Today the world lost one of its most amazing thespians. From Pakistan to London to across the world, Zia Mohyeddin reigned supreme onstage and on the silver screen.
It is impossible to do justice to his life's work and contributions to theatre, culture and art by merely listing or writing about them. But one thing is for sure- he touched a million lives and did what very few are able to do, and will do that for ages to come.
I remember when I was on a flight to Karachi, and Zia Mohyeddin was on the same flight. I had just started working on my first book at the time and was travelling to Karachi for that very purpose. My dad was with me and nudged me to approach him as he was someone without whom the book would not be complete. I went over to his seat, and he gave me his office's number and I was able to see him the very next day.
As I went into his office in the old, rustic building of the National Academy of Performing Arts, he stood up to greet me with the warmest smile and asked how I wanted to photograph him. I was obviously intimidated by being asked to 'direct' him, so I asked him for suggestions but he gently refused and said that I was the boss here. We started off by having him read some poetry for the camera.
Slowly I realised that he was the last living actor in my favourite film, Lawrence of Arabia. For a photo I asked him to reenact the role he played in the film and his face seamlessly changed into the expression of Tafas, the guide of Lawrence, as he portrayed the harsh desert surroundings and the horror of seeing Sherif Ali from afar (Omar Sharif's character).
It truly felt like the very scene had transported itself here in that small office through augmented reality. If he was such a force to be reckoned with onstage, it is no wonder that he did this so beautifully and took me into a different time and place.
This experience best described Zia Mohyeddin for me- the power of his prose, and his generosity. May he rest in peace, and may his family and friends find the patience to bear with this loss.