A real dilwala

Many know Junior Mehmood, who rubbed shoulders with the biggest of stars in his heydays. Only a few know Naeem Sayyed, the man behind the name; the entertainer with a heart of gold who only had one compulsive addiction: friendship

The year was 1981 and shooting for Shyam Ralhan's Jeeo Aur Jeene Do was underway. The scene showed the legendary actor Pran as a dacoit who leaves the mountains of Chambal to come to Mumbai. Unfamiliar with the ways of the city, Pran's character lies down on a pavement to rest for the night when the local goon's sidekick shows up to demand hafta. The deadly dacoit responds by placing his leg on the collection bowl. The sidekick, not to be outdone, raises his fist and says, "Ae shaane, pair nikaal, haath jeb mein daal aur hafta nikaal."

Placing of the leg on the bowl was not in the original script, and neither was the sidekick's response. But Pran sahab, as he was known, was offended by the artiste's improvisation, perceiving it as impudence. The shoot halted for over two hours, with the director having to intervene to soothe the veteran.

The actor who played the sidekick, too, was surprised. He had only responded the way his character would have. He was none other than Naeem Sayyed, better known as Junior Mehmood, who passed away on December 8 after a short battle with stomach cancer.

"I don't know this specific story," says his son Rafiq, "but it's typical of Dad. I've grown up hearing stories about how, as soon as the camera started rolling, he would do something completely different than what was rehearsed. And not once did the scene have to be reshot. Directors always loved it when he pulled this on them." Over time, actors learned not to take it personally. By the time he passed away in 2013, Junior Mehmood had become ‘Mera Junior' for Pran.

Junior Mehmood's elder son Rafiq remembers his father who spared no effort to help the people around him, from old friends to rank strangers. Pic/Sameer Markande

We meet Rafiq in the compound of the Dara House building in Khar. Rafiq and his younger brother Hasnain were both born in this house, which Junior Mehmood bought at the age of 12 in 1967. "Of course, the legal owner was our grandmother, but it was all Dad's money. He was a star at the time and earning in lakhs," Rafiq recalls.

Best remembered as the first child artiste to win a Filmfare award, Junior Mehmood's legacy includes his unforgettable performance in Brahmachari, where he danced to a recorded version of Hum Kaale Hain Toh Kya Hua Dilwaale Hain, a song originally picturised on the actual Mehmood. He went on to give us a string of equally memorable performances in various films before moving on to TV serials.

Neighbour Inderpal Singh Kohli recalls Junior Mehmood performing at the society's Diwali function, and is still struggling to believe he is gone; (right) Stars like Jeetendra came rushing down to meet Junior Mehmood after learning about his failing health, while Johnny Lever, his old friend, was by his side throughout

The son of a locomotive pilot working with the Mumbai Port Trust, Junior Mehmood got his foot into the film industry at the age of ten, with Mohabbat Zindagi Hai that released in 1966, but he was only properly noticed during Suhaag Raat in 1968, when both Jeetendra and the original Mehmood appreciated him, and bestowed his lifelong sobriquet on him.

His last project was a Hyderabadi film named Majja Masti, which he directed this year and is yet to be released.

The loss is still fresh for the Sayyeds. The actor's wife is observing the 130-day grief period of Iddah, and Rafiq has taken it upon himself to be the rock of the family. Just before we meet him, we see him talking to a gentleman. We stand at a distance out of respect but still overhear the words, "spoke to him only a few days ago". Everyone seems shocked at the sudden loss. Nobody seems to have seen this coming.

It is only after the man leaves that we learn he was a lyricist, and that Junior Mehmood was collaborating with him for a project. Perhaps the reason why everyone is so shocked at his demise is the fact that he was fully energised till his final days.

Salam Kazi, a journalist who was a friend to the Sayyed for over 25 years, carries millions of memories of Junior Mehmood in his camera. It was his video that went viral a week before Junior Mehmood's death, alerting the world to his fate

"He performed at our building's function in Diwali just a month ago!" says Inderpal Singh Kohli, who lives on the third floor of the same building. "He gave us a box of mithai with his own hands. My kids used to love him too. That's just how Mehmood Uncle was, everyone's favourite."

