Always the clown, but never the joke
Johnny Walker (Nov 11, 1926-July 29, 2003)
Chandigarh, Updated At : 06:52 AM Jul 29, 2025 IST
IT’S Bombay, late 1940s. A bus hurtles down Grant Road, swaying with the city’s rhythm. Somewhere between Opera House and Mahim, the conductor isn’t merely clipping tickets — he’s performing. He breaks into a limp, slurs his speech, eyes half-closed, arms flailing in theatrical disarray. The passengers erupt. They know this act well. This is Badru (born Badruddin Jamaluddin Kazi), the conductor who plays drunk better than any real one they’ve seen.
