Dubai:
In Dubai, which he visited often, MF Husain is remembered not just for his art but for his passion for movies and cars.
He was seen often in a red Ferrari. Locals also often spotted him at local cinemas where he saw the Bollywood films that he missed from home.
"I remember meeting the grand old man walking out of a cinema theatre. He gleamed like a teenager. I don't remember the movie but it was definitely a Hindi potboiler. That defined the man," said Raghav, a Dubai resident.
Husain's dedication to his muse, actor Madhuri Dixit, was on full display here.
"I think his best moment in Dubai came in November 2007 when he booked the entire tickets of a local cinema hall screening Madhuri Dixit's comeback film Aaja Nachle," said Ayesha, a Sharjah resident.
On this occasion, Husain booked 194 seats for the movie as a treat for special guests.
As invitations, he sent his friends tickets with a sketch of Ms Dixit.
Mr Husain, who featured Ms Dixit in a series of paintings, also directed her in a film called 'Gaja Gamini'.
Those who visited his Dubai apartment said it was done up to resemble an Arab majlis, a tent like structure. A round carpet in his studio stretched from his floor onto a wall.
Here, he proudly displayed his early paintings that had once sold for prices like Rs 100-150.