Zakir Hussain was voted the “sexiest man” by women readers of the Indian magazine Gentleman in 1994 in a competition against the likes of Amitabh Bachchan.
Zakir Hussain, to the world, will always be known as the tabla maestro with a big smile on his face. But did you know he once beat actor Amitabh Bachchan as the ‘sexiest man’? During a conversation with author Nasreen Munni Kabir for her book Zakir Hussain: A Life in Music, the maestro shared the details. Zakir died on early December 16 morning after weeks of illness.
Zakir’s title of sexiest man
Zakir was voted the “sexiest man” by women readers of the Indian magazine Gentleman in 1994 in a competition against the likes of Amitabh Bachchan. “The magazine team came to see me and wanted me to wear all these suits and jackets and Western clothes and feature on their cover. I think they were equally shocked and surprised that I won the greatest number of votes because they had assumed the winner would be Amitabh Bachchan,” news agency PTI reported quoting Zakir telling Nasreen.
About Zakir Hussain
Zakir died from ‘idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis’, a lung disease, in a San Francisco hospital early Monday. He was 73. He is survived by his wife, Antonia Minnecola, and two daughters, Anisa Qureshi and Isabella Qureshi. Zakir’s father, Alla Rakha, was a renowned tabla player.
He performed his first concert at the age of seven and began touring at 12. After completing his education in Mumbai, where he was born, he moved to the United States in 1970. In February this year, he became the first musician from India to receive three Grammys at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Global Music Album, Best Global Music Performance and Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.
Apart from four Grammys, Zakir was the recipient of countless awards and honours, including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, the USA’s National Heritage Fellowship and Officier in France’s Order of Arts and Letters.
Zakir was the maestro of tabla, percussionist, composer and even actor – a legend who was India’s very own and yet belonged to the world. The artiste, a marquee name in India and abroad, leaves behind more than 60 years of music.