Gen Z knows him as the tabla maestro, four-time Grammy winner, the man with those curls, the legendary percussionist who weaved magic with his hands. But little do they know of Zakir Hussain the actor. Hussain, who died on December 15, was a man who wore many hats.
Before Zakir Hussain the actor, there was of course Zakir Hussain the Ustad who brewed up a storm in a teacup with his tabla in front of the Taj Mahal. That was perhaps the millennial kid’s first proper introduction to Zakir Hussain.
In 1998, Hussain played a musician enamoured by Shabana Azmi’s beauty and grace in the film Saaz, directed by the legendary Sai Paranjpye.
As the name suggests, Saaz, a musical drama revolves around two sisters (played by Shabana Azmi and Aruna Irani) who have inherited music from their father.
After the death of their father, Mansi Vrindavan (Aruna Irani), threatened by her sister Bansi’s (Shabana Azmi) potential, gets her married to an abusive man and continues to pursue her profession. Soon, things change and the sibling rivalry takes a toll on their interpersonal relationship.
Saaz depicts Bansi’s quest for love and fulfilment along with her journey of music as three men become the fulcrum of her existence at different points of time – an abusive husband, a considerate psychiatrist who later turned into a friend, and a musician who gave Bansi her first break and became her lover later.
Zakir Hussain AKA Himaan Desai doesn’t fall into a specified category. Shabana Azmi introduces him as “Azad panchi” (free bird) to her psychiatrist whom she consults to get her confidence back.
Shabana Azmi and Zakir Hussain’s love story takes a tragic turn as the actress’s daughter develops emotions for him. Zakir Hussain (who is shown younger to Shabana Azmi in the film), professes his love for Bansi, which doesn’t conform to societal norms.
The ever-smiling music maestro, who won many accolades for his genius in music, thus teased 90s youngsters with a different persona on screen.
Zakir Hussain tells Shabana Azmi at one point in the film, “Main suron ko khula chhod deta hoon, unhe discipline nahi karta (I let the music flow, I don’t restrict them into boundaries),” perhaps revealing his philosophy of music in real life as well.
Saaz, however, wasn’t the first time Zakir Hussain faced the camera. He made his debut as an actor in Heat and Dust (1975), which was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, and featured Greta Scacchi, Shashi Kapoor and Julie Christie.
Later, he acted in films like The Perfect Murder (1988), Miss Beatty’s Children (1992). He made a cameo in the Tamil film Thanduvitaen Ennai (1991).
Zakir Hussain, who composed music for this year’s Monkey Man, also had a cameo in the film, which marked his last appearance in front of the camera.
Zakir Hussain died at 73 in the US on December 15, following idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis complications.
