Stage legend with loads of wisdom
ESSOP Khan, who died recently, aged 72, made us laugh and made us cry. He pinned the South African social situation to the board like a butterfly to be studied through a magnifying glass… but viewed through the eyes of comedy.
It was not just the stage spotlight that shone on him and his partner, Mohammed Ali.
Often they were under scrutiny of a different sort.
In the apartheid era, they were viewed as communists or even terrorists by the police. There were times when they were hauled off to police stations to be questioned and their houses searched for scripts.
The longest-running play in the 1970s was Ronnie Govender’s classic production Lahnee’s Pleasure in which Khan and Ali starred, with Khan receiving many standing ovations.
The two men founded Ekma Productions about 33 years ago, and went on to write 27 plays and featured in about 60 productions. Their first production, The Jamal Syndrome, in 1986, was staged at the Jira Theatre in Reservoir Hills. It ran for two years.
Khan and Ali nurtured young budding talent, and raised huge sums of money for Cansa, hospices, feeding schemes, religious organisations, schools and clinics. them hijacked on two occasions.
In one such incident, Ramsamy refused to part with her cellphone and Khan gallantly told the hijackers she had no cellphone but gave them his Nokia 3210.
Much to his surprise, the hijacker gave it back asking: “Do you call this a phone?”
Khan, said Parasuraman, had only missed being on stage when he had a heart bypass, or was really ill.
He and Ali were awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“I’ve known Essop for many years,” she said, “but in 2014/2015 I was directed by him for a one-woman play which never materialised. Later in 2015, we worked together on Fabulous Four in One – the last production he would ever do. I got to script it with him. It was a tribute to his years in theatre, and I thoroughly enjoyed documenting their history. It was about their upsand-downs in the industry as well as their success stories.”
Parasuraman said it had always been a joy to work with Khan, he was a legend with many years of experience and loads of wisdom. “He was a natural-born comedian on or off the stage. Everything he said would make you laugh.”
Her own magical moments with him were the long conversations over the phone late at night. “I would get the best Essop Khan with Siddiqa Khan.
advice, as well as loads of love and laughter,” she recalls.
For her, Khan had been the best director to work with.
“He disciplined actors if the need arose, but he quickly forgave and his unconditional love kept everyone united. He taught us all to be independent and to keep believing in our dreams, even when we had no support.”
When it came to charity, Khan never looked at religion, race or sex if an organisation needed help.
“He spread the message of love and unity wherever he went,” she said.