This superstar sold eggs on road, his fees was more than heroes, Meena Kumari was his…, he is…
This actor was India's most expensive comedian and superstar. He started charging more than the lead hero just by playing supporting roles in films. This star once used to sell eggs on the streets. But when he came into films, he charged more fees than stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. He worked in more than 300 films in his career. Meena Kumari was this actor's sister-in-law. Let us tell you more about this talented actor.
The name of this actor is Mehmood Ali, who was a famous and expensive comedian of the 50s and 60s. His father, Mumtaz Ali, was a big name in the world of theater, and Mehmood inherited acting from him. He first stepped into films in the year 1943. The name of the film was 'Kismat'.
The financial condition of Mehmood's family was not good, and due to this sometimes he had to sell eggs on the streets and sometimes he also worked as a taxi driver. He was also a driver for famous director PL Santoshi. Due to financial constraints, Mehmood's father started drinking alcohol and remained immersed in it. Due to this his career was ruined and then all the responsibility fell on Mehmood's fragile shoulders.
While doing small jobs, Mehmood somehow got entry into films. He started playing the role of a junior artist in films. He was well liked in films like 'CID', 'Do Bigha Zameen' and 'Pyaasa'. After this, Mehmood started getting big roles in films.
Mehmood gained so much popularity that he would often charge more than the lead hero of the films. It is said that at one time he started charging more than Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. According to reports, Mehmood used to charge Rs 7.5 lakh for 14 days of shooting.
But in the 80s, when comedians like Asrani, Paintal, Jagdeep, Deven Verma and Kader Khan came, Mehmood's popularity started declining. Between 1990-1999, he did only a handful of films. But some of them either got shelved or some did not work. As an actor, he was last seen in the 1994 film 'Andaz Apna Apna'.
Talking about Mehmood's personal life, he first married actress Meena Kumari's sister Madhu. In this regard, he was Meena Kumari's brother-in-law. The marriage took place in 1953, but they separated in 1967. He had four sons from Madhu. Mehmood then married Tracy Ali for the second time, with whom he became the father of a son and a daughter.
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