Zia Mohyeddin

Zia Mohyeddin was a Pakistani and British actor, producer, and television broadcaster who performed in both Pakistani and British cinema throughout his long career. He achieved fame through various mediums, including stage plays, films, and his popular television talk show. He died on 13 February 2023 at the age of 91.

Early life and education

Mohyeddin was born in Lyallpur, British India, which is now Faisalabad, Pakistan, on 20 June 1931. He belonged to an Urdu-speaking family that originally came from Rohtak in East Punjab. His father, Khadim Mohyeddin, worked as a mathematician and a musicologist. The elder Mohyeddin was also a playwright and a lyricist who associated with different theatre groups.

Zia spent his formative years in Lahore before pursuing professional training. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London from 1953 to 1955. This education prepared him for a career that would span nearly 47 years in the United Kingdom.

Career

After performing in stage roles such as Julius Caesar, Mohyeddin made his West End debut on 20 April 1960. He played the character of Dr. Aziz in the production of A Passage to India at the Comedy Theatre. This specific production lasted for 302 performances. He later reprised this role for a 1965 BBC television adaptation.

His film career included a debut in Lawrence of Arabia in 1962, where he played Tafas. He appeared in various other films such as Sammy Going South in 1963 and Khartoum in 1966. Throughout his life, he worked across many genres, including the 1970 film Bombay Talkie and the 1987 film Partition.

Mohyeddin returned to Pakistan in the late 1960s to engage with local media. He hosted The Zia Mohyeddin Show on Pakistan Television from 1969 to 1973. This program featured a rap-style song segment that he introduced using his trademark phrase, "zara theka lagaiye". During this period, he also served as the director of the PIA Arts Academy.

He moved back to the United Kingdom in the late 1970s following differences with the military regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. In Birmingham, he produced the weekly magazine program Here and Now between 1986 and 1989. He also starred in Family Pride from 1991 to 1992, which was the first soap opera featuring a British Asian cast.

Later in life, Mohyeddin traveled globally to perform recitations of English literature and Urdu poetry. He maintained strict standards for these performances. He insisted that a reciter must study the metric structure of a poem—he often criticized those who paused incorrectly after rhyming couplets. In 2005, President Pervez Musharraf invited him to form the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi. Mohyeddin served as the president of this institution from its inception.

Personal life

Mohyeddin married his first wife, Sarwar Zemani, and they had two sons named Minos Ameer and Risha Ameen. He later married the Kathak dancer Nahid Siddiqui. Their son is the music producer and percussionist Hassan "Moyo" Mohyeddin.

His third marriage was to Azra Bano Zaidi in 1994. The couple had one daughter, Aaliya, who was born in 2002.

Awards and recognition

The Government of Pakistan awarded him the Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2003. He received the Hilal-i-Imtiaz in 2012 from the President of Pakistan. On 29 November 2017, he was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Pakistani community in Dubai.

In memory of his contributions, the Zia Mohyeddin Flyover was established in Gulistan-e-Johar on 23 March 2023.