By Admin 
Whenever there is talk of laughter and comedy in Hindi cinema, some faces automatically come to mind. The most special name among them is that of Uma Devi Khatri, whom fans fondly called ‘Tuntun’. This name was a joke that happened suddenly during the shooting of a film. Dilip Kumar had said this word in a light-hearted comment and from here Uma Devi Khatri became Tuntun forever.
Early life was full of struggle
Before making her mark in Hindi cinema, Uma Devi’s life journey was quite painful and full of struggles. Uma Devi Khatri was born on 11 July 1923 in Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh.
She was about two and a half years old when her parents were murdered in a land dispute. Her elder brother took care of her for a few years, but when she turned nine, her brother was also murdered.
In this way, she became orphan at a young age and started living with relatives. His life there too was not easy. Relatives kept her as a maid. He did not get any opportunity to study, but he was very interested in music. She used to enjoy music through radio.
Musician Naushad gave a big break
In his adolescence, he met a young man named Akhtar Abbas Qazi, who was greatly impressed by his singing. He promised help, but after the partition of 1947 he had to go to Pakistan. On the other hand, Uma Devi did not like the tight life of living in a relative’s house in Delhi and came to Mumbai without telling anyone.
There he met some film artists and directors. Ultimately she got a big opportunity when she approached musician Naushad. Naushad was impressed by both his courage and voice and gave him a chance to sing in the film ‘Dard’. The song ‘Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon’ from this film, released in 1947, became a huge hit.
Uma Devi became a famous singer overnight. Her voice also reached Akhtar Abbas Qazi sitting in Pakistan, who came to Mumbai and married her. After marriage, Uma Devi stayed away from singing, but when financial problems increased, she again approached Naushad in search of work.
This time Naushad advised him to try his hand in acting and not singing, because now due to his personality and increased weight, his qualities can shine more in comedy.
How Uma Devi became ‘Tuntun’
Uma Devi placed a condition that she would do her first film only with Dilip Kumar. Meanwhile, Dilip Kumar was shooting the film ‘Babul’ and he included Uma Devi in this film. During a shooting scene, Uma Devi suddenly slipped and fell.
Everyone present on the set was shocked, but Dilip Kumar jokingly said, ‘Hey, someone pick up this tune.’ This line brought a smile on the faces of everyone present there. This one moment gave Uma Devi her new identity and she became famous in the entire film industry by the name of ‘Tuntun’.
Uma Devi became the first female comedian
Tuntun worked in about 200 films and made her special identity as the first female comedian of Hindi cinema. She was a part of many successful films like ‘Aar-Paar’, ‘Babul’, ‘Mr and Mrs 55’, ‘Pyaasa’, ‘Namak Halal’.
Her comic timing was so tremendous that even in the smallest roles she left an impression on the audience. Dilip Kumar, Guru Dutt, Mehmood and many big artists liked to work with him.
Husband’s death shocked me
After the death of her husband Akhtar Abbas Qazi in 1992, Tuntun started losing interest in films and she gradually distanced herself from the industry. He said goodbye to this world on 24 November 2003. Despite a difficult life, a path full of struggle and pain, he made millions of people laugh. She not only made the audience laugh, but also opened a new path of comedy for women in Hindi films.