Bella Jaisinghani (BOMBAY TIMES; May 14, 2019)

Mumbai: Nazir Hoosein, veteran motor sport administrator and owner of Liberty Cinema on Marine Lines, passed away in Bombay Hospital on Sunday night. He was 78.

Hoosein’s wife of 29 years, Mrunal Gole, said: “He was suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which caused his lungs to become weak. He will be cremated at Chandanwadi at 9.30am on Tuesday after our daughter Aranka returns from the US, where she is working. It was his wish to be laid to rest this way.”

Hoosein, former vice-president of Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), lived on the fifth floor of the cinema building, an Art Deco landmark. He was instrumental in starting the Himalayan Rally as the first president of the Himalayan Rally Association. He was also head of the Motorsport Association of India and former president of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India. He had been chief steward in the World Rally Championship, steward at Formula 1 races, and a World Motor Sport Council member.

His wife said she would remember him for his passion for motor sport, which he cultivated from an early age, aside from his disciplinary nature. The announcement of Hoosein’s death came from Shrikant Karani, director of Sportscraft, which organises motor sport events.

Staff at Liberty Cinema also recalled Hoosein’s perfectionism. Administrative head Errol Lobo kept the theatre closed on Monday. “I have been working here for 22 years but there are others who’ve been here longer. Liberty Cinema was founded after India’s Independence in 1947. In fact, that is where it derives its name. It started as a dedicated theatre to screen Hindi pictures given that Metro theatre nearby would focus on Hollywood movies. Hoosein carried forward his father Habib’s legacy and also diversified into multi-cultural events, apart from allowing Kashish, the LGBTQ film festival, to flourish at Liberty,” he said.

(With PTI inputs)