The death of legendary broadcaster Tariq Aziz has come as nothing less than a shock to all those who grew up watching him on TV.
It was his personality that kick-started the journey of Television in Pakistan; he was the man behind the uber-successful Neelam Ghar that aired on PTV for 45 years; he acted in films, was fluent when it came to poetry and had no match when it came to hosting.
Tariq Aziz was born in the Indian city of Jalandhar on April 28, 1936, and migrated to Pakistan after Independence. After receiving his primary education in Sahiwal, he began a career as a broadcaster on Radio Pakistan, impressing all with his style, elegance, and diction. It was there that he was selected as the person who would announce the arrival of Television in Pakistan, and his love affair with TV began on the very day it was launched in Pakistan, on 26th November 1964.
PTV Transmission Link:
Just check the way he speaks in this video. It was like flowers, not words that were flowing from his mouth; the way he addresses kids became his way of talking to guests on his show no matter how old or young. It was this unique style with which he launched Neelam Ghar in 1974 that went onto become the first PTV show to air in color, laid the foundation of modern-day Game Shows in Pakistan and became the first and so far the only TV show in the country to air for 45 years, consecutively.
Tariq Aziz was not just a TV Show host; he was a popular actor who regularly performed in both films and TV during the 1960s and the 1970s. Not only did he work alongside legendary actors like Mohammad Ali, Waheed Murad, Nadeem, Shakeel, Shabnam, Babra Sharif, Shamim Ara, and Munawwar Saeed, he continued acting in films till the late 1980s. He quit the industry to concentrate on Neelam Ghar (later named Tariq Aziz Show and Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz) that required him to travel a lot since the show was conducted mostly in Karachi and Lahore.
And that’s not all, Tariq Aziz also had political acumen and that’s why during the 1980s and the 1990s when elections were held regularly, he was there to give his insights with learned individuals like Wahab Siddiqui, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, Mustansir Hussain Tarrar and Naveed Shehzad to name a few. The energy with which he carried on for nearly 60 years, has no match in Pakistan or any other country. From 1964 to 2020, the 84-year-old Tariq Aziz was a PTV regular and didn’t switch to any other channel despite others offering him a chance to leave the mother organization.
Popular TV actor Ahsan Khan regards Tariq Aziz as the person who inspired him to become a host on TV.
‘Tariq Aziz sahib as not just a TV host, he was an institution who would make you learn from him without even trying. I am proud of the fact that I met and interviewed him on a couple of occasions, leaving the meeting as an ‘intellectually-rich’ person on each occasion. It was Tariq Aziz who taught me how to control the crowd while being on stage and I wouldn’t be incorrect to call him the pioneer of TV hosting in Pakistan, and easily the biggest TV host in the Indian subcontinent.’
Ahsan Khan is not wrong because to continuously host a program for 45 years without any break is an achievement in itself. It was his show that attracted sponsors, and his personality that glued people to their TV sets week after week for nearly 5 decades. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that he was the most recognizable face in the country because his association with those growing up in the 1970s, 1980s, and the 1990s was bigger than any celebrity today.
Renowned TV actor and popular host Faysal Qureshi also remembers the time when he went to Neelam Ghar and had a ball of a time with Tariq Aziz conducting the show with enormous energy.
‘Everyone who grew up in Pakistan during the last 50 years connected with Tariq Aziz because he was the friendly face who would appear on our TV every weekend and impress us with his intellect and his conduct. I remember going to the Neelam Ghar show when I was a kid and I was surprised to see Tariq Aziz sahib mesmerizing the audience with his compering. He knew how to control the audience which was new to me as till then I had seen the show only on TV. Every one of us who does a Game Show in Pakistan today tries to copy his style because it is the best way to connect with the audience. I will miss him, miss his energy on TV and we hope that one day we will be able to emulate his work.’
For his valuable services to the entertainment industry, the Government of Pakistan conferred the prestigious Pride of Performance Award to Tariq Aziz in 1992. He also dabbled in politics as well and was the first part of the Pakistan People’s Party, and later joined Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) in the 1990s and it was during the 1997 General Elections that he became a member of the National Assembly for the only time in his career.
His death has terminated the link with the Golden Era of Pakistan Television, and the vacuum left by his demise might never be filled again.
from HUM TV – Watch Dramas Online https://ift.tt/2UTttPl
0 comments:
Post a Comment