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The tribute giver
One is sure to have seen a tribute or two honouring forgotten legends while channel surfing. Najam-uz-Zaman, the man responsible for them, has made it his mission to pay homage to some of the greatest performance artists of the subcontinent. Najam’s style is clearly evident in the seven tributes he has presented so far.
“I always wanted to do something related to the film industry, about film stars, their lives, who they really were or are. So, when Ghazanfar Ali floated the idea to me, I immediately liked it and my first tribute was to Shehanshah-e-Ghazal Mehdi Hasan,” he says. The ailing maestro himself attended the tribute on a wheelchair, but seemed to enjoy every moment of the programme as young singers sang his melodies.
A viewer watching a tribute tends to get absorbed in the personality being paid tribute to, so one can imagine the depth of involvement of the producer himself. Najam’s voice fills with emotion as he starts talking about the motivation behind executing the tributes.
“Mehdi Hasan is a living legend. Singers like Najam Sheraz and Saleem Javed sing his numbers, but do they know who he is? Has he ever been given the credit, the honour or the recognition he deserves? His films like Doraha, numbers like Ranjish hi Sahi are great songs that the new generation remix, but do not know the real number or who sang it?” he asks.
After the success of the first tribute, Najam, creative director in Indus TV, realized he should go ahead with other legends, his favourite being Waheed Murad. Initially, he did not realize that it is not easy to compile a programme about a person who is no longer alive. It required a lot of effort as according to many, Murad, the ‘Chocolate Hero,’ was the only real romantic hero the Pakistani film industry has ever produced.
“Waheed Murad acted as a romantic hero with almost every heroine, from Shamim Ara, Zeba, Shabnam to Babra Sharif. His family was at the tribute and they were so touched when they saw the clips of the movies and the songs picturised on him. Tributes basically revive memories of legends who have contributed so much to our society.”
To compile a tribute, getting the matter from old magazines, television archives, the film industry and interviews from people who are in one way or the other associated with the personality is not an easy task. It takes Najam about a month to get things in order.
“I get the material myself, which includes the interviews, photographs, slides etc. In fact, I procure practically all that is required. I never depend on anyone since I stay away from unnecessary gossip and negative nonsense. There are no hosts. The presentation is precise and crisp. People come, speak or perform and then go.”
As the man himself admits, one of the most difficult tributes to put together was the one on renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.
“Faiz Sahib was not easy to manage as a tribute, for I had never studied him. In fact, his daughter Salima and son-in-law Shoaib Hashmi were sceptical about how it would be done. As it was, things turned out to be pretty good. Indian writer Gulzar even requested Salima to send him a recording of the tribute,” Najam reveals.
However, though the Faiz tribute was appreciated by many, it did have its fair share of criticism, as some felt being a literary figure and someone who contributed to the Pakistan movement, a musical tribute did not do justice to his personality.
Shamshad Begum was next in line. Of all the seven tributes, one that has yet to be broadcast is the one on Meena Kumari. That is one Najam is spending a little extra effort on, as he wants it just right.
However, tributes are not the only productions Najam is concentrating on. His foremost interest is plays. He reproduced Aik Mohabbat Sau Afsanay, originally written by Ashfaq Ahmed. He also tried his hand at direction, sitting on the big chair for Quratul Ain, for which he received PTV’s best director award.
“I want to produce a long play of 70 minutes. My plays are not unrealistic, romantic types. I feel one should present reality, not artificiality. Therefore, my next attempt is to produce Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi’s play Aala’n. Directing these plays gives me great pleasure.”
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