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Last afternoon, yesteryear actor Junior Mehmood, who was better known as Junior Mehmood, was laid to rest at the Santacruz burial ground. The actor, 67, passed away on Thursday night, after a battle with stomach cancer. Earlier this week, Jeetendra visited his co-actor of several films like Caravan, Parivar, Vishwas, Apna Bana Lo and Jeene Ki Raah, along with Johny Lever.

Talking about meeting his colleague who played his younger brother Monto in Caravan, Jeetendra said, “Johny Lever called me, saying that Jr Mehmood was suffering from stomach cancer and wanted to meet me. I don’t know why he wanted to see me, but I am happy that I could respect his wishes and meet him before he passed away.” 

He was going on his routine Sunday trip to Mount Mary Church, when Lever reached out to him saying it was urgent. Jeetendra shared, “When I went to Jr Mehmood’s home, I was devastated to see the condition he was in. He could not recognize me or talk. He was in too much pain and was unable to even open his eyes. I got extremely emotional when I saw him like this, and his wife Lata too, broke down and started crying when she saw me.”

In the 1970s, films used to take two years to be made.  “So, we’d spend a lot of time together on and off the sets.” Jeetendra also remembers meeting Lata when she worked in Sadaa Suhagan (1986) as a co-artiste. “She told me that she was marrying Jr Mehmood. I was happy to hear that and gave them my best wishes. At that time, she said that he looks like me, and I remember that,” he reminisced.

Sachin Pilgaonkar wasn’t aware about his childhood friend, late actor Junior Mehmood suffering from stomach cancer. It was only a week ago that he got a call from actor Johnny Lever. Junior Mehmood passed away on December 8 at the age of 68.

“He did not share it with anybody, it was only a few weeks back that he was tested. They discovered cancer had spread all over his body. Doctors didn’t go ahead with chemotherapy as they felt his body would not be able to take it. Johny bhai called and told me. I started crying after that call,” recalls Pilgaonkar.

They started their careers as child actors together, and during the 1960s and 70s, Junior Mehmood rose to stardom in no time. “He used to own an imported car, the only child actor to have it at that time,” shares Pilgaonkar, adding, “We acted as kids in Brahmachari (1968), and I remember, as he had performed to the song Hum Kaale Hain (Gumnaam; 1965) for stage shows, he did so in front of the film’s makers too, and they wanted to include it in the film. He became a big star and one of the highest paid child actors.”

However, life happened to Junior Mehmood soon. He grew out of his cute child phase, and roles started drying up as an adult. Pilgaonkar reveals, “He was satisfied with the work he got as a child, but not as an adult. He would feel the difference when the work lessened.”

The veteran actor would fondly call Junior Mehmood, Nammo. The two shared a close bond, with the latter’s sisters’ paya and khichda being among his favourite dishes. “I will never call this a professional loss, it’s a personal loss,” he ends.