The sad truth about 'Comedy King' Mehmood

“Comedy is just tragedy reversed.” - Wislawa Szymborska

He was the only comedian, whose name could bankroll a film, independent of the star cast. Mimicking gestures, accents and attire… Mehmood was a laughter pill that needed no prescription.

Unapologetic about his stardom, with an appetite for the flamboyant, he lived life in the flashy fast lane – accessorised by swanky cars, branded outfits, well-bred horses, beautiful wives and women... The only thing he did quietly was charity and supporting new talent.

Overwhelmed by the heady trip, he was taken unawares when the whirligig came to a rude halt and competition forced him to step down. His personal life was in shambles too. The chaos of juggling several relationships, his bizarre dependency on tranquillisers, his disillusionment with people and his profession… eventually manifested in enduring illness. Bypass surgery, failing lungs… a wheel-chair bound Mehmood with an oxygen pipe attached cut a sad picture.

What further broke his already frail heart was the loss of son Macky Ali (Kunwara Baap) at the age of 35. Further, the guilt of a strained relationship with father and veteran Minoo Mumtaz, the distress of his three sons walking out on him… all these left the funny man, fraught with woes.

While he’d become spiritual towards the end of his life… Mehmood had also turned more emotional. The man, who lighted a million smiles, would cry easily wondering why his ‘own life was so sad and tragic’.

Mehmood had once remarked, “We all come to go. No one comes here for good!” But his memories, like his famous dialogue, remain ‘khayalon mein’ for good!

CAREER

Mehmood was born on 29 September, 1932 in Mumbai. He was among the eight children born to Latifunnisa and veteran actor/dancer Mumtaz Ali. Mehmood’s sister, Minoo Mumtaz, was also a dancer/actor.

Mehmood began as a child artiste in Bombay Talkies’ Kismet (1943). Later, he did odd jobs like teaching table tennis to Meena Kumari, selling poultry and being a chauffeur for director P. L. Santoshi.

To digress, years later, when Mehmood was undergoing a career crisis, P. L. Santoshi’s son, director Rajkumar Santoshi, cast the actor in Andaz Apna Apna (1994).

Mehmood featured in Guru Dutt’s CID (1956) and Pyaasa (1957). As a gesture of gratitude, he hung a photograph of Guru Dutt in his bedroom.

His breakthrough came with Sasural (1961), where he was paired with Shubha Khote. The two partnered in comic capers including Grihasti, Bharosa, Ziddi and Love In Tokyo till the late ’60s.

Mehmood’s remarkable films include Pyar Kiye Ja, Humjoli, Padosan, Gumnaam, Do Phool, Sabse Bada Rupaiya, Mastana, Main Sundar Hoon and the Johar Mehmood series (Johar Mehmood in Goa, Johar Mehmood in Bombay, Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong) between the ’60s – ’70s.

His memorable roles include that of the timid lover Mohan Kumar in Bhoot Bangla (1965), Mamdu the Kashmiri houseboat owner in Arzoo (1965), the Tamilian Masterji in Padosan (1968), the triple roles of the grandfather, son and grandson in Hamjoli (1970), the goofy conductor Khanna in Bombay to Goa (1972) and the double role of Chuttan and Phuttan in Do Phool (1973).

He won the Filmfare Awards for his performances in Dil Tera Diwana (1962), Pyar Kiye Jaa (1966), Waris (1969) and Vardaan (1975).

His quirky get-ups and dialects lent novelty to his roles. From Hyderabadi to Tamilian, Marwari and Kashmiri, he could switch personas with amusing ease. A natural dancer, he gave his own interpretation to twist and tap. Some of his memorable songs include Ik chatur naar badi hoshiyaar (Padosan), Ajhun na aaye baalmaa (Sanjh Aur Savera), Aao twist karein (Bhoot Bangla), Chanda o chanda (Lakhon Mein Ek) and Ham kaale hain toh kya hua (Gumnaam).

Mehmood encouraged young talents like music directors R D Burman in Chhote Nawab (1961) and Rajesh Roshan in Kunwara Baap (1974). He was also instrumental in Kishore Kumar’s comeback with Padosan and supporting newcomer Aruna Irani.

