Mumbai, Sep 29 (IANS) : Bollywood star Jackie Shroff took a walk down memory lane as he remembered two celebrated names from Indian cinema, legendary actor-comedian Mehmood on his birth anniversary and veteran actor Tom Alter on his death anniversary, on Tuesday.
In a social media post, Jackie Shroff shared a series of black-and-white pictures of Mehmood from different phases of his career. The tribute read, “Remembering Mehmood ji on his birth anniversary”.
The post was accompanied by the song ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’, featuring Mehmood and Asha Bhosle. The song was originally from the 1973 film Do Phool and is listed as being sung by Asha Bhosle and Mehmood.
The pictures capture Mehmood in some of his most recognisable avatars, from his younger days to his comic roles that made him one of Hindi cinema’s most loved entertainers.
Talking about Mehmood, he was born on September 29, 1932, and worked across more than four decades and appeared in over 300 Hindi films. Apart from acting, he was also a singer, director and producer.
Mehmood went on to be a part of blockbusters like memorable titles such as Padosan, Gumnaam, Bhoot Bungla, Pyar Kiye Jaa, Kunwara Baap and Main Sunder Hoon.
Mehmood was also the father of singer Lucky Ali, who went on to create an identity of his own in the Indian music industry with songs such as ‘O Sanam’.
Alongside the Mehmood tribute, Jackie Shroff shared a separate picture of Tom Alter, remembering the veteran actor on his death anniversary.
The post features a portrait of Alter with the text: “Tom Alter ji”, followed by his birth and death dates — “22 June 1950 – 29 Sept 2017.”
For the uninitiated, Alter, who died on September 29, 2017, at the age of 67, was one of the most distinctive performers in Indian cinema, television and theatre.
He made his film debut with Saheb Bahadur, although technically Charas was his first released film. He then went on to appear in films including Des Pardes, Kranti, Amar Akbar Anthony, Shatranj Ke Khilari, Naukri and Kudrat.
Alter was equally prominent on television. He became widely known to a generation of viewers through shows such as Junoon and Shaktimaan, apart from appearing in Ssshhhh… Koi Hai. His work was not restricted to the screen either.
He was a passionate theatre actor and, along with Naseeruddin Shah and Benjamin Gilani, formed the theatre group Motley Productions.
Their first production was Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, staged at Mumbai’s Prithvi Theatre in 1979.
In 2008, Alter was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the arts. He passed away in Mumbai on September 29, 2017, after battling stage IV skin cancer.
