Ebrahim Alkazi, the legendary Padma Shri & Padma Bhushan winner, passes away at age 95

Reputed Indian theatre director and drama teacher Ebrahim Alkazi passed away on Tuesday at age 95. His son Feisal Alkazi informed the media outlet that his father died of a “massive heart attack” at Escorts Hospital in New Delhi. He became one of the most prominent theatre artists back in the 1940s and 1950s. Ebrahim Alkazi was also credited for revolutionising theatre in India and his significant contributions to the field.

Ebrahim Alkazi’s career

Early in Alkazi’s career, he got associated with the Bombay Progressive Artists’ Group which included M. F. Husain, Tyab Mehta, Akbar Padamsee and more. Later, Alkazi moved to Delhi and became the director of the National School of Drama (NSD) for almost 15 years. In his stellar career, he was also known to have leading important advances in scenography. Noted as an art connoisseur, he founded the Art Heritage Gallery in Delhi.  

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As the director of NSD, he revolutionised Indian theatre with his magnificent vision and meticulous techniques. He is known to have trained prominent directors and artists like Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Vijaya Mehta and many more. He was the recipient of several honourable accolades for creating awareness about theatre sensibility and aptly mixing modern manifestations with Indian traditions.

In the year 2004, he became the first recipient of Roopwed Pratishtan’s Tanvir Award for his lifetime contribution to Indian theatre. He has also bagged Padma Shri in 1966 and the Padma Bhushan in the year 1991.

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Ebrahim Alkazi’s personal life

Alkazi was born to a wealthy Saudi Arabian businessman in Pune. His mother belonged to Kuwait and he had nine siblings. During partition, the rest of his family migrated to Pakistan while Alkazi decided to stay back in India. Schooled in Vincent’s High School in Pune, he was educated in English, Arabic, Marathi and Gujarati. He later joined the St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

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He married Roshan Alkazi who passed away back in 2007. She used to design costumes for all his plays. She had also written two books on the history of Indian garments. Ebrahim Alkazi is survived by his two children Amal Allana and Feisal Alkazi.

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