Comedian Johnny Walker, 79, passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday.

Johnny Walker, whose real name was Badruddin Qazi, was born in Indore in 1925 and worked as a bus conductor before entering the movie industry.

It was his friend, philosopher, and guide, actor-filmmaker Guru Dutt, who re-christened him after the famous whisky label.

He once told a magazine that had it not been for Dutt, he would have continued entertaining passengers in his original profession as a bus conductor. It was Dutt who spotted Walker hanging around the film studios and offered him a break with Baazi.

Walker never looked back; he developed his own unique brand of humour and went on to become one of Indian cinema's most memorable comedians�

Walker worked frequently with directors of the calibre of Dutt, Raj Khosla, B R Chopra, Vijay Anand and Bimal Roy amongst others and in all-time favourite films like Chori Chori, Madhumati, Pyaasa, CID, Naya Daur and Mere Mehboob.

Though known for his comedy, he could easily make people cry � as he did in the climax of the unforgettable Hrishikesh Mukherjee film, Anand.

His last film was Kamal Haasan's Chachi 420, for which he returned to the screen after a long gap of 14 years.

Johnny Walker on rediff.com
But where are the comedians: Johnny Walker
Chacha 420

Related links
The Chachi 420 review
Classics revisited: Naya Daur
Johnny Walker remembers Mukri

Pay your tribute to Johnny Walker
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