Starting at the bottom rung before he wrung every emotion to draw laughs, Mehmood began his career with a variety of odd jobs. He peddled newspapers, sold eggs, and even taught table tennis to film star Meena Kumari!

Incidentally, he married the famed tragedienne's sister Madhuri. After the birth of their son Masood in 1954, Mehmood realised that stray assignments and small acting roles (he made blink-and-you-miss-him appearances in classics like Do Bigha Zameen and Pyaasa) would not be enough. So he set about exploiting his innate talent for being funny.

When B R Chopra created a role for Mehmood in Ek Hi Raasta because he was the heroine Meena Kumari's brother-in-law, the sensitive comedian left the film without a second glance. The movie that secured him fame was Parvarish (1958), where he memorably danced alongside Raj Kapoor singing Mama o mama.

Because of Mehmood's personable looks, he tried to cash in on his initial success by playing the hero in films like Chhote Nawab and Pyaase Panchhi. But he was destined to win acclaim as the definitive comedian of the 1960s, providing the laughs in tense dramas like Sasural, Zindagi, Kaajal, and Gumnaam.