Veteran Star Junior Mehmood passes away aged 67

The veteran comedic actor Junior Mehmood has sadly passed away at the age of 67.

He was battling stomach cancer but unfortunately, the disease was too advanced to respond to treatment.

The actor, whose real name was Naeem Sayyed, was christened Junior Mehmood by the legend Mehmood Ali.

During his career, Junior Mehmood mostly played supporting roles, providing comic relief with his incredible talent.

He began his career as Biloo in Naunihal (1967).

He went on to star in many classics including Kati Patang (1970), Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) and Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971).

Hasnain Sayyed, the son of Junior Mehmood, explained the circumstances of his father’s death.

He said: “My father passed away at 2:00 am following his battle with stomach cancer.

“He was in a critical condition since last 17 days. He had lost 35-40 kg in a month.”

Sachin Pilgaonkar, who was Junior Mehmood’s co-star and childhood friend, paid tribute to him on Instagram.

Sharing a picture, Sachin wrote: “My childhood friend and co-actor Junior Mehmood sadly passed away.

“I have so many beautiful memories with him that I will always cherish.”

A recent picture of the ailing star emerged online in which Jeetendra was shown visiting him.

Jeetendra spoke about his devastation at seeing his colleague in such a frail state.

He admitted: “I am here by his bedside, but he is unable to recognise me.

“He is in so much pain, he is unable to open his eyes. To see him in this state breaks my heart.

“I have been coming to the Mount Mary Church for 25 years.

“When I learnt of Junior’s health condition, I planned to visit him on my way to the church next Sunday.

“But Johnny [Lever] reached out to me on Monday night, urging a quick visit.”

Reminiscing about their professional association, Jeetendra recalled:

“We worked at a time when movies took a lot of time to be completed.

“Junior played my younger brother in Nasir Husain’s Caravan.

“In the course of filmmaking, Ravindra Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Aruna Irani and I ended up spending a lot of time together both on set and outdoors.

“A major portion of the film was shot in a caravan and so we often found ourselves huddled up together during shoots.

“However, I had not spoken to him or met him for years till I heard he had fallen ill.”

In 2012, Junior spoke about how his screen name was coined and the benefits he got:

“Mehmood Sahab told my father to bring me to Ranjit Studio and he made me his shishya (student) by tying a ganda on my arm and gave me his name.

“I was called ‘Junior Mehmood’ from there on. I had to meet him at least three times a week.

“I didn’t feel bad that my real name Naeem Sayyed was never used.

“In fact I was happy that my master’s name was used because that gave me popularity.

“I looked like Mehmood Sahab, so people thought I was his son. All that worked in my favour.”

In 2011, Sachin Pilgaonkar helmed Jaana Pehchaana, which marked Junior’s final film appearance.

Recent Posts