He was brought to Bombay from his home town in Gujarat ( Surat ) by Noor Muhammad Ali Muhammed Shipra (producer and horse supplier in Indian cinema) to work as a horseshoe repairer in a stable (owned by Shipra). One day at a shooting of South Indian director Chandrashekhar, Mehboob showed interest in working with Chandrashekhar. After seeing his great interest and skills, Chandrashekhar asked Shipra to take Mehboob with him to work at small jobs in the film studios of Bombay (assistant director). He started as an assistant in the Silent Film era and as an extra in the studios of the Imperial Film Company of Ardeshir Irani, before directing his first film "Al Hilal" a.k.a. "Judgement of Allah" (1935), when he started directing films for the "Sagar Film Company". Notable films he directed for Sagar Movietone and National Studios included "Deccan Queen" (1936), "Ek Hi Raasta" (1939), "Alibaba" (1940), "Aurat" (1940) and "Bahen" (1941).