IMAGE: Dev Anand, Junior Mehmood and Rajendranath Malhotra in Hare Rama Hare Krishna.
Veteran actor Junior Mehmood, who was battling with stage four cancer, passed away in Mumbai on Friday, December 8, 2023. He was 67.
A family friend confirmed the news and said, “He passed away last night at 2 am in Mumbai. He was suffering from stomach cancer and was not keeping well for the last few days.”
Junior Mehmood’s close friend Salam Kazi had earlier told ANI, “He was ill for two months and initially we thought that he might have some minor problem but after that suddenly his weight started decreasing. When the medical reports came, it said there was cancer in the liver and lungs and a tumour in the intestine and he has also developed jaundice. So the treatment going on, but the doctors said it’s stage four cancer.”
Recently, Jeetendra and Johnny Lever had visited his home.
IMAGE: Junior Mehmood, as a child actor, and in 2012. Photograph, right: Rediff Archives
Junior Mehmood’s real name was Naeem Sayyed, and has featured in over 200 films in different languages, including Brahmachari (1968), Mera Naam Joker (1970), Parvarish (1977) and Do Aur Do Paanch (1980), and television shows such as Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara Ek Rishta Saajhedari Ka.
He memorably recreated Mehmood’s iconic song mHum Kaale Hain To Kya Hua from 1965’s Gumnaam in the Shammi Kapoor starrer Brahmachari.
He got his first big break at the age of eight in the 1968 film, Suhaag Raat, starring Jeetendra and Mehboob.
It was then when he got his name which instantly made him famous, and he had told Rediff.com the story in an interview: ‘During the shooting, it was Mehmood’s daughter Ginny’s birthday. Everyone on the sets was called for the party. I was not called and felt bad. I told him ‘Mera baap koi producer, director nahi isliye main aap ki beti ke birthday main nahi aa sakta kya?’
‘He felt bad. I told him if I come for the party, I will see to it that the party rocks. I told him I will dance to your number from Gumnaam — Hum Kale Hai Toh Kya Hua Dilwale Hain.
‘I went to the birthday party and danced to the song and everybody loved it. After the party, Mehmoodsaab told my father to bring me to Ranjit Studio and he made me his shishya by tying a ganda on my arm and gave me his name.
‘I was called Junior Mehmood from there on.’
Director Sanjay Gupta was among the first film personalities to pay tribute to Junior Mehmood on social media: ‘You were an integral part of my childhood which was all about the movies. Rest In Peace Jr. Mehmood. Many thanks for the years of entertainment.’
“He will be buried in the same cemetery as his mother. Other noted personalities like Dilip Kumarsaab and Mohammed Rafi are also buried there,” his friend Kazi adds.
Junior Mehmood is survived by his wife and two sons.
