THE ONLY MAN WHO TOOK ON THE NAME OF A BRAND…AND THEN BECAME ONE HIMSELF.

He was born Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi in Indore on November 11^th, 1926. Little did he know, even when he grew to be a teenager, that the world would know him, not by that name but by a brand that itself was born in 1820.

That brand was Johnny Walker – the whiskey that had the striding man as its logo and which in about 100 years time, would have a comic genius taking on its mantle. The story of how he got his name is an unusual one…considering he had tried his hand at several professions. In some cases, he deserted the professions, in several others, his professions deserted him.


Until the time, he became a bus conductor, where he seemed to have found his calling. It was a daily routine where he met hundreds of new people every day, issued them tickets to their destinations, rang the bell with authority to signal its onward journey. And in probably the most enjoyable part of the job – announce each stop in that quirky, ringing voice that would soon become his signature. Often he would regale the crowd with some rudimentary comic routines. And considering that a bus conductor always stands – he was probably the world's first stand-up comic.

One sunny day in 1950 though, his luck was about to take a dramatic turn. It was the day when Balraj Sahni, then an actor and script writer of some repute, happened to board the bus. He noticed Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi going about his job, managing difficult passengers with consummate wit and panache. From a distance, he silently observed the young conductor’s carefree attitude to his job, reflecting the cheerful disposition with which he faced life. As he took his time issuing tickets to the other passengers, Balraj Sahni’s mind was made up…the conductor seemed perfect for a part in the script that he had just written. 

The film was Baazi and it was being directed by Guru Dutt.

After the bus conductor had issued him his ticket, Balraj Sahni asked him, a trifle tentatively, whether he had ever considered acting…on the stage or in films? Badruddin was more than a little amused – he’d never give it a thought, but if the job meant a decent enough wage, sure…why not…he would be open to doing it. 

Balraj Sahni didn’t want to get the young man's hopes too high, so he told him that he would have to go through an audition first – a process where the director of the film would see whether he was right for the part. Having established that, he quickly wrote out the name of the studio where Guru Dutt was casting for his latest film.

On the appointed day, Balraj Sahni introduced Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi to Guru Dutt as the bus conductor who wanted to try his hand at films. Guru Dutt had a wry smile on his face...if this man could pull it off, this could be a quite a change in career path – from buses to acting in films. He found the man extremely likable and hoped he would do well in the audition.

He explained the role to him; it was that of a staggering drunk, a person who has taken solace in drinking, to such an extent, that his actions bring comic relief to others. The character, he explained, should be played in a manner that evokes laughter from the audience, but does it without making him seem like a buffoon.         

Badruddin launched into the scene, relying heavily on his own observations from life in impoverished surroundings. He had lived in them long enough to know the difference between an alcoholic who cuts a tragic figure and one who lends a charm to the vice of drinking. He knew he had to aim for the adorable drunk and in the very first attempt – he nailed the scene.

Guru Dutt had never seen anything like it before. Here was a man with no acting experience whatsoever, playing the role of a drunk as if he had been brought up on scotch instead of a milk bottle. He applauded his appreciation, telling Badruddin that the role in the film was his.

“But we’ve got to do something about your name,” Guru Dutt said. “A name like Badruddin belongs to the Moghul era…so what if we were to introduce you as…er, Johnny Walker?“ he asked. Badruddin had been so happy that he’d got the part, why would he queer the pitch by objecting to the change in name, it would be his screen name, after all.  His friends and family would still call him Badruddin.

Once the casting of the film was done, Guru Dutt hosted a small party to celebrate the launch of the film, Baazi…and it was here he discovered an astounding fact. The man who had just mesmerized him with his acting as a drunk, the man he had baptized as Johnny Walker did not drink alcohol at all.

In fact, he had not tasted a single drop of liquor in his life. And while he acted in many a role of a singing, lovable drunkard, he remained a teetotaler over his entire lifetime. Johnny Walker, the striding man could sleepwalk into the role of a drunk…and he didn't need a drink to get into the ‘skin’ of the character. 

Here then is the most lovable song of Johnny Walker from Guru Dutt's classic, Pyaasa where he enacted the role of a Tel-maalishwallah is his inimitable style.

SAR JO TERA CHAKRAYE