Film actor Mehmood was not only a great actor and a comedian. Kunwara Baap was based on Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid. Mehmood created “Kunwara Baap” to spread awareness about polio vaccination, driven by his personal experience of having a son affected by the disease, and the film carried a powerful message.
Mehmood showcased his talent as an actor and director with this film. He went on to direct other hits like Padosan and Bombay to Goa, which audiences loved.But his best film and one of the top was the film ‘Kunwara Baap.’
Polio Kid
In the film, Mehmood has his polio-stricken son. The film’s poignant father-son moments moved viewers to tears, making it a superhit that resonated with audiences across India.
The Indian government made the film tax-free and sold tickets at a low cost to encourage more people to watch it, given its cause-driven theme. The film, to an extent, was successful in bringing about the awareness of polio. The film went on for many months and was one of the highest-grossing films despite being tax-free in the year 1977.
Mehmood shared in an interview that his busy schedule led to his son contracting polio. He was juggling 5-6 film shoots when his son was born and feels responsible for his child’s condition..
He had therefore decided he would not let other children suffer like his son did and wanted to spread the seriousness and made this film to reach out to every corner of India and the parents to ensure timely polio treatment for their children.
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