Junior Mehmood was diagnosed only two months ago, and that too by accident.

"He had been complaining of a constantly upset stomach for several days," recalls Salam Kazi, who runs the YouTube channel India Asks. Kazi has been a family friend for 25 years.

"It got so bad that whenever we went out to eat, he'd first check if the place had a washroom, because he was unable to retain food in his system. I took him to a doctor, who prescribed a series of tests. When all the results were normal, we did a CT scan of his stomach. The doctor told us he had cancer," Kazi recalls.

What followed was a series of tests at the Tata Memorial Hospital. As kindly as they could, the doctors told Kazi that chemotherapy would mean instant death, and that taking Junior Mehmood home was the best option. Since then, he had a nurse and a doctor tend to him, while he spent his days in the company of his family and close friends. Hundreds of well wishers came to see him, and Junior Mehmood recognised every one of them, and inquired after their well being.

"That is simply how sahab was. Every day, people would come to him for help, and not a single person would go back disappointed," says Mangalaprasad Yadav, who has been working as a security guard at the Dara House since 1992. Yadav was at Junior Mehmood's side during his constant visits to Tata Memorial.

Yadav recalls how Junior Mehmood would give him a R500 note to get him a pack of cigarettes and never ask for the change. Rafiq knows this too. "I asked Dad once and all he said was ‘uska ek din ka kharcha nikal jaega (he will have money to spend on a day's essentials)'. I don't recall Dad ever not thinking about someone else. He used to have a large amount of money in his bag, which he always carried. Whenever someone came for help, he would dip into the bag and give him whatever money came out, without counting."

For Kazi, like countless others, it has been a personal loss. His phone has been ringing constantly. Everyone knew how close he was to Junior Mehmood, and he has been getting condolences from all over the country. He answers each call, thanks the caller and says the same thing: Dua kijiye unko jannat naseeb ho.

"I first met him on the set of a film around 25 years ago. I loved watching shoots. We got talking during the lunch break and he asked me where I live. When I said Wadala, he told me he too lived there till he shifted to Bandra," Kazi tells us as we ride on his bike past Building Number 23 in Nadkarni Park, Junior Mehmood's former residence. "I went back to the set to meet him and he not only recognised me but also put his arm around me like we were old friends."

Kazi's videos on social media alerted the world to Junior Mehmood's plight. He posted it a week before the latter's demise, and as a result, co-stars such as Jeetendra, Sachin Pilgaonkar and Johnny Lever came rushing to meet Junior Mehmood. Also present throughout was comedian-actor Johnny Lever, who arranged for Junior Mehmood's check up at the Tata Memorial Hospital after hearing about his illness.

"I first saw him perform at a dance programme when we were both nine years old," Lever tells mid-day on the phone. "We didn't interact at the time, and the next time our paths crossed, Brahmachari had released and he was a big star. He was the chief guest at a dance audition in Bandra and I was too embarrassed to perform in front of him. I prayed to God that I should not be selected, and God answered my prayers."

From then on, Lever never missed any of Junior Mehmood's films and also tried to meet him several times, but there would always be a huge crowd outside his building. "This led to his father getting to know me!" He says. "Then, in 1982, a cassette of one of my comedy performances was released and he sought me out because he loved it. Before we knew it, we were fast friends. We also performed together at live programmes and in films. Our kids have grown up playing with each other."

Like many, Lever, too, can't believe that the powerhouse of energy is gone.

"We had a function in August to remember the original Mehmood, and Junior danced to and sang his songs. I'm not sure if he knew he was falling ill, but I believe he didn't want his treatment to come in the way of his passion, and hence didn't tell anyone," Lever says.

"We never told him his diagnosis but I think he knew. Two days before his death, I asked him if he had any unfulfilled wishes. He said no, he just wanted to be remembered as a good man. I think even God will not deny this fact," says Kazi.

He isn't sure if he can say the same about many people who worked with Junior Mehmood, though.

"There are so many megastars who stay in the same city, who we have seen with Junior bhai in so many films. And none of them came to his funeral," a pensive Kazi says. "They should have, right? I'm sure they could have, if they really wanted to."