BEHIND THE CLASS ACT

One man's struggle to keep alive his father's legacy in theatre

- ANJULY MATHAI

Mohammad Ali Baig had an idyllic childhood in a stud farm with ponies as playmates. Afternoons would be spent riding horses or playing cards and caroms with his father, the legendary thespian Qadir Ali Baig. In the evenings, the house would bustle with his father’s theatre buddies. Qadir was a big foodie, and insisted the visitors be served authentic Hyderabadi cuisine. He also insisted on strict decorum in the house. After school, for example, his children were not allowed to rush to the dining room; they had to be properly attired for meals.

Still, Mohammad always looked up to his father. Qadir knew how to balance personal and professional life, ensuring he spent quality time with his family. However, his joy was short-lived when his father grew ill in his adolescence. Qadir always loved to celebrate special occasions. In his final days, however, he could not leave the house to buy gifts. Mohammad remembers his father’s last birthday gift to him, a few months before Qadir died at the young age of 46.

“Early in the morning, my father walked into my bedroom and gifted me the pen he used to write with,” says Mohammad. “That was his last gift to me. I wanted to think that this was the pen that would give me the might to write such legendary plays as my father. But I never had the courage to use it.”