Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Encyclopedia
Saeed Akhtar Mirza is an India
n screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of important Parallel cinema
films like Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
(1984), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980), Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
(1989) and Naseem
(1995), which won two National Film Awards in 1996.
He is director of the popular TV serials Nukkad
(Street Corner) (1986) and Intezaar (Wait) (1988), along with various documentary films on social welfare and cultural activism. He is also a trustee of ANHAD
, a Delhi based NGO working for communal harmony.
to Akhtar Mirza, noted screenwriter himself, who won the Filmfare Best Story Award
for Waqt
(1965).
After working in advertising for some time, Mirza joined the Film and Television Institute of India
(FTII), Pune, India, from where he graduated in 1976, subsequently later in his career he has also taught at the institute.
(1978), about the frustrations of an idealistic youth caught in the trap of a feudal money culture. It won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
for the year. This was followed by Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980), about an angry youth, in search of his class and ethnic identifications. This too won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
. Next in this series of his based on the urban middle class, came his satire on the Indian judicial system, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
(1984), an old couple which struggles for years in their legal case that runs for years under a corrupt judiciary, in nexus with real-estate developer. Set in the urban ‘middle class’, his film chronicled their struggles and search of identity in a rapidly changing landscape and economic conditions. Then finally in his angst-ridden movies came, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
(1989), starring Pawan Malhotra, an archetypal Muslim youth caught in the circle of crime and recrimination, and their collective state amidst growing communalism, ghetto mentality, and a search for an ethnic identity which does not clash with a national identity.
Meanwhile he directed and produced popular TV serials Nukkad
(Street Corner) (1986) and Intezaar (Wait) (1988), the first was set in lower middle class of various communities, which meet at a street corner in Mumbai suburb, shared their struggle of everyday survival in a harsh world, and was a big hit. He has lectured widely on Indian cinema at universities in India and The US. He contributes regularly to Indian newspapers and magazines on current political debates and through film reviews.
His last film Naseem
was released way in 1995 set in collapsing secular structure post Babri Masjid demolition era. After that as he put it, "The demolition of the Babri Masjid was the last straw. Naseem was almost like an epitaph. After the film, I had really nothing to say. I needed to regain my faith and retain my sanity. So I decided to travel around India and document it on a video camera". Subsequently he devoted his time to travelling, writing and making documentaries. Later started on his autobiographical work, finally released in 2008, as his maiden novel named Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother
which is about the memories of his mother who died in 1990 and a series of vignettes comprising Sufi fables, childhood memories.
Saeed Akhtar Mirza is the life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film & Television
. Currently he is making film, Ek Tho Chance
and Waqt
. His brother is Aziz Mirza
, the Bollywood Director very much responsible for launching India's most powerful actor, Shahrukh Khan
, after directing the 1989 television serial Circus
.
He lives in Mumbai and Goa with his wife Jennifer. His sons Safdar and Zahir live in New York and Dubai, respectively.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n screenwriter and director in Hindi films and television. He is the maker of important Parallel cinema
Parallel Cinema
The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the sociopolitical climate of the times...
films like Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema....
(1984), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980), Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro is a 1989 Indian film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, with Pavan Malhotra as lead. The film won the 1990 National Film Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1989) and Naseem
Naseem (film)
Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
(1995), which won two National Film Awards in 1996.
He is director of the popular TV serials Nukkad
Nukkad
Nukkad was the name of a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on the Indian Television channel DD National in 1986 - 87. It was co-directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and was written by Prabodh Joshi....
(Street Corner) (1986) and Intezaar (Wait) (1988), along with various documentary films on social welfare and cultural activism. He is also a trustee of ANHAD
ANHAD
ANHAD is an Indian socio-cultural organization established in March 2003, as a response to 2002 Gujarat riots. Shabnam Hashmi, sister of the slain activist Safdar Hashmi and founder of SAHMAT, Marxian historian Prof. K N Panikkar and social activist Harsh Mander are the founding members of ANHAD...
, a Delhi based NGO working for communal harmony.
