Former General Manager PTV and currently Director PTV, Athar Waqar Azeem claims that movies and music have become his companions in life. Says he, “When a person is alone, these two genres can serve as wonderful partners. Since my wife died nineteen years ago music and movies have kept me company, so much so that I have a huge collection of both.”
However, while Azeem watches and enjoys all kinds of films, he says his favourites have been varying with time. For instance, in his student days he says he was very fond of To Sir With Love and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner? Later, as he grew older, his favourite became Julia which had Russia as a backdrop. More recently, Azeem says Pretty Woman and Intersection were among the movies he has enjoyed thoroughly. The last Hollywood release he has seen and appreciated is Fahrenheit 9/11.
Although all the movies he has mentioned are English, Azeem watches Indian films as well but says: “I prefer old Indian movies though, and am not so hung up on the new ones. For instance, I found the old Devdas far superior to the new one, in spite of the glamour and sets of the relatively recent production.”
As for Pakistani movies, Azeem admits that he watched them when he was young, and some of them left an impression on his mind. He recalls, for example, being invited by Fazli sahib to see his film Chirag jalta hai. Other vintage Pakistani movies that he still remembers fondly are Baji and Khamosh raho. About the latter he says: “It was a new subject and was a really good film.” The newer crop of Pakistani films doesn’t appeal to him at all, as Azeem says: “There is a vast difference between our artistes and the Indian artistes. Nadeem is a close friend of mine, but even his films, I have hardly seen one or two.”
Recently, Azeem says he watched an Indian movie called Sur based on a singer’s life and claims: “Now when I watch movies, I see them from a different angle. I am concentrating more on the subject and the treatment of the film now.” If he had to choose one film that he could watch over and over again though, Azeem says it would be either the old Devdas or To Sir With Love.
With music serving as a buffer to his loneliness Azeem says he listens to it all the time — whether in his bedroom or in the car, and “ninety per cent, I am listening to Lata.” According to him, although A.R. Rehman may have come up with some sensational numbers like those of Taal or the famous Chaiyan Chaiyan, they are not likely to be remembered with the passage of time. However, the vintage numbers that Lata has sung, because of their poetry and music, tend to be everlasting. “You sit in a mehfil and play the song from Sada — Tum na janey — and there won’t be a person who isn’t familiar with it. The melody and poetry grips everyone and one can associate oneself with the ditty. The new songs are just good for ‘hulla-gulla’ in parties.” However, he finds it difficult to name just one rendition of Lata’s that he would rate as his favourite. Says Azeem: “Depending on my mood, each time it’s a different song that holds appeal for me.”
Azeem and his friends, such as Anwar Maqsood, Nadeem and S.M. Shahid have a substantial collection of music and he claims that they often share their treasury with one another. Says he: “I have many old songs that I could hear (for) 24 hours, which is more than I can say for the new numbers. Not that I don’t have any of the more contemporary songs in my collection. I do have some in my library because I like them, but if I have to pick one to listen to, I invariably pick an old ditty.”
As for English music, he feels that there are some like the one sung by Police — Every Step You Take — that he likes so it is a part of his collection, but again, if he had to choose something to listen to, he would rather pick an old Indian song by Lata, any day. However, he is fond of listening to Beethoven’s symphonies and depending on his mood, hears them out of choice.
From Pakistani numbers, Azeem says he likes some of Madame Noor Jehan’s, such as Mujh sey pehli si mohabbat and Mehdi Hassan’s renditions. In fact, he claims the latter is the biggest name in music that we have produced. He also likes to listen to Farida Khanum and Iqbal Bano. Azeem feels that one should have such a vast taste in music that one can play and enjoy almost anything that one’s guest may want to hear. In fact, he says, when his friends come over, they invariably make requests and he complies not only by putting on the audio for them but also its video, if he has it.
Books, however, have not been so much Azeem’s companions in escapism as they have been a source of keeping in touch with his line of work. Says Azeem: “I grew up in a family where we interacted with a lot of literary personalities on a regular basis, and I think that makes a lot of difference to the development of a personality. Whether you read their books or not, you learn a lot from conversing with them and socializing with them. Today, youngsters miss out on this important social aspect.”
In school and college days, Azeem says he read classics such as Thomas Hardy’s novels but that was more because he had to, and he was always more into short stories, such as those by Manto. Claims Azeem: “Manto’s writings left an everlasting impression on my mind.”
However, Azeem says he joined TV when he was still doing his Master’s and since his portfolio was current affairs and sports he turned to reading about current affairs. Says he: “I buy books that people recommend and always read them, but they are rarely fiction, and are mostly about leaders. Recently, I read Clinton’s autobiography and enjoyed it. It is very important to keep abreast with the times. I also read Time and Newsweek regularly.”
Former General Manager PTV and currently Director PTV, Athar Waqar Azeem claims that movies and music have become his companions in life. Says he, “When a person is alone, these two genres can serve as wonderful partners. Since my wife died nineteen years ago music and movies have kept me company, so much so that I have a huge collection of both.”
