Vinod Mehra – the sophisticated actor of bollywood.
Vinod Mehra created an identity for himself with his sophisticated performance in the bollywood films of 70s and 80s. He acted well in the film Lal Patthar, in a supporting role where the main character was played by Raj Kumar. The film was the hindi version of Uttam Kumar’s Bengali film Lal Pathor.
In Anurodh, he played the role of the friend of Rajesh Khanna, in a film based on the life of a singer. He was sympathetic and helpful to his friend during the period of struggle as depicted in the film. The story was similar to Uttam Kumar’s Bengali film Deya Neya.
In Bemisaal, he played the role of the friend of Amitabh Bacchan. Both Vinod Mehra and Amitabh had affection towards Rakhee. It was directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and the music was composed by RD Burman, with hit songs like “Yeh Kashmir Hai”, etc. It was based on Uttam Kumar’s Bengali classic film Ami Se O Sakha. Vinod Mehra was a doctor and it was discovered that he earned money by conducting operations related to abortion and illegal things.
Vinod Mehra was very successful in Gulzar’s film Ghar, opposite Rekha. The film was based on romantic story and the music composed by RD Burman was very melodious. All the songs in the film were successful, including “aap ki aankho me”, “phir wohi raat hai” sung by Kishore, “tere bina jiya jae na” sung by Lata, etc.
Vinod Mehra also acted in the role on unpleasant characters, like the role of the brother of Amitabh in the film Khuddar, who was selfish and ungrateful.
He died in 1990, creating a big loss to the bollywood industry. His films should be preserved for the rich stories and proper direction.
