Johnny Walker (actor)
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| Johnny Walker | |
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| Birth name | Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi |
| Born | March 5, 1923 |
Johnny Walker (May 15, 1923 – 29 July 2003) is the screen name of a famous Indian actor and comedian, who acted in over 300 movies. He is most associated with the Indian film director and actor, Guru Dutt. He was born as Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi in Indore, India in 1923, the son of a mill worker. The family shifted to Bombay when the textile mill his father worked in closed down. Looking after his 15-member family was tough; five of the family died young. Badruddin tried his hand at almost everything, including working in the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport (B.E.S.T) buses as a conductor. He was posted at the Dadar bus depot, but worked on several routes.
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[edit] Career
He was discovered at the age of 26 in 1950 by actor, and script-writer Balraj Sahni while travelling in a B.E.S.T bus in Bombay. Badruddin was then working as a bus conductor, and in doing his job issuing tickets he entertained his passengers with various antics. This is what attracted Balraj's attention. Balraj, who was then penning the script for the film Baazi (1951), presented him to Guru Dutt as a candidate for the role of comedian. Badruddin's screen test consisted of acting as a drunk, and he did it so well that Guru Dutt gave him the screen name, "Johnny Walker" after the famous Scotch whisky brand of that era. Johnny was even cast as hero in the ego-boosting Johnny Walker (1957), with the irony being that he was a teetotaler. He enjoyed a very good friendship with Guru Dutt, who often used to change scripts to accommodate a role for Johnny. Johnny Walker is remembered as a very humble person who always kept a low-profile, even when he was the peak of his career. He was deeply impacted by the untimely death of his mentor, Guru Dutt in 1964. By the 1970s through to the 90s he was acting in bit parts; his role in Anand was an example of how he could excel in a serious role even if it was only for a few minutes. His last performance was in actor/director Kamal Hasan's film, Chachi 420 in 1998, which he performed at the request of musician/director/writer Gulzar who scripted the movie.
[edit] Family Life
He married Noor, the actress Shakila's sister who he met on the sets of Guru Dutt's movie Mr. and Mrs. 55 (1955), in 1955. He is survived by three daughters (Kausar, Tasneem and Firdaus) and three sons (Nazim, Kazim and Nasir). His son Nasir is a famous film and TV actor. Johnny Walker was a teetotaler, and a religious man.
[edit] Selected Filmography
- 1951 Baazi
- 1954 Aar Paar
- 1955 Mr. & Mrs. '55
- 1956 C.I.D.
- 1956 Chori Chori
- 1957 Pyaasa
- 1957 Naya Daur
- 1958 Madhumati
- 1963 Mere Mehboob
- 1971 Anand
- 1997 Chachi 420
The above are essential Johnny Walker movies. See link to IMDB's site for a more complete list, including many guest appearances.
[edit] Most Famous For
Johnny is most remembered for his part in the movie, "C.I.D" where he sang the famous song,Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan, a paean to the city of Bombay, and for Sar Jo Tera Chakraye from Guru Dutt's classic, Pyaasa.The last song was developed during a visit by Guru Dutt and Johnny to Calcutta before the filming of the movie. There, while eating breakfast at a road-side joint one morning, they happened to watch a local masseur apply his talents to a gentleman's head, giving him a head massage. Guru Dutt at once told Johnny to note the scene for the future. In the 1950s, producers mandated that a film song be picturised on Johnny to pander to the audience's love of the comedian. His popularity began to wane with the rise of actor/comedian Mehmood in the 1960s. "Filmmakers were no longer interested in my kind of clean comedies, and I thought it's time for me to bid goodbye," he once said.
[edit] Tributes
- "Johnny Walker’s impeccable style lent a new meaning and respectability to the genre of comedy in Indian cinema." - then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Johnny's death.
- "Every time there was a function on Independence Day or Republic Day, I was asked to get all these people to perform. [Indian Prime Minister] 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". - Veteran Indian actor Dilip Kumar on his demise.
