[1] Yakub ran away from home at an early age, and performed odd jobs, such as a motor mechanic and table waiter, before joining the crew of the ship S.S. Madura as a kitchen worker.
He left the ship after travelling to various places, like London, Brussels and Paris, then returned to Calcutta, where he worked as a tourist guide, among other jobs.
[7][6] During his travels, Yakub watched American films, and became greatly influenced by Eddie Polo, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Wallace Beery and later by Humphrey Bogart.
His portrayal of Birju in Aurat (1940) was well received and his acting in this film is considered one of the finest performances in Indian cinema.
Yakub was an "acknowledged master of comedy" along with other actors such as Johnny Walker, Gope and Agha, according to the B. K. Karanjia co-edited book Genres of Indian Cinema.
His co-stars in this film were Bibbo, Pesi Patel, Sankatha Prasad, Raja Mehdi and David.
The film starred Yakub, Maya, Bhudo Advani, Kaushalya, Sankatha Prasad, Satish and Putli.