11.11.1926 - 29.07.2003 Badruddin Qazi. Also known as, in fact better known as, Johnny Walker. He strode the screen like a colossus, almost on par with the leading stars of the films he acted in. It is not something that he imagined would happen; in fact, while he was besotted with films and spent every free moment trying to hustle up some work, he was employed as a bus conductor. His love for entertaining people was evident even while working his day-job. He cracked jokes for his passengers, making them laugh on the way to work and back.
It was on one such journey that Balraj Sahni made his acquaintance. Sahni was then scripting Baazi for Guru Dutt, and was amused by Qazi's antics. So much so, he took the man to meet Guru Dutt. So goes one version. The other version, in an interview with Johnny Walker (and that's not to say that it is true) was that he was playing the fool on the sets of Hulchul, where one of his friends had managed to get him a bit role, and Balraj Sahni walked in. He was amused by what he saw, and ordered Qazi off to Guru Dutt's sets since the latter was at the casting stage. Qazi walked in, pretending to be drunk, and so impressed Guru Dutt, that he signed him on the spot. (You pays your money, and you takes your choice.) Be that as it may, it is clear that Balraj Sahni had a great role in shaping the career of a man called Johnny Walker, who ruled over comedy in Hindi films for close to two decades.
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