Early life and education
Saeed was born in 1943, in Bombay, MaharashtraMaharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
to Akhtar Mirza, noted screenwriter himself, who won the Filmfare Best Story Award
Filmfare Best Story Award
The Filmfare Award for Best Story is an given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a writer who wrote a film's story.-1950s:* 1955 Mukhram Sharma - Aulad...
for Waqt
Waqt (1965 film)
Waqt is a 1965 Indian film directed by Yash Chopra. It made it onto the BFI's long list of films in consideration for their top ten of Indian films award. It was produced by B.R...
(1965).
After working in advertising for some time, Mirza joined the Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India
Film and Television Institute of India , is an autonomous Institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India. It is fully aided by Central Government of India. It is situated in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune, India...
(FTII), Pune, India, from where he graduated in 1976, subsequently later in his career he has also taught at the institute.
Career
Saeed Akhtar Mirza started his career as a documentary film maker in 1976, graduating to films with the acclaimed Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan
Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan is a 1978 Hindi Language film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and starring Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Sriram Lagoo and Om Puri.-Plot:...
(1978), about the frustrations of an idealistic youth caught in the trap of a feudal money culture. It won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
The Filmfare Awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1953. Movie awards were first given by popular vote...
for the year. This was followed by Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980), about an angry youth, in search of his class and ethnic identifications. This too won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie
The Filmfare Awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1953. Movie awards were first given by popular vote...
. Next in this series of his based on the urban middle class, came his satire on the Indian judicial system, Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!
Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema....
(1984), an old couple which struggles for years in their legal case that runs for years under a corrupt judiciary, in nexus with real-estate developer. Set in the urban ‘middle class’, his film chronicled their struggles and search of identity in a rapidly changing landscape and economic conditions. Then finally in his angst-ridden movies came, Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro
Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro is a 1989 Indian film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, with Pavan Malhotra as lead. The film won the 1990 National Film Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1989), starring Pawan Malhotra, an archetypal Muslim youth caught in the circle of crime and recrimination, and their collective state amidst growing communalism, ghetto mentality, and a search for an ethnic identity which does not clash with a national identity.
Meanwhile he directed and produced popular TV serials Nukkad
Nukkad
Nukkad was the name of a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on the Indian Television channel DD National in 1986 - 87. It was co-directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and was written by Prabodh Joshi....
(Street Corner) (1986) and Intezaar (Wait) (1988), the first was set in lower middle class of various communities, which meet at a street corner in Mumbai suburb, shared their struggle of everyday survival in a harsh world, and was a big hit. He has lectured widely on Indian cinema at universities in India and The US. He contributes regularly to Indian newspapers and magazines on current political debates and through film reviews.
His last film Naseem
Naseem (film)
Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
was released way in 1995 set in collapsing secular structure post Babri Masjid demolition era. After that as he put it, "The demolition of the Babri Masjid was the last straw. Naseem was almost like an epitaph. After the film, I had really nothing to say. I needed to regain my faith and retain my sanity. So I decided to travel around India and document it on a video camera". Subsequently he devoted his time to travelling, writing and making documentaries. Later started on his autobiographical work, finally released in 2008, as his maiden novel named Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother
Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother
Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother is a debut novel by Indian Director and script writer Saeed Akhtar Mirza. It takes the form of a letter written by Mirza to his late mother.- External links :* http://www.livemint.com/2008/02/01001019/Talk-to-her.html...
which is about the memories of his mother who died in 1990 and a series of vignettes comprising Sufi fables, childhood memories.
Saeed Akhtar Mirza is the life member of International Film And Television Club of Asian Academy Of Film & Television
Asian Academy of Film & Television
The Asian Academy of Film & Television is a film school located in India's Noida Film City in India's Capital region, NCR. It is affiliated with the International Film & Television Research Center and the Marwah Films & Video Studios....
. Currently he is making film, Ek Tho Chance
Personal life
His father Akhtar Mirza was a noted film script writer, with credits like Naya DaurNaya Daur
Naya Daur is a 1957 Indian drama film starring Dilip Kumar, Vyjayanthimala, Ajit and Jeevan. Originally filmed in black and white, the film was colourized and re-released on 3 August 2007.-Plot:...
and Waqt
Waqt
Waqt is the Urdu and Arabic word for Time. It may also refer to:* the time schedule for Muslim prayers, see Salat times* Waqt, song from the Pakistani rock band Entity Paradigm* Waqt, a 1965 film directed by Yash Chopra...
