''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz'' (

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

: بزم طارق عزیز), formerly ''Nilaam Ghar'' (Urdu: نیلام گھر) and ''Tariq Aziz Show'' (Urdu: طارق عزیز شو), was a quiz-format

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

hosted by

Tariq Aziz Tariq Aziz (, , 28 April 1936 – 5 June 2015) was an Iraq, Iraqi politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iraq), Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1983 ...

Pakistan Television Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcasting, broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information & Broadc ...

(PTV) which started in 1975 and lasted for a few decades.

History

The show started as ''Nilaam Ghar'' (''Auction House'') in 1975. It was the first television show in Pakistan to have mass audience participation, commercial sponsorships for specific questions or question rounds, and extravagant prizes. Major corporations like

Hitachi () is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1910 and headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The company is active in various industries, including digital systems, power and renewable ener ...

were prominent sponsors of the show.Profile of Tariq Aziz
The News International (newspaper), Published 18 June 2020, Retrieved 15 August 2021 It was renamed as ''Tariq Aziz Show'' in 1997, and in 2006 took the name ''Bazm-e-Tariq Aziz''. The show celebrated its fortieth anniversary in October 2010. In February 2012, it celebrated its 300th episode. It was the oldest television show in Pakistan. With only a few interruptions, it had continuously run for the last 35 years on PTV and it had been hosted by Tariq Aziz since its first day.Bazm E Tariq Aziz on The Express Tribune (newspaper)
Published 17 February 2014, Retrieved 15 August 2021 Retrieved 15 August 2021

Format

It used many games and formats. A quiz-format game was used in different ways, asking questions from the ramdom, interested audience and pre-qualified teams. Answering correctly would lead to prizes (household appliances, car, etc.), sponsored by companies. One significant format was

Bait Bazi Bait Bazi (Urdu: بیت بازی) is a verbal game and a genre of Urdu poetry played by composing verses of Urdu poems. The game is common among Urdu speakers in Pakistan and India. It is similar to Antakshari, the Sistanian Baas-o-Beyt, the Ma ...

(Urdu: بیت بازی), which is a verbal game and a genre of

Urdu poetry Urdu poetry ( ) is a tradition of poetry and has many different forms. Today, it is an important part of the culture of India and Pakistan. According to Naseer Turabi, there are five major poets of Urdu: Mir Taqi Mir (d. 1810), Mirza Ghalib (d. ...

played by composing verses of poems.

Tariq Aziz

Tariq Aziz had a unique speaking style. He belonged to

Sahiwal Sahiwal ( Punjabi / ; ; ), formerly known as Montgomery, is a city in central Punjab, Pakistan. It is the administrative capital of both Sahiwal District and Sahiwal Division. It is the 19th largest city of Pakistan by population accordin ...

but he lived in Lahore. "He is probably the most recognised PTV personality in Pakistan". said former director of public relations and former press attaché to Bangladesh, Mohammed Hussain Malik. "His show in Bangladesh was a complete success. Bengalis who did not know any Urdu watched his show. He did four shows and all were completely sold out."

Production Team

Aarif Rana was the creator and the first producer of ''Nilaam Ghar''. Other Producers include Hafeez Tahir,

Ayub Khawar Ayub Khawar is a Pakistani poet, author, and television director. He directed many of the TV serials for Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) including ''Fishaar'', ''Khawaja and Son'', ''Pataal'', '' Qasmi Kahani,'' and ''Gulzar Classics''. ...

, Syed Zahid Uzair, Farrukh Bashir, Agha Zulfiqar Farrukh, Agha Qaisar, Tajdar Aadil. Karim Shahabuddin served for many years as the music director for the show in the 1980s.

Production Location

It was organised by

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation (; reporting name: PTV); also known as ''Pakistan Television'', is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster founded by the Government of Pakistan, operating under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. I ...

in Hall no. 2 of Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore. Occasionally, it was also organised in other cities like Karachi.

References