Zul Vellani

The 'Voice of an Era' is recognized as Zul Vellani. Vellani was a well-known commentator, actor, writer, and director who was known for his "honeyed and baritone" voice on the 731 Films Division documentaries and numerous newsreels. He is well-known for the films Black (2005), 1965 and 1989, among others. He was a multidimensional artist who wrote with style, talked in Hindi and English for radio and film and performed on stage and in films as both an actor and a director. He worked for well-known filmmakers and, he appeared in both short-long-form films, in Siddhartha by Conrad Rook (1972). He was mainly involved in the nation's theatre communities.

He was the most sought-after voice to narrate hundreds of documentaries and newsreels for the Films Division due to his rich baritone voice. Born on July 16, 1930, in Mombasa, East Africa, Zulfiqar Hussein Vellani graduated from the London Polytechnic Institute with a diploma in direction. He was charming and kind and he never felt ashamed to talk about his childhood stammer. He struggled with his stammering until he returned to India when a compassionate teacher suggested that he take part in the school's theatre programs. And so, after, his lifelong passion for the dramatic arts began. Interestingly, in his professional life, He never stammered on stage or the microphone.

Sometimes, his stammering asserted itself when he was tired or stressed. On the Bombay stage, he made his acting debut in George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. He played the role that would eventually lead to the creation of the Chocolate Soldier in an operetta of the same name, and that is precisely who he was, according to da Cunha. He was charming and quickly won people over like chocolate. The colonial abuses he had seen in his nation of origin would easily incite him to act against injustice. His writing produced The Flaming Spear, was based on the life of Jomo Kenyatta, the Father of Free Kenya. A notable production of Othello that he both directed and acted in saw two performances wrecked by inclement weather, the second by a power outage.

In the latter, he apologized on stage while brandishing a flaming torch, and the crowd remained motionless because they believed it was all part of the performance, according to da Cunha. He discovered his calling in Films Division (FD), where he ruled for about 40 years, in addition to his role as a commentary writer and voice. Prem Vaidya Prem Vaidya was born on February 26, 1927.  He was >> Read More... , one of FD's best cameramen-directors, was assigned to make a movie about the indigenous people of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The FD elders, though, disapproved of the final footage. Vellani immediately got to work, editing the movie to a commentary he had written. It afterward went on to win numerous domestic and foreign honors.

He is well recognized for his work on documentaries, which are Man in Search of Man (1974) and Khajuraho. Many of these films received national and international recognition. Known to be Indira Gandhi's favorite pundit, the late PM reportedly sent a message requesting Vellani to provide the voiceover at her burial if and when she passed away. Two enigmatic guys showed up at Vellani's house on October 31, 1984, the morning Mrs. Gandhi was murdered and demanded that he take a flight to Delhi right now.

Although the PM's passing had not yet received an official announcement, a particular flight was prepared for Vellani. He accomplished Mrs. Gandhi's wish in this way. When theatres were required to run a Films Division film before every feature film, his writing and commentaries were unmatched. He would hold one's attention with his anecdotes since he was charming and had no ill will towards anyone. Zul Vellani passed away on 31 December 2010.