Friends, followers remember Dr Enver Sajjad

Writer, actor leaves behind a legacy of avant-garde writing and dedication that would put mediocrity to shame

LAHORE/KARACHI: Acclaimed playwright and fiction writer Dr Enver Sajjad passed away in Lahore on Thursday evening. He spent his final hours at his residence on Raiwind Lahore and breathed his last after a prolonged illness.

Sajjad was not only known for an impeccable command on story writing but he was an incredibly talented voice-over artist, teacher and a mentor to several leading names in the industry.

“Although we started our career at more or less the same time but Sajjad was like a teacher to me,” Amjad Islam Amjad told The Express Tribune. “He had a charismatic personality and his command on literature was unparalleled.” Sajjad’s notable works of published fiction include Chauraha, Janam Roop, Khushiyon Ka Baagh and Neeli Notebook.

A medical doctor by profession, Sajjad always had a knack for not just writing but performing arts at large. He wrote a number of critically acclaimed plays for Pakistan Television including Picnic, Raat ka Pichla Pehar, Koyal and Yeh Zameen Meri Hai to name a few.

“Sajjad wasn’t just a creative writer, he actually ended up introducing a number of new narrative techniques,” well-known writer Asghar Nadeem Saeed told The Express Tribune. “Very few writers receive the critical and commercial acclaim that Sajjad did after switching to TV writing. His transition was quite smooth and inspiring.”

Apart from writing, Sajjad remained an active member of the Lahore circle of artists and also chaired the Pakistan Arts Council Lahore, before moving to Karachi. He was also a painter and an excellent actor.

Sajjad starred in a number of PTV productions and was also nominated for a PTV award for his performance in drama serial Saba aur Samandar. In 1989, the government of Pakistan awarded him with a Pride of Performance for his exceptional contribution to literature and performing arts.

In the years before death, Sajjad also oversaw the scriptwriting department at the National Academy of Performing Arts, which he left due to illness and unresolved grievances. His issues about a less conducive environment for artists in the country and even lesser creative liberty echoed in close circles but he never really found peace with it.

“I wish we had created enough breathing and nurturing space for a genius like Dr Enver Sajjad,” popular actor-director Sarmad Khoosat wrote on Facebook. “I wish it wasn’t such absolute devolution of writing in the name of ‘mainstream’ and ‘that-sells’ and we valued individuals, their special talents and expertise, just a little more.”

Khoosat called Sajjad an honest playwright. That honesty reflected in most of his brilliant avant-garde literature. “Yes! He didn’t just write plays for the 8-9pm slot. He produced literature. Sir, we will take a few more decades to recognise the beautiful ‘decay’ of your legacy,” Khoosat went on.

“I hope and pray you are dancing to a beautiful tune somewhere beyond this mediocre world, in some stratosphere where you truly belong,” concluded Khoosat.

After the privatisation of media in Pakistan, Sajjad became associated with a private channel where he was the head of the scriptwriting department. He not only wrote some incredible scripts but also gave voice-overs to numerous successful projects.

Born in 1935 in Lahore, Sajjad completed his higher studies in medicine from King Edward Medical College before heading out to the University of Liverpool for a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. The 84-year-old is survived by his widow and a daughter.

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