# Yakub (actor)
**Yakub** (याक़ूब; real name Yakub Mehboob Khan, 3 April 1903 – 24 August 1958) was an Indian Hindi film actor and comedian who worked from the silent era of the 1920s until his death, appearing in more than 130 films over a 34-year career[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). He is remembered above all as the original Birju in [Mehboob Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mehboob-khan)'s *Aurat* (1940), a film later remade as *Mother India* (1957)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [2](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cinemaazi_one-of-the-most-iconic-comedians-of-hindi-activity-7163475025436635136-H4Vk).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Real name | Yakub Mehboob Khan; born 3 April 1903 in Jabalpur, died 24 August 1958 in Bombay[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) |
| Debut | Silent film *Bajirao Mastani* (1925), directed by Bhalji Pendharkar for Sharda Film Co.[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [3](https://www.moviebuff.com/bajirao-mastani-1925-silent) |
| Signature role | Birju, the mischievous and errant son of Sardar Akhtar's character, in Mehboob Khan's *Aurat* (1940)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) |
| Comedy partnership | With Gope, billed as the Indian Laurel-Hardy, in *Bazar* (1949), *Patanga* (1949), *Beqasoor* (1950), *Meharbani* (1950), and *Sagai* (1951)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) |
| Directing | Directed the Gujarati films *Be Kharab Jan* (1936), *Sagar Ka Sher* (1937), and *Uski Tamanna* (1939); produced and directed *Aiye* (1949), which flopped[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) |
| Output | More than 130 films in a 34-year career by Cinemaazi's count; the Hindi Film Database lists 125 credits[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [4](https://hamraaz.org/filmssite/public/person.php?id=93) |
| Spouse | Actress Khursheed Bano was married to Lala Yakub, a different person from actor Yakub[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [7](https://www.brecorder.com/news/3291502/khurshid-bano---a-nightingale-of-yesteryears-20060624442917) |
## Early life
Yakub was born in Jabalpur, where his father, Pathan Mehboob Khan, worked as a wood contractor and wanted his son to follow the same trade. Yakub instead wanted to be a motor mechanic, and treated acting only as a hobby. At the age of 9 he ran away from Jabalpur to Lucknow and joined the Alexandra Theatrical Company, working there for two years[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
He moved to Bombay in 1921, trained as a mechanic, and worked as a navy boy on the steamer SS Madura, a job that took him to London, Paris, and Brussels. He returned to India in 1922 and joined the American Express Company in Calcutta as a tourist guide[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
## Silent film career
In 1924 Yakub returned to Bombay and took a job as a property master with a theatrical company. The pull of the stage led him the same year to Sharda Film Co., where he appeared in 50 silent films[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). His first break was *Bajirao Mastani* (1925), a historical about the 18th-century Maratha Peshwai directed by Bhalji Pendharkar and starring Master Vithal[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [3](https://www.moviebuff.com/bajirao-mastani-1925-silent).
After further silent films including *Gulzar* (1927), *Kamala Kumari* (1928), and *Sarovar Ki Sundari* (1928), he took roles at Victoria Fatima Film Company in *Chandravali* (1928), *Milan Dinar* (1929), and *Shankuntala* (1929), mostly as a villain. He then joined Sagar Movietone, appearing in silent films such as *Arunodaya* (1930), *Dav Pech* (1930), *Nai Roshni* (1930), *Meethi Churi* (1931), and *Toofani Taruni* (1931)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
## Talkies and the Mehboob Khan association
Yakub's first talkie was *Romantic Prince/Meri Jaan* (1931), directed by Prafulla Ghosh under Sagar Movietone, in which he appeared opposite the star Zubeida not as a hero but as an antagonist. The same year he acted in *Veer Abhimanyu* alongside Jal Merchant, Mehboob Khan, and Zubeida[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
The working relationship with Mehboob Khan, formed through films such as *Veer Abhimanyu* (1931), *Bulbul-e-Baghdad* (1932), and *Naachwali* (1934), became a friendship. When Mehboob directed his first film, *Al-Hilal/Judgement of Allah* (1935), he cast Yakub in a role. Yakub went on to act in Mehboob's *Manmohan* (1936), *Jagirdar* (1937), *Watan* (1938), and *Najma* (1943)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
**Aurat and Birju.** In Mehboob Khan's *Aurat* (1940), Yakub played Birju, the mischievous and errant son of the character played by Sardar Akhtar. Cinemaazi describes the performance as masterly, and a Hindi-language biographical account records that his portrayal of the angry, resentful son is considered one of the finest performances in Indian cinema[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1RVxL448E). *Aurat* was later remade by Mehboob as *Mother India* (1957), one of the most iconic films of [Hindi cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindi-cinema)[2](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cinemaazi_one-of-the-most-iconic-comedians-of-hindi-activity-7163475025436635136-H4Vk).
