Junior Mehmood passed away today in Mumbai after a prolonged battle with Cancer. The veteran actor was diagnosed with stage 4 of Cancer and before he passed away, as per his last wish, his friends
Jeetendra and
Sachin Pilgaonkar visited him. As we recall his iconic work in the movies and how he'll always be remembered, here's recalling anecdotes about him.
Did you know that Junior Mehmood's real name is Naeem Sayyed and he got this screen name of his from the legendary actor, comic icon Mehmood. Here's how he earned his name. Sayeed used to mimic actors while in school and even went to movie sets with his brother. He made his debut as a child at the age of eight, Naeem made his screen debut in 'Suhagraat' which starred Jeetendra, Rajshree and Mehmood.
At the tender age of 8, Naeem impressed Mehmood so much, as he danced to Hum Kale Hai Toh Kya Hua Dilwale Hai. He then called Naeem's father to come and meet him and made Naeem his 'shishya'. He even mimicked Mehmood and gradually he started getting called Junior Mehmood. After his debut 'Suhagraat', he started using that as his screen name.
In an interview with Rediff, he had said that he used to meet Mehmood atleast three times a week and had confessed that he was happy using his 'Ustad's' name because that gave him popularity. Many people thought he was Mehmood's son and all that worked in his favour.
Junior Mehmood is survived by his wife, two songs, a daughter-in-law and a grandson. His last rites will reportedly take place today at 12 pm.