Comedy is an antidote for pain. Nothing exemplifies this bitter truth better than the lives and enactments of the comedians of the Hindi film screen who, barring few, made laughter a mask to conceal their tears of deprivation . Unlike the sweetest songs that tell of saddest thoughts, our best comedians from Gope, Bhagwan, Mukri to Johnny Walker and Jagdeep, Mehmood, Keshto Mukherjee to Johnny Lever hid their saddest wounds to pour forth the funniest acts.
One such performer who climbed the dizziest heights of stardom to become the king of comedy was Mehmood. So wide was his repertoire and so enterprising were his antics that while the public adored him, the best of heroes avoided the screen space with him as he could chew them up with his brilliance. A live wire, his versatility and innovative moves and expressions unnerved many since he was not just a dazzling comic but an ingenious actor who could do justice to all shades of navras (nine moods). However, only if the script had a well etched out character and the director knew how to rein him on a tight leash, then Mehmood could set the screen on fire as is eminently visible in “Gumnaam”, “Pyar Kiye Ja”, “Ziddi”, “Love in Tokyo”, “Main Sundar Hun”, “Sadhu Aur Shaitan”, “Humjoli” or a “Padosan”. Left unchecked, he could also be irritating with his loud and lewd gyrations, something that became the reason for his decline in later years.
Mehmood
A one-man laughter machine, Mehmood was a genius who not only had the talent but also the energy and blithe spirit to carry off varied caricatures to the hilt. In his own words, he became a prisoner of his own success since many producers and directors cast him in their films for his popularity without giving serious thought to his roles. As such, in many films he rendered usual clichés and dialogues as per his own understanding as that is what he was asked to do so and if there have been hackneyed repetitions of scenes in many films, the fault lay with his directors. His romantic interludes on screen with Shobha Khote and the duels with Dhumal (as a mindless father-in-law) are supreme examples of directors’ apathy but Mehmood’s immense ability to keep us engrossed even with repetitions!
It must be said that the Libran, whose 85th birth anniversary was celebrated last week, was a self taught artiste who would have been equally effective in serious roles had they been offered to him in larger number. But whenever he did get a chance like in “Chhote Nawab”, “Chhoti Bahen” or “Lakhon Mein Ek”, he showed that his prowess in emotional roles was as good as his lip-sync execution of songs. Like Johnny Walker, he was a master of the song rendition and from “Pyar Ki Aag Mein” (“Ziddi”), “Banao Batiya Hato” (“Manzil”) or “Ajhun Na Aaye Balma” (“Saanjh Aur Savera”), his screen antics are just perfect. However, what is even more praiseworthy are his own vocal interjections in several songs like “Badkamma Ekad Poto Ra” (“Shatranj”), “Hum Kaale Hain To Kya Hua” (“Gumnaam”) and “Ek Chatur Naar” (“Padosan”). While the singers have done justice to the songs, Mehmood brightens the scenes with his perfect eye, body and voice synchronization making them eternally riveting scenes of delight.
Apart from his acting prowess, Mehmood also has to be commended for giving chance to several youngsters in his films. His uncanny eye for talent made him spot R.D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan, Amitabh Bachchan and Aruna Irani when they were struggling to establish themselves. A generous man, the artiste is said to have donated large sums to charity in his heyday, probably because he knew the worth of each penny as well as pangs of hunger and poverty. If laughter is the best medicine known to mankind, probably it's a lot because of stalwarts like Mehmood who spread cheer with doses of comic magnanimity.
