A few laughs less

A self-respecting man, Mehmood was determined to make it on his own steam. After bit roles and a villainous turn in Pyaasa, he came out of the shadows with Parvarish 8217;58.

Unlike most comedians, Mehmood had personable looks. His popularity prompted him to play the hero in small-budget films like Chhote Nawab and Bhoot Bangla but the audience responded better to his comic subplots, cleverly wedged into the main stories Arzoo, Zindagi, Kajal and Gumnaam.

The sixties were the high noon of Mehmood8217;s career. He was at his rollicking best in Pyar Kiye Jaa where he played a wannabe filmmaker keen to make a rustic belle, Mumtaz, an overnight star. The scene in which he narrates a horror story, complete with sound effects, to his skinflint father, is a memorable laugh riot.

In Padosan, the highlight of his performance as a singing master was the crooning competition with the equally daffy Kishore Kumar in Ek chatur naar.

In the 8217;70s, when leading heroes shied away from working with the scene-stealer, the funster turned semi-serious with films like Mastana and Kunwara Baap. He enjoyed considerable success with Kunwara Baap 8217;74, which rested entirely on his shoulders.

Mehmood withdrew to his farmhouse near Bangalore with his second wife, Tracy, and his children till ill-health took its toll.

The world may have become bereft of some laughs after Mehmood8217;s demise, but the Gods will have a mirthquake to contend with.