Johnny Walker- Life’s a laugh with the king of comedy

October 24, 2009 | Filed under: Featured | Posted by: Mithi Chinoy

Johnny Walker- Life’s a laugh with the king of comedy
Anyone who’s seen Hindi movies of the ‘50s and ‘60s would remember Johnny Walker in several films enacting a particular scene. You would find him at a sweet meat shop trying out one mithai after another, each time enjoying it for its freshness or flavor or both. After he has his fill of the mithai, he quietly slinks away without paying for anything he eats. His dialog during this sequence, his expressions and his andaaz make him a scene stealer and it must be very few people who cannot remember Johnny Walker for his ability to evoke a laugh in us.

Johnny Walker Tribute

Born: Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi on May 15, 1923
Place of birth: Indore, Madhya Pradesh
Died: July 29, 2003 at Mumbai
Also known as: Johnny Walker
Years active: 1951-1998

However, the man we knew as Johnny Walker is not really so. That’s just his screen name, given to him by famous film actor and director, Guru Dutt, who first gave him a break in his film Baazi. The story goes that Walker (born on May 15, 1923)’s real name is Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi. He was born and raised in Indore and was the son of a mill hand. When the textile mill his father worked for closed down, the entire family moved to Mumbai.

Looking after his 15-member family wasn’t exactly easy, and soon five of them died prematurely. Young Badruddin did all he could to keep his home fires burning, including working at the Bombay Electric Supply Transport (B.E.S.T) as a bus conductor. He worked on many routes though his posting was at Dadar bus depot, central Mumbai.

Badruddin was no ordinary bus conductor—in fact, he was a bus conductor with a difference. He was known to entertain his passengers with his tricks and skits while issuing them tickets. On one such work day, who should jump on to his bus but actor and scriptwriter Balraj Sahni. Sahni was at the time writing the script of the film Baazi (1951) and thought he was the best candidate for a comedian’s role in the film. He introduced 27-year-old Badruddin to Guru Dutt who asked him to perform the role of a drunken man.

As luck would have it, Badruddin did such a fantastic job that, pleased with his screen test, Guru Dutt gave him the name of Johnny Walker after the famous brand of Scotch whisky, though ironically, Badruddin was a complete teetollar.

And so was born Johnny Walker, comedian for a long, long time on the Bollywood film circuit. He also acted as hero in the film by the same name in 1957.

His best films
After Baazi, he acted in several films such as Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. ’55 (1955) and in 1956, he starred in Guru Dutt’s C.I.D. From his entire career, Johnny is remembered most of all for his role in C.I.D in which he sang the famous song, Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, a tribute to the citizens of this city. Another song picturized on him was Sar Jo Tera Chakra Jaye from Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa. This song was set to music when Guru Dutt and Johnny were in Calcutta before the shooting of this film could begin. While breakfasting at a roadside stall, they happened to witness a local masseur massaging a client’s head.

Guru Dutt instructed Johnny to take a close look at them so that they could incorporate it at some time in one of their movies. His friendship with Johnny Walker was so strong and deep that often the director would alter the script to accommodate Johnny. In 1964, when Guru Dutt died, Johnny felt the blow of this very deeply. In the next few years, he got only some bit roles to do.

After C.I.D., he acted in Chori Chori (1956), and the following year, he acted in Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa and B. R. Chopra’s Naya Daur. Madhumati was the last film he starred in the 50s and his next film was only five years later, titled Mere Mehboob. This was followed by Amardeep (1958), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Mughal-E-Azam (1960), Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960), Bees Saal Baad and Mere Mehboob (1963), Haseena Maan Jayegi and Shikar (1968), Anand (1971), Pratigya (1975), Shaan (1980). His last film was director Kamal Haasan’s Chachi 420 in 1997, which he did at the request of scriptwriter of the film, Gulzar.

While in the 1950s, film producers always had a film picturized on Johnny because he was the audience’s darling, he was forced to move over in the 1960s when Mehmood appeared on the scene. The demand of the time had changed and there was no room anymore for Johnny’s brand of humor. All in all, he acted in 300 films

Awards
For his role in Madhumati, he won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He won the Filmfare Best Comedian Award for his role in Shikar.

Tribute
In a tribute to Johnny, actor and colleague Dilip Kumar once remarked, “Every time there was a function on Independence Day or Republic Day, I was asked to get all these people to perform. Pandit Jawarlal Nehru would specially request for these people especially Johnny Walker and Mukri. And I could get them as they were my friends. Today that he is no more, I miss him. May his soul rest in peace.”
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Walker_(actor))

Personal life
On the sets of Guru Dutt’s Mr. and Mrs. 55, he met Noor, actress Shakila’s sister, whom he married that year. His three daughters are Kausar, Tasneem and Firdaus and three sons Nazim, Kazim and Nasir. Of them, Nasir is a well known film and TV actor. Johnny was a very humble and God-fearing man, who kept a low profile when he was at the top of his career.

On July 29, 2003, Hindi films’ greatest comedian breathed his last in Mumbai
By Mithi Chinoy

Filmography of Jhoney Walker