Mehmood Ali, popularly known as just Mehmood and ‘King of Comedy’ began working from the age of eight as a child actor in Kismet (1943), where he was cast as a young Ashok Kumar.
He essayed short roles in CID (1956) and Pyaasa (1957), and also played lead roles in a few films before he hit it off as a comedian in the Rajendra Kumar starrer, Sasural (1961).
After this film, the doors of the world of comedy opened up for him in a big way and he kept making people laugh through his innumerable films, some of which he produced and directed.
Actor, singer, director and producer, Mehmood was Bollywood’s best-known comedian. On his 88th birth anniversary, here’s looking at lesser-known facts about him.
- Mehmood was popularly known as the ‘King OF Comedy’ in Indian cinema. He has acted in more than 300 films and debuted from the film ‘CID’ in Bollywood.
- Before making his career in Bollywood, he was a tennis coach of Meena Kumari. He was also a driver of filmmaker PL Santoshi.
- During Amitabh Bachchan’s struggling phase in Mumbai, it was Mehmood who helped him and offered him a room at his own house.
- He shared a very close friendship with R D Burman and Kishore Kumar. It was Mehmood who gave the legendary music director R D Burman his first break in the movie Chhote Nawab.
- This legendary comedian died in his sleep on 23rd July 2004 in Pennsylvania, U.S. He was not keeping well for a few years and was in the US for the treatment of his heart disease.
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