Zakir Hussain's stint in movies: Tabla maestro was to play Salim in Mughal-e-Azam but..

While Zakir Hussain was a legend in tabla, thanks to his mesmerising on-stage performance, he had a not-so-bad stint as an actor too. Though little is known about his work in movies, Hussain became a household name in India through the Taj Mahal Tea commercial, which made 'Wah Taj!' a household catchphrase.

However, the biggest offer that came Hussain's way was the lead role in K Asif's mega directorial Mughal-e-Azam. Hussain, in an interview with Rolling Stone India, Hussain recalled how he was offered the role of the protagonist Salim, at the suggestion of Dilip Kumar. However, Hussain's father, the legendary Alla Rakha objected, stating Hussain would only be a musician.

But, Hussain went on to work in movies, making his debut in James Ivory’s Heat & Dust (1983). He played the character of Inder Lal, a married man who goes on to have an affair with Anne, a character played by Julie Christie. Hussain was also credited as the associate music director.

The percussionist's next outing was in Sai Paranjpye’s Saaz (1997) as Himaan Desai. along side Aruna Irani and Shabana Azmi. His character was said to be based on Asha Bhosle’s second husband, RD Burman.

Hussain was last seen in Dev Patel's Monkey Man which was released in April 2024. The clip from the movie which has Hussain performing to egg on Patel's character in a fight club is going viral on social media now.

But, it was the TV commercial that made him a star. In 1990, the Brooke Bond ad became a super hit as Hussain's words "Wah Ustad nahi, wah Taj boliye" became a household catchphrase.

The story goes that the Brooke Bond team wanted someone who represented both Indianness with Western exposure as the product was gaining popularity among the middle classes. The search ended in Hussain, who appeared as himself.

Hussain's stint with the tinsel town doesn't end. He was the composer for Aparna Sen’s Mr & Mrs Iyer.