Theatre doyen Ebrahim Alkazi no more, Kamal Haasan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and others pay tributes

It is the end of an era. The father of modern Indian theatre Ebrahim Alkazi died on Tuesday of age-related issues. The veteran was 94.

Alkazi was the first Director of National School Of Drama and was a strong influence on several prominent actors of Indian cinema.

Several imminent film personalities took to Twitter to mourn his loss.

"A beacon of Indian theatre art and mentor of many great actors, Mr. Ebrahim Alkazi will be remembered for many generations. His love for theatre and the art is unmatched. My deepest condolences to the family and the NSD family," actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan tweeted on Wednesday.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui tweeted, "The true architect of the Modern Indian Theatre. The Doyen who possessed the extreme knowledge in all the aspects of ART. The magician who nurtured many greats of theatre. May your brightest spark from the heaven keeps us enlightening #EbrahimAlkazi #RIP."

Actor Kabir Bedi also honoured Alkazi by tweeting, "Mournng the passing of Ebrahim Alkazi, iconic giant of modern Indian theatre. I knew him from when he was Director of the National School of Drama in Delhi in the1960s. He gave India great theatre and created a new generation of actors and directors."

Randeep Hooda too paid his respect to Alkazi as he wrote, "The Guru of Gurus so many have learnt from and tried to emulate .. Ebrahim Alkazi - the real father of Modern Indian Theatre  .. may the light you shone keep shining through countless others as it shines through now .. Rest in Peace Sir condolences to the family."

Anupam Kher hailed Alkazi as his "acting guru", and wrote, "My acting Guru #EbrahimAlkazi Saab passed away. The tallest man ever in our lives. He taught us not only about theatre, acting or dramas but also about life. He made us discover ourselves. He was our reference point for great acting. He will be MISSED. Om Shanti!!"

Alkazi, an avid art connoisseur and collector, founded Art Heritage Gallery in New Delhi. He had staged more than 50 plays during his distinguished career and won the BBC Broadcasting Award in 1950.

Some of the major plays directed by him include 'Tuglaq' (Girish Karnad), 'Ashadh Ka Ek Din' (Mohan Rakesh), Dharamvir Bharti`s 'Andha Yug', besides several Greek tragedies and Shakespeare`s works.

Alkazi was a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan (2010), Padma Bhushan (1991) and Padma Shri (1966) honours. He had also trained some of the best known Indian talents, including Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri.