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Zia Mohyeddin has the art of captivating the audiences
for hours due to his passionate presentation and exquisite expression.
He started this Houston Bouquet Show with a good-humored story from the
translation done by Akhtar Sheerani of Arabic Book Jamael-e-Hakayat.
During his presentation, he selected literature and poetry pieces, which
use humor to bring out the problems we have in eastern societies because
at times people at the world in a myopic manner and/or at times
misinterpret from things in our religion(s). At the same time, he
presented excerpts about the problems of western societies.
Feeling the appreciative nature and comprehension level of the
enthusiastic listeners, Zia Mohyeddin opened his heart out by presenting
a piece from his book coming in August 2008 about the traditional Lahore
cricket match between Government College and Islamiah College before
Pakistan and India became independent countries. He also presented
passages from "Fasana-e-Azad", Mujtaba Hussain, Ibna-e-Insha,
Asad-Ullah-Khan-Ghalib and much more.
Earlier in the program, Dr. Surraiya Saleem gave these highlights of Zia
Mohyeddin life. Born in Faisalabad (formerly Lyallpur in the British
India) on June 20, 1933, this Pakistani actor famed for his voice, got
trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from 1953-1956.
After stage roles in Long Day's Journey Into Night and Julius Caesar, he
made his West End debut in A Passage to India in 1960. He made his film
debut in Lawrence of Arabia in 1963, playing the role of Tafas (the Arab
guide, who is shot by Omar Sharif for drinking water from the wrong
well.). He then made numerous TV and film appearances, and starred as
Dr. Aziz in the 1965 BBC television version of A Passage to India.
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Zia Mohyeddin returned to Pakistan in the late 1960s. There he
founded and ran the PIA Arts and Dance Academy, and hosted his own TV
talk show called "Zia Mohyeddin Show". Around this time he met and
subsequently (in 1973) married the Kathak dancer Naheed Siddiqui..
However after difficulties with the regime, Mohyeddin returned to
England in the late 1970s, shortly followed by his wife. During the
1980s Zia worked in Birmingham, Great Britain, where he produced Central
Television's flagship multicultural program 'Here and Now'.
Zia Mohyeddin resumed his acting career in Europe, appearing in small
roles in various movies and television programs. He has since traveled
the world giving Urdu poetry and prose recitations. In February 2005
President Pervez Musharraf invited Mohyeddin to act as Chairman of the
new National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi.
Some of his selected films include Immaculate Conception, The Assam
Garden, Ashanti, Bombay Talkie, Khartoum, Behold a Pale Horse and
Lawrence of Arabia. His famous TV Plays were: Bergerac, The Jewel in the
Crown, Death of a Princess, Gangsters, Man in a Suitcase, Adam Adamant
Lives!, The Avengers and The Adventures of Sir Francis Drake (7 Jan 1962
episode "Visit to Spain")
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