Iconic artist, orator Zia Mohyeddin’s final act

KARACHI: Legendary theatre and film actor, literary orator, and mentor to many actors Zia Mohyeddin passed away on Monday morning in a Karachi hospital. He was 91.

Born in Faisalabad (then known as Lyallpur) in 1931 to a mathematician, lyricist and playwright father, Mohyeddin trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. As the first Pakistani to get a break in Hollywood, a young Mohyeddin appeared in none other than the iconic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ in 1962. His debut would be just the beginning of a six-decade love affair with the arts. Among his many film and theatre appearances, his role as Dr Aziz in ‘A Passage to India’ -- which he performed both on stage and on TV -- stayed with audiences much as his role in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’.

From 1969 to 1973, PTV audiences were treated to ‘The Zia Mohyeddin Show’ — a first-of-its-kind stage talk show that featured the biggest names in film, TV and literature in those days. In the late 1970s, during Gen Zia’s regime, Zia Mohyeddin left for the UK. Not one to stay away from the abundance of creativity he was gifted with, he produced the programme ‘Here and Now’ for ITV from 1986 till 1989. In 1984, Zia Mohyeddin appeared in ‘The Jewel in the Crown’. His role in Jamil Dehlavi’s 1992 film ‘Immaculate Conception’ was praised by critics and viewers alike.

Awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award in 2012 and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award in 2003, Zia Mohyeddin worked right till the end. On Gen Musharraf’s invitation in 2005, he set up -- and then headed -- Karachi’s National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA), where he trained scores of actors young and old in the craft of the stage and with which he remained associated till his last day.

As the most known and celebrated orator of both Urdu and English literature, Zia Mohyeddin left a legacy rich with stage production, and literary readings and narration -- all in his distinctive style of speech. From Faiz to Mir Taqi Mir to Shakespeare to texts such as Muhammad Ali Rodolvi’s letters, the late thespian had the ability to hold audiences captive almost effortlessly.

His friend and associate, actor and musician Arshad Mahmud, remembers him thus: “Forty years of my association with ZM sadly come to an end. I learnt so much from him. The theatrics, Urdu literature and achieving perfection. However, his mentoring will never end because each of his recorded performances is a lesson for all the practitioners and future thespians”.

In an ode to Zia Mohyeddin’s contributions to Urdu literature, Jashn-e-Rekhta, the world’s largest Urdu language literary festival, have tweeted that “Today, we haven’t lost a man; we’ve lost an institution -- Zia Mohyeddin.....[his] unique recitations struck everyone”.

Actor Mira Sethi, who had worked with Zia Mohyeddin at NAPA, spoke to The News about his work and art: “He lived for the written and spoken word. He was scrupulous, and demanded the same rigor from his students. Best of all: he adored his ‘job’. The secret to a good life is meaning, not happiness. Zia saheb‘s art suffused his life with meaning, and I have a sneaky suspicion he lived as long as he did because he adored what he did. I was lucky to be his student, and will miss him very much.”

From NAPA’s first batch of students, theatre and film actor Fawad Khan shares his experience of being associated with Zia Mohyeddin for almost a decade: “He was always there as a teacher as a mentor....The kind of passion and disciple needed in theatre...it was contagious and we internalized it -- and it wouldn’t have been possible without him”. Explaining Mohyeddin’s love for the stage, Khan says: “He had this love for theatre and he loved people around him who loved theatre and were passionate about theatre. He was snot jealously guarding his knowledge or craft and was always appreciative of every student -- no matter where they came from....We learnt from him that theatre was sacred. His life and living was theatre.”

Zia Mohyeddin’s passing away has prompted condolence messages, reminiscences and an outpouring of respect not just from the literary and entertainment world but also from a wide spectrum of people -- politicians, artists, students and the people who mattered perhaps the most to him: theatre and literature enthusiasts.

In a message about the artist, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif calls his “personality full of wonderful qualities”, adding that “he mesmerized people for more than half a century with his unparalleled skills in theatre, broadcasting and oratory and the magic of his voice. Hundreds of students under his tutelage will keep his legacy alive.”

A condolence tweet by PTI Chairman Imran Khan reads: “Saddened to learn of the passing of Zia Mohyeddin. I knew him for decades. He was a highly cultured person, extremely well read especially in Urdu literature and an institution in the world of entertainment. He will be missed. My condolences & prayers go to his family”.

Actor Mahira Khan remembers Zia Mohyeddin as “a great”, thanking him “for the innumerable ways you have been of service to the arts of this country” while actor Adnan Siddiqui says that: “.... As we celebrate his life and legacy, and mourn his loss, we are reminded of the immense impact he has had on our cultural landscape”.

For those associated with Zia Mohyeddin right till the end, his students and colleagues at NAPA, Uzma Sabeen, faculty member and course coordinator at NAPA, summarizes their sentiments in a comment to this newspaper: “It is difficult to talk about Zia Saheb...he was such a source of motivation for us all. We have lost a great teacher....He was very honest, very humble and would treat us with respect even when we were students. And with women, he was a gentleman”.

For Akber Islam, TV and film actor who has worked closely with Zia Mohyeddin, the late artist “was and always will be”. Talking to The News, Islam adds that “Zia Saheb was always on top of everything that was going on over there, involved in the minutest details of each play that was produced”.

It is this dedication to the art of oratory and the skill to produce something flawless for the stage or for film that probably reflects in cultural critic and journalist Rafay Mahmood’s tweet: “Generations of artists combined will be like dwarves to the gigantic Zia Mohyeddin. His combination of taste, culture, wit, wisdom, language and the urge to transfer all that into newer saplings required grace, patience and a Sisyphean commitment to the cause of arts in Pakistan”.

In a tweet, educationist Dr Adil Najam summarizes that voice that Zia Mohyeddin mesmerized everyone with: “Forever, in relentless pursuit of perfection. His genius was not the inflection, but the thought behind the inflection; incessantly tinkering with that thought to magically make it.”

Zia Mohyeddin leaves behind wife Azra Mohyeddin, who is also an actor, four children, and scores of students he had mentored over the decades. Agencies add: President Dr Arif Alvi called the death a “personal loss”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, federal ministers Marriyum Aurangzeb, Sherry Rehman, Punjab’s Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, and PTI chief Imran Khan also expressed their grief over the death.