## Comedy and later career
With the screen comedian Gope, Yakub formed a comic pair praised and named as the Indian Laurel-Hardy. Their films together included *Bazar* (1949), *Patanga* (1949), *Beqasoor* (1950), *Meharbani* (1950), and *Sagai* (1951)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
His catchphrases became popular with audiences: *Rahe naam allah ka* from *Zeenat* (1945), *Maanta hun suleman hu* from *Nek Parvin* (1946), and *Khush raho pyaare*[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). Two of his films were later remade with Mehmood, the next generation's leading screen comedian, playing Yakub's characters: *Grihasthi* (1948) as *Ghar Basake Dekho* (1963) and *Malkin* (1953) as *Biradari* (1966)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
In the 1950s he appeared in about 28 films, including *Deedar* (1951), *Hulchal* (1951), *Hungama* (1952), *Waris* (1954), *Ab Dilli Dur Nahin* (1957), *Paying Guest* (1957), and *Adalat* (1958)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). The Hindi Film Database also lists later credits including *Deep Jalta Rahe* (1959), *Janam Janam Ke Saathi* (1965), and *Raaste Aur Manzil* (1968)[4](https://hamraaz.org/filmssite/public/person.php?id=93).
## Work behind the camera
In the 1930s, while acting in roughly 34 films, Yakub also turned director for the Gujarati films *Be Kharab Jan* (1936), *Sagar Ka Sher* (1937), and *Uski Tamanna* (1939)[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). In 1949 he produced and directed *Aiye* under the Indian Production banner; the film did not find an audience and flopped[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub).
## Death and legacy
Yakub died in Bombay on 24 August 1958[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). Sources disagree on his age at death: Cinemaazi gives 55, while another account gives 54[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub). His birth year is also reported differently, as 1903 by Cinemaazi and 1904 by Hindi-language biographical videos[1](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub) • [6](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IJk045wkQU).
His place in Hindi film history rests on two pillars: the Birju role that *Mother India* carried to classic status through its source story, and a comedy style that Mehmood inherited through the remakes of his films. Cinemaazi's profile calls him one of the most iconic comedians of Hindi cinema[2](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cinemaazi_one-of-the-most-iconic-comedians-of-hindi-activity-7163475025436635136-H4Vk).
## References
1. [Yakub – Artists | Biography, Films, Legacy, Cinemaazi](https://cinemaazi.com/people/yakub)
2. [Cinemaazi post on Yakub, LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/cinemaazi_one-of-the-most-iconic-comedians-of-hindi-activity-7163475025436635136-H4Vk)
3. [Bajirao Mastani (1925), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/bajirao-mastani-1925-silent)
4. [Yaqub filmography, Hindi Film Database](https://hamraaz.org/filmssite/public/person.php?id=93)
5. [Yakub biography video, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1RVxL448E)
6. [Yakub biography video (Hindi), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IJk045wkQU)
7. [Khurshid Bano - A nightingale of yesteryears](https://www.brecorder.com/news/3291502/khurshid-bano---a-nightingale-of-yesteryears-20060624442917)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of South Asia › Indian screen actors, silent to 1960s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license