Far from the trappings of the film industry, he was a man of honour and dignity
Venkat Raman
Auckland, October 30, 2021
There are a few occasions like this one when a journalist goes beyond his or her duty of reporting. There is a certain note of innate sadness, a personal loss, in recording the death of Yusuf Hussain, our friend from the Hindi film industry- erroneously but popularly known as Bollywood of India.
Hussain was as old as some of us and shared the love of all human beings.
According to his son-in-law Hansal Mehta (who had married his daughter Safeena), Mr Hussain passed away at Lilavati Hospital this morning- Saturday, October 30, 2021.
A few of us had the pleasure of spending a few days with Mr Hussain during his visit to New Zealand in 2016. I used the occasion to recall the Golden Age of Hindi during which he had earned the esteem as ‘a thespian without the trappings of the Cinema.’
Tweeting about the death of his father-in-law, Mehta said that life would never be the same without Mr Hussain.
“Today he is gone. To remind all those women in heaven that they are ‘Duniya ki sabse khubsurat ladki’ (the most beautiful girl in the world) and all the men that they are ‘Haseen Naujwaan’ (Handsome and Young). And then to end with a booming ‘Love You, Love You, Ove You’. Yusuf Saab, I owe this new life to you. I am truly orphaned today. Life will never be the same. I will miss you terribly. My Urdu will remain broken.”
Mehta remembers the support that he received during the troubled days when he was shooting ‘Shahid.’ Drawing down on the money from his fixed deposit, Mr Hussain helped him to complete the film.
Abhishek Bachchan, who worked with Mr Hussain in his recent film Bob Biswas, wrote, “#RIP Yusuf Ji. We worked together in several films starting with Kuch Na Kaho and lastly on Bob Biswas. He was gentle, kind and full of warmth. Condolences to his family.”
Manoj Bajpayee said, “Sad News! Condolences to @safeenahusain @mehtahansal & the entire family! Rest in peace Yusuf Saab.”
Pooja Bhatt also reacted to Mehta’s emotional note and wrote, “This brought tears to my eyes Hansal. Cannot begin to imagine what you all are feeling. My deepest condolences to all.”
About Yusuf Hussain
Born in Punjab, he grew up in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, Mr Hussain has had a long career in show business, which included films and television. He has about 200 films to his credit, notable among which are Dil Chahta Hai, Raaz, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Dhoom, Shahid, OMG: Oh My God, Krrish 3, Raees, Dabangg 3, The Tashkent Films, Jalebi. His television shows included CID, Tum Bin Jaaoon Kahaan, Kumkum: Ek Pyara Sa Bandhan, Ssshhhh… Koi Hai and Mullah Nasruddin.
He obtained his postgraduate (MA) degree from Lucknow University and worked as a Curator at the State Museum in Lucknow. He was later employed as a Professor at the University of Delhi. He launched his own tourism company called, ‘Odyssey,’ which won four National Awards from the Indian Government. He is also credited with several film scripts, short stories and other literature.
Mr Hussain was a part of ‘Sangam,’ a New Zealand based organisation that aims to build a cultural bond between all peoples of the Indian Sub-Continent (notably India and Pakistan). Mr Hussain was due to appear at a forthcoming event of Sangam.
The organisation also published a trilingual magazine called ‘Sangam’ of which Mr Hussain was the Chief Indian Correspondent.
Auckland based Sangam Managing Editor Adnan Mirza said that Mr Hussain spent a lifetime in the pursuit of cultural elevation and immersion, serving as a father figure to heroes on the Bollywood screen and to the many young artists that he had encountered.
As a Lakhnawi (or Lucknowite) love of literature and poetry was instilled in him from an early age, and he always sought to enrich his own knowledge wherever he could, serving as the Chief Indian Correspondent for Sangam New Zealand. We grieve his passing,” he said.
Mr Mirza said that the Auckland South Asian community had the pleasure of hosting Mr Hussain for a period of time in 2016, where he attended as a special guest for various dinners and celebrations hosted by families in the community.
“He also attended and spoke at cultural evenings hosted by the South Asian literature and cultural organisation founded by his childhood friend, Professor Mohammad Rais Alvi. He is survived by his family, who will remember him with great fondness and love,” he said.
https://youtu.be/idnKHQa-xrE
Tribute by Syed Mujeeb Hyderabadi
Auckland based Urdu Hindi Cultural Association General Secretary Syed Mujeeb Hyderabadi said that he was honoured to invite Mr Hussain as the Chief Guest at a Mushaira that he had organised in 2016.
“He honoured me by visiting my humble home in West Auckland and over dinner, with humility, he said that he had more than 300 films and television shows to his credit. He remembered with fondness Director Habib Tanveer, who he said launched his career in theatre in 1970 with ‘Agra Bazaar,’ became a landmark Play, with more than 200 performances in India and Pakistan. Hussain Saheb considered the role of Mohammed Ali Jinnah (Founder-President of Pakistan) that he performed in the Hindi film ‘Dr Ambedkar’ (a Shyam Benegal film) as a great challenge.’”
