Actor-producer Anwar Ali (Mehmood's brother) was one of Amitabh Bachchan's first best friends in Bombay back in the late 60s and early 70s. A young Amitabh Bachchan was still finding his feet in the film industry and one of the first families to take him in and suppport the young acting aspirant were Mehmood and his clan.
On Mr Bachchan's 81st birthday, Anwar takes a trip down memory lane, recalling his idyllic days spent with his best friend Amitabh. It was a time, way before the meteoric stardom that Mr Bachchan saw after Zanjeer. And yet the promise of greatness was apparent to his best friend Anwar, with whom he shared an apartment in Mehmood's family's home in Bombay.
Recalling their good old days, Anwar Ali reveals, "As two of the Saat Hindustanis, and now two souls well on our way to a lifelong friendship, Amitabh and I entered my brother Mehmood’s abode, 134, Paradise, Andheri West, our home for the next two years. 134 Paradise stood fairly tall with a signature tilt, built thanks to the man whose core competence was demolition rather than construction of buildings! Housing a garage that serviced and repainted Mehmood bhai’s fleet of twenty four cars to match his clothes on special occasions, our home accommodated life’s many comforts."
Anwar Ali continues, "Amitabh was welcomed as one of the members of our fairly large joint family, the first family of Bombay Talkies as it were… And then there was the omnipresence, the strength, the aura of Mehmood… a lease of life for all under his magnanimity."
Anwar Ali and Amitabh Bachchan were to share an apartment, an entire floor. He reveals, "We occupied the first floor, Mehmood bhai, the third and the rest of the family was on other floors. My sisters kept a caring, watchful eye on us, cooking our favourite foods, especially bhindi for Amitabh."
Their adventures extended to hunting for work. The young men moved around the streets of Bombay in style. As Anwar Ali says, "Our daily routine was to set out in my Jaguar XK120 seeking work by meeting various producers, sometimes returning home by train as the fuel for the Jag would run out." Ali also recounts Mr Bachchan's first tryst with owning a car and reveals, "Amitabh bought his first car, a White Fiat, whilst staying with us then came a Singer and then a Pontiac swiftly after. And somewhere in between, Bombay To Goa and Anand had happened."
Anwar was confident a young Amitabh had the potential to make it big. That's exactly why he took extra efforts to help hia friend out. He says, "I had once taken Amitabh to Blow Up discotheque at the Taj Mahal hotel Mumbai to showcase his dance skills to brother Mehmood, in a bid to convince the latter, for the Bombay to Goa lead role." He further adds, "My sister nudged Mehmood bhai to introduce Amitabh to friend and producer N.C. Sippy of Anand, so his career could get a boost."
He is ecstatic at the recollection of these thoughts and reveling in the nostalgia, Anwar adds, "134 Paradise had truly come to be a Mecca of sorts for some of us." Wishing Amitabh Bachchan a Happy Birthday, Anwar Ali signs off, "Amitabh’s metamorphosis is not from Amitabh Bachchan to Shahenshah, rather it is a Shahenshah’s metamorphosis to being called Amitabh Bachchan." All hail the king of acting.