Mumbai (PTI): Character actor Junior Mehmood, known for his roles in "Caravan", "Haathi Mere Saathi" and "Mera Naam Joker", died on Friday following a battle with cancer, his close friend Salaam Kazi said.

The actor was 68.

"He died at 2:00 am at his residence in Bandra. He started having breathing issues from Thursday night and suddenly he passed away," Kazi, a close friend of the actor, said.

Junior Mehmood, whose real name was Naeem Sayyed, began as a child artist with "Mohabbat Zindagi Hai" (1966) and "Naunihal" (1967). He was given the name Junior Mehmood by late comedy icon Mehmood after they starred together in 1968 film "Suhag Raat".

According to Kazi, Junior Mehmood started having pain in his stomach and was getting treated by a local doctor. But when he started losing weight, his family decided to take him to Tata Memorial hospital.

"They did a check-up and the doctors over there said he had cancer in his lung and liver, and a tumour in his stomach. He was also diagnosed with jaundice," Kazi added.

Actors Jeetendra and Sachin Pilgaonkar visited the actor at his residence on Tuesday after he expressed a desire to meet them.
Jeetendra had shared screen space with the actor in several movies, including "Suhaag Raat" and "Caravan".

In a career of over four decades, Junior Mehmood featured in over 260 films across seven languages. His other popular films include "Brahmachari", "Kati Patang", "Hare Raama Hare Krishna", "Geet Gaata Chal", "Imaandaar", "Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri", "Aaj Ka Arjun", "Gurudev", "Chhote Sarkar" and "Judaai".

The actor also appeared on TV shows such as "Pyaar Ka Dard Hai Meetha Meetha Pyaara Pyaara" and "Ek Rishta Saajhedari ka".

He is survived by two sons and a wife.

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New Delhi, Nov 21: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday launched the Karnataka Milk Federation's (KMF) Nandini brand milk products in the Delhi-NCR market, pricing them marginally lower than competitors to gain a foothold in the region.

The cooperative will retail four cow milk variants, curd, and buttermilk from Friday, with competitive pricing that undercuts established players like Mother Dairy and Amul.

Cow milk will be sold at Rs 56 per litre, full Cream Milk at Rs 67 per litre, Standardised Milk at Rs 61 per litre, Toned Milk at Rs 55 per litre, and curd at Rs 74 per kg.

"We have surplus milk in the state. KMF along with Mandya Milk Union will market surplus milk of 3-4 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR," Siddaramaiah told reporters after launching the products.

The federation currently collects 100 lakh litres of milk daily, with local consumption at 60 lakh litres, leaving a surplus of 40 lakh litres for expansion into new markets.

However, the Chief Minister acknowledged the challenges of transporting milk over 2,500 km, which takes 50-54 hours.

There is a need to find new markets for surplus milk and gradually the KMF should be able to sell 5-6 lakh litres per day in Delhi-NCR, he added.

KMF Chairman LBP Bheemanaik assured that milk quality would be maintained during transit.

The federation has already partnered with 40 dealers in the Delhi-NCR region to facilitate sales, he added.

With a robust infrastructure of 26.76 lakh milk producers, 15,737 dairy cooperative societies, and 15 district milk unions, KMF has a turnover of Rs 25,000 crore and exports dairy products to over 25 countries.

State Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh and Agriculture Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy were present at the product launch.