Mehmood ghost-directed several films, though he lent his name to the later ones in his career. Kunwara Baap (1974) was based on a polio-stricken boy, played by his son Macky Ali (Maqdoom Ali), who too suffered from the same.

Ginny Aur Johnny (1976) was inspired by the American film Paper Moon and starred daughter Ginny. While Ek Baap Chhe Bete (1978) again featured Macky Ali. Janta Hawaldar (1979) and Dushman Duniya Ka (1996), where he introduced his son Manzoor Ali were his other attempts.

KING-SIZED LIFE

He celebrated stardom with gusto. At one point he owned a fleet of 24 cars including a Stingray, Dodge, Impala, MG, Jaguar and others. He’d ask his in-house mechanic, Austin, to paint the car to match with the colour of the suit/shoes he was to wear for an event. It didn’t matter if he had to spend a lakh to revamp it.

Mehmood’s first marriage to Meena Kumari’s sister Madhu (passed away in 1993) didn’t last long. They had four sons – Masood Ali aka Pakki Ali, Maqsood Ali (actor/singer Lucky Ali), Maqdoom Ali ( Macky Ali) and Masoom Ali.

Mehmood met second wife and US resident Tracy in Mahableshwar, during the shoot of Bhoot Bangla (1965). With Tracy, he had three children, Mansoor Ali, Manzoor Ali and daughters Latifunnissa aka Ginny.

Mehmood respected all faiths. In sasural, he was called Mahesh (Lord Shiva) — a name that stuck to him in several other films. His farmhouse in Bangalore housed a mosque and a temple of Lord Shiva. He also frequented the dargahs of Sufi saints Makhdoomshah Baba (in Mahim and Malad) and Kamar Ali Darvesh (Pune).

THE DOWNSIDE

By the ‘80s Mehmood’s professional life was thrown out of gear – partly because of new talent like Asrani, Kader Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Paresh Rawal. Partly also because of his turbulent personal life.

Once Gregory Peck happened to bump into Mehmood at Mehboob Studio. He couldn’t help remark, “You’re too handsome for a comedian!” That explains the rumours linking him to various co-actors including Aruna Irani. “It’s true that women have been my weakness… But I never forced any woman to get into bed with me… Whatever I did, I did openly…” read an excerpt from his biography.

Suffering from insomnia, he was advised to take the sedative Calmpose. Soon he got hooked. “I’d take 100 tablets in one shot!” he reportedly said. In fact, he even shot Sabse Bada Rupaiya and Kunwara Baap during such a phase. Then one day the realisation that he was slipping badly – meeting with ‘accidents, gaining weight and turning lazy’ – forced him to quit.

Mehmood, who loved children, couldn’t get over the loss of his newborn daughter Masooma in 1970. The memoir mentions that he bashed up an income tax officer, who tore up the teddy bear he’d brought for Masooma. “I’d sleep with the lifeless toy and remember my little child,” he was quoted saying.

There were guilt issues he had to deal with as well. “I’d stopped talking to my father because I was afraid, I’d misbehave with him. I’d get irritated by his excessive drinking,” he said in his biography.

At some point, three of his sons left home. “I’d given Rs 6 lakh each to Pakki Ali, Lucky Ali and Macky Ali so that they could invest the money... But they took a trip abroad and blew it all up… Later when they needed money, I refused to give them… the three-left home,” he mentioned in the memoir. It was a sorrow that never left him.

For a while, Mehmood had moved to his farmhouse in Bangalore and bred horses. But soon enough he began to miss the studios. He returned but a lot had changed by then. During a press conference in the late ’90s, he reportedly became emotional, embittered by the fact that the industry had abandoned him. His last films were Andaz Apna Apna, Guddu and Ghar Bazar.

He had undergone a bypass surgery around 1999. Later, he had a lung collapse and needed an oxygen mask to breathe. He flew off to the US with wife Tracy to avail of the medical facilities there.

Mehmood passed away in his sleep Dunmore, Pennsylvania in the US on 23 July 2004 at the age of 72. His body was brought to Mehboob Studio for the final farewell. His mortal remains were then flown to Bangalore and laid to rest at his 186-acre farmhouse Ali Estates in Yelahanka, next to his father Mumtaz Ali and son Macky Ali – his dearly loved ones.

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