Surendra came to Bombay on the insistence of film distributor Lala Alopi Prasad. Mehboob Khan gave him his debut role in Deccan Queen (1935) and Manmohan (1936). Manmohan was made as a Bombay response to the Calcutta-produced Devdas (1935). Surendra's acting and singing were appreciated by the audiences and he went on to act in several roles that show-cased his sensitive appeal. He moved to National with Mehboob Khan giving performances in successful films such as Aurat.SM, p. 221
