ONE OF SEVEN SONS

His parents did not want him to become an actor. He told them he had applied to study in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at the university. Izulat xanim, his mother, one of the first graduates of the Pedagogical College in Azerbaijan, was furious when she learned that her son had gone to study at the Theatrical Institute. But her son, Sahmar Alakbarov, had long set his heart on a career in acting and chose this path in life because he loved acting so much… 

Always top of the class

SahmarAlakbarov was born in Ganca on 23 August 1943. His father, Zulfuqar kisi hailed from Cabrayil and his mother, Izulat xanim from Tbilisi. When he was nine years old, the family moved to Baku where Sahmar spent the rest of his life. At school he distinguished himself for his knowledge and abilities. He was especially good at mathematics. He finished secondary school at the age of 15. While he was still at school, he used to go to the drama club run by Lutfi Mammadbayov at the 26 Baku Commissars Community Centre and acted in the productions there.

In 1963, he entered the faculty of theatre and film acting at Baku State Theatrical Institute. He studied under Rza Tahmasib. He also excelled among his fellow students there. When he discovered Alakbarov's talent, his acting coach felt sure that he would become a great actor. While he was still studying in the third year of the course, Sahmar began to act at the Azerbaijan State Academic Drama Theatre. He made his first stage appearance in a production of  a Shakespearean version of a play by Spanish writer Lope de Vega.

When he had completed his studies, he remained at the institute as an assistant lecturer. After he had done his national service in the army, he was thrilled to be able to plunge into an acting career. But this timeit was not at the Drama Theatre, but at the film studio. Both then and later many thought that Sahmar Alakbarov's departure from the theatre was a loss for the theatrical art, since in the very first parts he played Alakbarov revealed himself to be an extraordinary actor. But in the theatre he did not manage to get the parts that were to his liking, that would allow him to reveal his talent to the full. At that time Adil Isgandarov was transferred from the post of Drama Theatre director to that of director of the Cafar Cabbarli film studio. Offered a job by him, Alakbarov started to work at the "Kinoakterstvo" ["Film Acting"] studio set up by Isgandarov. After that, he never acted on the stage again. He was not offered any parts…

He was both actor and director at the "Azerbaijanfilm" studio. Film enthusiasts got to know and loveSahmar when he was only 24 years old. His first film role was in Kamil Rustambayov's "Duel in the Mountains", based on the tale "Barbed Wire" by Ahmadaga Qurbanov. It was as if the part of Farrux in this film had been written specially for Sahmar Alakbarov. The character of the sincere, conscientious, young soldier won over the hearts of the audience. His first film part was the start of his successful career.

Filmgoers also loved his masterful performance as Mazahir in the 1969 film "I Was Not Beautiful", directed by Tofiq Tagizada and Eldar Quliyev. This was followed by the parts of the investigator Gunduz Karimbayli (in Arif Babayev's film "Stab in the Back"), the leader of the Khurramids, the intrepid commander Cavidan (Eldar Quliyev's "Babak"), the bold Iman (Kamil Rustambayov's "Last Pass"), the kind Qazanfar (Tofiq Tagizada's "Wanted  Seven Sons"), and Qatir Mammad (Rasim Ocagov's "Qatir Mammad"). Besides this, Sahmar Alakbarov took part as an understudy in a number of popular Azerbaijani films - "Find That Girl", "The Last Night of Childhood", "Shared Bread" and others, as well as in the sound track of many films made by the "Mozalan" satirical film studio.

Sahmar Alakbarov also played acting parts in television and on radio. He presented the programme "Ulduz" on the radio and the broadcast "Molla Nasraddin". He performed a number of memorable roles in TV productions.

It was however film that Sahmar was best known for in his career. He worked with many directors. He made dozens of films. Filmgoers saw him in the many roles he created: Rizvan ("Golden Goose"), one of the guys ("Guys of Our Street"), Azad ("Winds Blow in Baku"), Feyzi ("Firangiz"), Nuru ("Strange Man"), Tahir ("Wait For Me"), Xalig ("Old Men, Old Men…"), Cumsud ("When August Comes") and Ibragim ("Saddle The Horses"). Sahmar Alakbarov worked intensely on every role, attempting to reveal distinctive features and sides of the character, to understand his character's view of the world and the principles governing his life. This is why every character that he created differed from the others not only in external appearance, but also in their internal world. Although the parts played by him embraced different characters, in the main he played positive characters.

In spite of everything

His wife Kamilla xanim and twin daughters Izulat and Laman cherish the memory of Sahmar Alakbarov. During a meeting we had many years ago, Kamilla xanim said: "The parts he played are almost a reflection of himself. Sahmar was also a calm, gentle, optimistic and caring person. This is probably why so many people loved him."

