ZAHOOR VS AMEEN SAYANI

Badi Uzzaman plays the character of Zahoor, a very complex character according to the director of the play, Pervaiz Alam, who directed Badi for the first time in Achala Sharma's Rishta, an adaptation of Chekhov's, The Proposal. His latest stage role was in West end's Guantanamo (2004), a highly acclaimed play by Victoria Brittain and Gillian Slovo, taken from spoken evidence Weaving together personal stories, legal opinion and political debate, Guantanamo: Honor Bound to Defend Freedom looks at the questions surrounding the detentions in Guantanamo Bay, and asks how much damage is being done to Western democratic values during the 'war-on-terror'.

Television & Films: Tandoori Nights (Channel 4): As Rashid- the waiter, who opens his own restaurant to topple Saeed Jaffrey's game plan. Following No Problem!, Tandoori Nights was only the second Asian sitcom to appear on British TV in the UK.

1985 Prime Suspect 5 with Helen Mirren, All or Nothing (2002) - Passenger, Babymother (2000) - Shopkeeper, My Son the Fanatic (1999) - Man in Mosque, Brothers in Trouble (1997) - Old Man, K2 (1992) - Ibrahim, Personal Services (1987) - Mr. Pater, Cry Freedom (1987) - Mortician's Assistant, Sammy And Rosie Get Laid (1987) - Ghost, My Beautiful Laundrette (1986) - Dealer, The Singing Detective (1986) - Ali, Planespotting ( ITV2005- lead actor's father), The Baby Juice Express (2004), You're Dead (1998 -main villain with John Hurt), Bhaji on the Beach (1994), Son of the Pink Panther (1993), Immaculate Conception (1992) & Buddha of Suburbia etc.

AMEEN SAYANI

Binaca Geetmala – India’s first countdown show Binaca Geetmala by Ameen Sayani began as a half-hour medley of hit songs in October 1952. It was a "re-arrangement popularity poll" with a 100 Rupee weekly price. The very first programme drew 9000 letters! When the weekly mail reached the 65,000 mark, it was decided to scrap the competition and turn it into a one hour hit parade from 1954. In 60s & 70s, the programme became a cult figure in both India and Pakistan. Zahoor, Kabeer and millions of Indians would gather on Wednesdays to tune into this weekly programme of popular music. Binaca Geetmala remained the most popular programme on radio in India for more than 25 years. In 1983, the name BINACA was changed to CIBACA, and the programme continued till around 1989 on Radio Ceylon (SLBC), before which it had also begun on All India Radio’s Vividh Bharati network and continued on it. Ameen Sayani celebrated Cibaca Geet Mala's 41st birthday on TV in 1993, with a 31 episode series on India’s television, DD Metros, featuring a retrospect of earlier annual hit parades. India’s Oscars in advertising, ABBY, awarded their highest award - the "GOLDEN ABBY" - to CIBACA, formerly BINACA GEETMALA, for being adjudged the best radio campaign of the century. But things went awry then, because COLGATE bought over Cibaca Tooth paste around 1994-95. Sayani was called by Colgate to do another radio show for Colgate toothpaste. So "CGM" went into the "freezer" for about six years. Around 2001, Colgate suddenly realised that the "GEETMALA" association -even without the prog- was working wonders with Cibaca sales - and the programme was revived on All India Radio’s Vividh Bharati channel as "Colgate Cibaca Geetmala". Ran successfully for more than 2 years, but was discontinued. Ameen Sayani, 72, lives in Bombay, the commercial capital of India, with his son Rajil and daughter-in-law, Krishna. His wife Rama died a couple of years ago.

Bhawani Shankar adds: In the later years of Geetmala, Ameen Sayani had to do the equally famous "Cadbury's Bourvita Quiz Contest". His brother whose name I think was Hameed Sayani himself had cult following among school- and college students -- inlcuding yours truly! -- who listened to his sunday lunchtime broadcast on the "Delhi-A" station of AIR. It was de rigueur for schools to vigorously support students in their passion to represent their schools on this quiz show. When Hameed died, Ameen-saab took on the Quiz Show and while we missed Hameed's sobriety and masterly conduct, Ameen-saab's penchant for fun lent a new colour to the programme from then on. Sadly, this quiz contest, too, slowly drifted away as television began to gain ground in the late '80s.

DEDICATED TO SHEHNAZ APA: Pervaiz Alam dedicates his new play, Zahoor ka Hotal, to Shahnaz Hashmi & Moin Ehsan Jazbi, two amazing teachers at the AMU Aligarh, who have died recently. "Shahnaz Apa was simply brilliant with those who were even remotely interested in theatre and arts. Incredibly refined and an amazing human being, Shanaz Apa aka Beebi, was an eternal romantic with a great style but without any luck," says Pervaiz. "Jazbi Sahib was among the greatest Urdu poets that Aligarh has produced. Even at the age of 80, he looked so vulnerable when I went to interview him at his residence in the late 90s. To my disbelief, he started crying in the middle of the interview the moment I asked him about his childhood. His step-mother used to torture him, he said!" Pervaiz adds.

JAZBI

Har manzil thi dil ki manzil, jab dil ko gham-e-manzil na raha,
har koocha koocha-e-jaanaN thha, jab koocha-e-jaanaN bhool gaye.

Here's another gem:

Jab Kashti saabit-o-saalim thi, saahil ki tamanna kis ko thi,
ab aisi shikasta kashti par saahil ki tamanna kaun karey!