Indian actor Emraan Hashmi has denied reports that he will play Mehmood Saab in an upcoming biopic, prompting a wave of jokes from Pakistani fans who immediately connected the name with “Bulbulay” actor Mehmood Aslam.
Hashmi addressed the reports on X on August 10 and made it clear that he had not been approached for the role.
“Just to clarify, the reports about me playing Mehmood saab in a biopic are untrue. I haven’t been approached for the film, nor am I doing it,” Hashmi wrote.
The reports concerned an upcoming biopic on legendary Indian music composer R.D. Burman. Farhan Akhtar will reportedly play Burman in the project, which Neeraj Pandey will direct.
For Pakistani audiences, however, the phrase “Mehmood saab” immediately brought another familiar character to mind.
Mehmood Aslam plays Mehmood Sahab in the long-running Pakistani sitcom “Bulbulay”. The character remains one of the show’s most recognisable figures, alongside its other central characters.
Hashmi’s post quickly became a source of humour among Pakistani social media users, with many joking that there could only be one Mehmood saab.
One user asked, “Wo jo aap play nahi kar rahe wo Mehmood saab ka role hai?” Another wrote, “There can’t be another Mehmood Sahab.”
A third user told Hashmi, “U can nvr be Mehmood saab jbtw [sic].”
Another user said Hashmi could have “absolutely rocked as Mehmood saab” and shared an artistic version of the actor in the role.
Mehmood Ali (1932–2004), popularly known simply as Mehmood, was a legendary Indian actor, comedian, singer, director and producer. He appeared in more than 300 Hindi films during a career spanning over four decades and became one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated comic performers.