The art of acting formed the very essence of his life. He had also caught sight of and fell in love with Kamilla xanim when he was teaching at the Theatrical Institute. Kamilla xanim recounted: "Sahmar and I got to know each other at the Theatrical Institute. I was studying in the drama studies faculty. One day Sahmar asked me to marry him. My parents were opposed to me marrying an actor. Thanks to his loving ways and persistence, after four years Sahmardid somehow get my father to consent to it. Later on, they even became friends."

Sahmar Alakbarov was a devoted family man. "Sahmar befriended his daughters. He was closer to them than I was," Kamilla xanim recalled. Sahmar Alakbarov let his twin daughters get married on the same day. "Sahmar did not live long. It was good that he was able to attend his daughters' weddings," Kamilla xanim consoled herself. Kamilla xanim recounted that his daughters used to take Sahmar's lunch up to the film set for him. 

He had a serious incurable disease. It all started when he began shooting the film "Firangiz".To be more exact, he had been to the dentist before that, where they had hurt his tongue, and then he caught a chill on the film set and the injury to his tongue developed into a tumour. But even this fatal illness was not able to deprive Sahmar of his love of life, his extremely responsible attitude towards his profession and his dreams for the future. For many years he had dreamt of making his own film, of having the final word as the director of it. His illness no longer allowed him to work as an actor, as his speech was impaired and the cancer began to spread throughout his body. But Alakbarov did not give in to the disease, continuing to work in spite of the excruciating pain. As if to spite the incurable disease, he doggedly persisted even more in fulfilling his long-held wishes. In 1987, for the first time he made the film for television, "The Examination", working with the film director Gulbaniz Azimzada, the screenplay for which was based on Anar's tale "Summer in the City". He was over the moon when the film was premiered. Everyone - the script writer, Gulbaniz xanim and the audience - all liked it.

In1989 Sahmar Alakbarov directed the first film of his own, "Endless Night" based on Elcin's tale "The Chicken Stayed Alive". The film version was commissioned by the Committee of the USSR State Radio. Kamilla xanim recalled the days when the film was being shot: "Although he was tormented by this terrible disease, Sahmar continued to work. He was in a hurry. He made the film in a very short time. Sahmar was really inspired when he made "Endless Night". It is a shame that it was only screened for a short time. 

They could not initially find an actress in Azerbaijan to play the main role. They had to offer the job to a former ballerina, Oguldurdu Mam-medguliyeva, from Turkmenistan. She was surprised that Azerbaijani actresses did not want to play such an interesting part as that of Zibeyda. The reason was that the film recounted the problems arising in war time. The main character, Zibeyda, was a woman, who had become a prostitute during the war years. This is why no-one wanted to play the part.

The film was destined to have a rough passage. It caused great controversy after it was released. A picket line of women in front of the studio demanded that it should no longer be on release, so it was actually withdrawn after just a few showings. Sahmar took that very, very badly…

Moreover, the disease was progressing. "He was suffering for seven years. He staunchly put up with the hardships of the medical treatment and the different complications. Sahmar had enormous willpower. He did not want even his close friends to see that he was a broken man," Kamilla xanim said.

He had very much wanted to realise a long-cherished dream of making a film about the famous writer of gazelles [poems in the Middle East] Aliaga Vahid. He set about making the film "Gazelkhan" in 1990, He offered the young actor, Logman Karimov, the title role. Sahmar was in a hurry as if he were trying to get somewhere. He continued filming without a break. The presentation of the film took place in 1991, butSahmar Alakbarov did not manage to see it…

"In the winter of 1992, we took him to Hamburg. But the doctors said that they had no treatment for his condition there. We returned to Baku and put Sahmar in hospital. We tried not to let him know that there was no longer any hope. The girls and I were continually at his bedside. People told me that I had helped to keep Sahmar going for seven years. But I think he managed to stay alive thanks to his willpower and infinite love of his art. He put up with the pain, the difficult treatment in order to complete what he had begun," Kamilla xanim recalled.

People's Artiste, State Prize Winner Sahmar Alakbarov passed away at the age of 49. Many of his dreams remained unfulfilled. He wanted to make the film "Load", devoted to the well-known Baku millionaire, Agamusa Nagiyev, based on his own screenplay. After SahmarAlakbarov's death, in 1995 the director Rovsan Almuradi made a film with the same title, based on Alakbarov's screenplay. 

If Sahmar Alakbarov had lived longer, he would definitely have enriched Azerbaijani cinema art with splendid new films. But you cannot avoid your destiny, as they say. People will always remember the amazing characters created by Sahmar Alakbarov and the unforgettable films he made.