British-Pakistani, actor, director, producer and voice artist Zia Mohyeddin passes away at the age of 91 on Monday.
Leaving behind a legendary legacy, the actor was born June 20, 1931 in Faisalabad and spent his early life in Karachi, Pakistan.
Zia Mohyeddin passes away in Karachi
Mohyeddin trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from 1953-1956, and later starred in stage roles such ‘Julius Caesar’ in 1957 and ‘A Passage to India’ in 1960.
Mohyeddin was the very first Pakistani actor to break into Hollywood with a role in British classic ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ in 1962. He played Tafas, Lawrence’s ill-fated Arab guide in the movie, alongside Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif.
He later worked with the BBC on several television series including ‘Danger Man,’ ‘Sir Francis Drake’ and ‘The Doctors and the Nurses.’
He worked on more British films which included supporting roles in ‘A Boy Ten Feet Tall’ (1963), ‘Behold a Pale Horse’ (1964), ‘Deadlier Than the Male’ (1967), ‘The Sailor from Gibraltar’ (1967), ‘They Came from Beyond Space’ (1967) and ‘Bombay Talkie’ (1970).
After returning to Pakistan in the late 60s he went on to set up the PIA Arts and Dance Academy, which received critical merit for its classical as well as folk dances and music. He was appointed Director of the Academy in 1973, a role he held until 1977.
During the same period, he gained much critical and commercial acclaim for the popular Pakistan Television (PTV) talk show, named after him – ‘The Zia Mohyeddin Show’, which ran from 1969 till 1973.
He will be much remembered for a rap-style segment, which he would introduce with his trademark phrase of “zara theka lagaiye.”
After returning to England in the late 70s he resumed his career, going on to work on films, notably, ‘Ashanti’ (1979), ‘The Assam Garden’ (1985) and ‘Immaculate Conception’ (1992).
He also worked on many well-known miniseries ‘The Jewel in the Crown’ (1984), ‘Masterpiece Theatre: Lord Mountbatten - The Last Viceroy’ (1986) and ‘Shalom Salaam’ (1989), among other guest appearances on such TV programs as ‘Z Cars,’ ‘Minder’ and ‘King of the Ghetto’.
His memoir, ‘A Carrot is a Carrot: Memories and Reflection,’ was published in 2012. He also authored ‘The God of My Idolatry Memories’ and ‘Reflections.’
In 2005, Mohyeddin was invited by then President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf to form the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) in Karachi, where he served as president until his death.
Zia Mohyeddin gets title of President Emeritus NAPA
In his later years he continued to appear as a lecturer, speaker, host occasional TV programs and narrated short films and commercials.
Mohyeddin also continued to travel the world giving Urdu poetry and prose recitations, and is widely considered to be very well-versed in Urdu literature. In addition, he was also famed for his readings of English letters and literature, which he continued to perform as recently as last month.
He was honoured with a Hilal-i-Imtiaz and Sitara-i-Imtiaz awards for his remarkable contribution to television, film and literature.
Just last year, he had directed an Urdu version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and was active until his last days.
He is survived by his wife, Azra, and four children, Risha, Minos, Hassan and Alia.
Celebrities and the literary fraternity came out to pay their tributes to the literary giant and veteran thespian.
President Arif Alvi wrote a touching tribute citing “The death of Zia Muhyiddin, ana llah wana alayhi rajjoon, is a personal shock to me.”
Directorate of Electronic Media and Publications too offered their condolences.
Literary archive Rekhta paid their respects to the cultural icon.
Journalist and scholar Nadeem Farooq Paracha talked about his recent correspondence with Mohyeddin.
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