker. Set in Calcutta, it focuses on the disillusioned Urdu poet Vijay (Dutt), whose ...
''. He later went on to act in lead roles as well, but he was more appreciated for his comedy, some of which was in the Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
region's Urdu accent. Mehmood knew exactly how to tickle the film viewers' funny bone. He was really good at playing the film hero's friend, who would help him out of sticky situations with his street-smart ways.[
Besides actress ]Shubha Khote
Shubha Balsavar (''née'' Khote) is an Indian film and television actress who has worked in several Hindi-language and few Marathi-language films. She is also a former women's national champion in swimming and cycling.
Early life and education ...
, he also teamed up with fellow comedian, I. S. Johar
Inder Sen Johar(16 February 1920 – 10 March 1984), better known as I. S. Johar, was an Indian actor, writer, producer and director, who excelled in comedic roles.
Early life
Inderjeet Singh Johar was born on 16th February, 1920 in Talagang ...
and actress Aruna Irani
Aruna Irani (born 3 May 1946) is an Indian actress, who has acted in over 500 films throughout Hindi, Kannada, Marathi and Gujarati cinema, playing mostly supporting and character roles. She has won two Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Act ...
.[
]
Later career
In the late 1970s, Mehmood's popularity began to decline as other comedy actors like Jagdeep
Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed Jaffrey (29 March 1939 – 8 July 2020), better known by his stage name Jagdeep, was an Indian actor and comedian who appeared in more than 400 films. He played Soorma Bhopali in ''Sholay'' (1975), Machchar in ''Purana Mandir ...
, Asrani
Govardhan Asrani (born 1 January 1940), popularly known simply as Asrani, is an Indian actor and director whose Bollywood career has spanned five decades. He has acted in over 350 Hindi films. Asrani has played the lead roles, character roles, ...
, Paintal, Deven Verma
Deven Verma (23 October 1937 – 2 December 2014) was an Indian film and television actor, particularly known for his comic roles, with Bollywood directors like Basu Chatterji, Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar. He also produced and directed fi ...
and Kader Khan
Kader Khan (22 October 1937 – 31 December 2018) was an Indian actor, screenwriter and film director. As an actor, he appeared in over 300 Bollywood films after his debut film in the 1973 film '' Daag'', starring Rajesh Khanna, in which he ...
shot to prominence. Between 1990 and 1999, he made a handful of movies, but most of them were either shelved or made no impression. He acted as Johnny in Rajkumar Santoshi
Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of Hindi films. Having received several accolades including three National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards, he made his directorial debut with the crime film ''Ghayal ( ...
's ''Andaz Apna Apna
''Andaz Apna Apna'' () is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Rajkumar Santoshi and produced by Vinay Kumar Sinha. It stars Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Raveena Tandon, Karishma Kapoor, Paresh Rawal (in a dual role) and Shakti Kap ...
'' (1994)– his last known film as an actor.
Death
On 23 July 2004
, Mehmood died in his sleep in the American state of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, where he had gone for treatment of cardiovascular heart disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, hea ...
after suffering from poor health over several years. His fans were able to pay homage to him at Mehboob Studio
Mehboob Studio is an Indian film studio and recording studio in Bandra (W), Mumbai, founded in 1954 by director and producer Mehboob Khan, who previously owned Mehboob Productions (founded 1942), and is most known for films such as '' Mother In ...
in Bandra
Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...
, Mumbai.[
]
Legacy
One of his sons, Lucky Ali
Maqsood Mahmood Ali (born 19 September 1958), better known as Lucky Ali, is an Indian singer, songwriter and actor. With several popular singles and albums, he emerged as a significant figure of Indipop during the 1990s.
Early life and educatio ...
(Maqsood Ali), is a singer and composer who has also appeared in films. Mehmood was one of the most respected and loved entertainers in the Indian film fraternity. A performer of such caliber that leading men back in the day used to reject films because their presence used to diminish in films if they starred with Mehmood.[
He was the one who introduced ]Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan (; born as Amitabh Shrivastav; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer and former politician known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of the most succe ...
into the commercial cinema space. Mehmood saw potential in Amitabh and put him in films like Bombay To Goa (1972) which was a success. Mehmood later on in an interview said that he has forgiven Amitabh. He also gave a break to the music director R. D. Burman
Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...
whose first independent film as music director was Chhote Nawab (1961) and to Rajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan Lal Nagrath (born 24 May 1955) is an Indian Hindi cinema music director and composer. He is the son of music director Roshan and singer Ira Roshan.
Personal life
Rajesh Roshan has a Punjabi Hindu father and Bengali Brahmin m ...
with his own production Kunwara Baap (1974 film)
''Kunwara Baap'' () is a 1974 Hindi film produced by Amarlal Chabria and directed by and starring Mehmood. The film also stars Bharathi, and Vinod Mehra. Based on Charlie Chaplin's ''The Kid'' (1921), it is a film with a serious message about ...
.[
Famous American actor, ]Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
said Mehmood was too handsome to be a comedian.
Filmography
Awards
See also
* Mehmood Ali Family
Mehmood Ali, popularly known simply as Mehmood, was an Indian actor, director and producer best known for playing comic roles in Hindi films. During his career of more than four decades, he worked in over 300 films. He has played many unforgettabl ...
* List of Hindi film clans
This article lists notable families whose members are prominent in the Indian Film Industry. For South Indian film families, see List of South Indian film families and for Indian music families, see List of Indian music families.
A
Akhtar–Az ...
References
External links
Filmography of Mehmood on Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website
*
Further reading
* Zaveri, Hanif. ''Mehmood, a Man of Many Moods'', Popular Prakashan, 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmood
1932 births
2004 deaths
Deaths from respiratory failure
Indian male film actors
Male actors in Hindi cinema
Filmfare Awards winners
Indian male comedians
Muslim male comedians
20th-century Indian male actors
20th-century Indian singers
Indian male composers
20th-century Indian composers
20th-century Indian film directors
Film directors from Bangalore
Hindi film producers
Film producers from Bangalore
Male actors from Bangalore
20th-century comedians
20th-century Indian male singers