He fancied painting Silk Smitha

He could not talk to her or she might have refused the offer. And one of his dreams remained unfulfilled, sources in the Telugu film industry say.

Silk Smitha was very sick and depressed when the offer had come from him, it is learnt.
  In early 80s and 90s,  ‘Maqbool da’, as he was popularly known in local art circles, was a regular visitor at many  bars and Irani chai hotels in Hyderabad. Husain often labeled himself as ‘damad’, the son-in-law of Hyderabad.

Local artists remember him   sipping his evening tea at the Garden Hotel in Secunderabad  and sometimes at Rustom Fram, one of the century-old bars in Hyderabad. He was also a regular at eating joints like Paradise, Firdouz, Tehran, Karachi Bakery and Taj Mahal.

Though he hogged limelight all the time for both good and bad reasons, he always looked strange and crazy that very few would like to sit next to him. It so suited the gifted painter  that while sipping tea he was always attentive to happenings around him and rarely spoke.

 Hyderabad has been his adopted city and his wife and many of his relatives hail from the city. In fact, he had purchased land on Road No 12, Banjara Hills where the Cinema Ghar is now housed, about 33 years ago.  It is a museum to celebrate the life on canvas and silver screen.

During the early days of launch of Cinema Ghar, though enthusiastic about his project, the painter was disappointed that he did not get the anticipated and promised support from the state government led by Chandrababu Naidu.

Incidentally, the threats and warnings by Hindu zealots had been delivered to him at Cinema Ghar. The TDP government had even withdrawn the security earlier given to him. A disgusted Husain had shifted most of his activities to Mumbai again.

Many of Nizams men, including the last Nizam Mukkaram Jah were not only his admirers, but also his most popular benefactors. He was often invited to live in palaces and mahals but Husain fled to isolation of dirty hotels on Moajjamjahi market and Madina square.  “I can breathe only in such places,” he used to tell his friends.