December 18th, 2010

Mehboob Khan – The ‘Big’ Break

In Bombay, Mehboob’s routine was to hang around the gates of the Imperial Film Company (which was to later become Jyoti Studio) in central Bombay, day after day, hoping to get past his biggest hurdle — a hefty Pathan watchman, named Behram Shah — some day. Shah tried his best to drill some sense into the star-stuck young man. He tried convincing him that only chokri log were welcome in the film company he was guarding. His brief had been to keep out ‘male pests’ who could be a nuisance to the girls working inside! But Mehboob wasn’t convinced. He was too determined to give up on his mission.

Once again, touched by Mehboob’s persistence, Ismail Jeeva decided to lend a helping hand. One afternoon, he told to ‘crazy dreamer’ that he would take him to the boss of Imperial Film Company, Ardeshir Irani, whom he happened know. Mehboob was ecstatic. That was the opportunity the self-assured young man needed.

Irani, a big man with a prominent paunch, sized up the starry-eyed youngster and tried to scare him away. “Go back to your village and do something sensible. Work with your father in the farm. Don’t waste your time here; it’s not easy to survive here,” he told him sternly. Before Mehboob could collect his wits to answer the big man, he heard the azaan’s (muezzin) call to prayer from a nearby mosque. The youngster abruptly excused himself with, “I’ll be back after my namaz,” and walked away to the guard’s cabin to say his prayers. Rather than getting affronted, Irani was impressed by the young man’s attitude, and his commitment to duty. He at once asked him to be enrolled among the ‘extras’ in his company.

That was the beginning. Mehboob had finally found his way into the film city through the imposing gates of Imperial Film Company! He was put on the rolls of the film company on a monthly salary of Rs 30. It didn’t really matter to Mehboob that as an ‘extra’ he would be just another obscure face in the crowd!

Mehboob’s maiden assignment was in a film titled Ali Baba aur Chalis Chor, directed by B.P Mishra for Imperial Film Company. He was one of the 40 thieves. But, ironically, it was to be an ‘invisible’ debut! The poor boy was shoved into a huge cask and asked to remain hidden in it throughout the ‘take’! As Mehboob remarked jocularly, years later in an interview, he never understood why he was kept in a cask if the camera was not to capture a glimpse of him. Interestingly, Ali Baba aur Chalis Chor became a significant part of movie-lore because it launched two future stars — Sulochana and Jilloo. Mehboob was also part of another film called Morye Patan in which a night scene was attempted for the first time in an Indian film.

Mehboob continued to be invisible in his early films! To Id insult to injury, no one thought of paying him his salary for the first few months either! Apparently, by oversight, there was no employee card made in his name at the time of his enrolment. Insecure as he was, Mehboob didn’t venture to ask for his salary for fear of being chucked out. After struggling to keep his body and soul together for a while, Mehboob mentioned his predicament to friend Ismail Jeeva, who, once again, approached Ardeshir Irani with a plea to rectify the situation.

As soon as he got his first pay packet, Mehboob sent Rs 10 his father. He then hired a small room in a chawl in the Bombay Central area along with a friend of his from Sarar. Until then he had been sleeping on a bench at the Grant Road railway station, ‘arranged’ for him by another railway employee from his hometown. Interestingly, Mehboob’s fellow-’extras’ those days were the Billimoria brothers, Eddie and Dinshaw, and Prithviraj Kapoor — all of whom were to become major stars later – Rauf Ahmed

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