. His brother is Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza
Aziz Mirza is an Indian film director and writer.-Biography:Mirza started his career in 1985 when he joined his brother Saeed Mirza and veteran director Kundan Shah to set a new production company called Iskra....
, the Bollywood Director very much responsible for launching India's most powerful actor, Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
, after directing the 1989 television serial Circus
Circus (TV series)
Circus is an Indian television series starring popular hindi actor of today, Shahrukh Khan when he was a newcomer, and Ashutosh Gowariker who has directed movies such as Jodha-Akbar, Swades, Lagaan, & Baazi.-Cast:...
.
He lives in Mumbai and Goa with his wife Jennifer. His sons Safdar and Zahir live in New York and Dubai, respectively.
Filmography
- Slum Eviction (1976)
- Murder (1976)
- Ghashiram Kotwal (1976)
- An Actor Prepares (1976)
- Urban Housing (1977)
- Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan is a 1978 Hindi Language film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and starring Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Sriram Lagoo and Om Puri.-Plot:...
(1978) - Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)
- Piparsod (1982)
- Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema....
(1984) - The Rickshaw Pullers of Jabalpur (1984) (V)
- NukkadNukkadNukkad was the name of a popular Hindi TV serial that aired on the Indian Television channel DD National in 1986 - 87. It was co-directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza, and was written by Prabodh Joshi....
(1986) TV series - Is Anybody Listening? (1987) (V)
- We Shall Overcome (1988) (V)
- Intezzar(1988) TV series
- Salim Langde Pe Mat RoSalim Langde Pe Mat RoSalim Langde Pe Mat Ro is a 1989 Indian film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, with Pavan Malhotra as lead. The film won the 1990 National Film Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1989) - Ajanta and Ellora (1992)
- NaseemNaseem (film)Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
(1995) - Ek Tho ChanceEk Tho ChanceEk Tho Chance is an upcoming Bollywood erotic thriller film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and produced by Rangita Pritish Nandy under Pritish Nandy Communications. The music director is Ismail Darbar....
(2009)
Writer
- Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan is a 1978 Hindi Language film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and starring Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Sriram Lagoo and Om Puri.-Plot:...
(1978) (story) - Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)
- Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema....
(1984) (screenplay and story) - Salim Langde Pe Mat RoSalim Langde Pe Mat RoSalim Langde Pe Mat Ro is a 1989 Indian film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, with Pavan Malhotra as lead. The film won the 1990 National Film Award for Best Cinematography.-Plot:...
(1989) (screenplay and story) - NaseemNaseem (film)Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
(1995) - Choo Lenge Akash (2001)
Awards
- 1979 Filmfare Critics Award for Best MovieFilmfare Critics Award for Best MovieThe Filmfare Awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1953. Movie awards were first given by popular vote...
: Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb DastaanArvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan is a 1978 Hindi Language film, directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza and starring Dilip Dhawan, Anjali Paigankar, Sriram Lagoo and Om Puri.-Plot:...
(1978) - 1981 Filmfare Critics Award for Best MovieFilmfare Critics Award for Best MovieThe Filmfare Awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1953. Movie awards were first given by popular vote...
: Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980) - 1984 National Film Award for Best Film on Family WelfareNational Film Award for Best Film on Family WelfareThe National Film Award - Best Film on Family Welfare winners:...
: Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho!Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! is a 1984 Hindi art film, made by Saeed Akhtar Mirza, based on his own story, during the Parallel Cinema period of Indian cinema....
(1984) - 1996 National Film Award for Best DirectingNational Film Award for Best DirectingThe National Film Award for Best Direction winners are given below. Satyajit Ray has been awarded the maximum number of times in this category....
: NaseemNaseem (film)Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of... - 1996 National Film Award for Best ScreenplayNational Film Award for Best ScreenplayThe National Film Award for Best Screenplay winners:-References:...
: NaseemNaseem (film)Naseem, , is an 1995 Hindi film directed by Saeed Akhtar Mirza based on his own story.Naseem is considered an important socio-political film that marks a turning point in the Hindu-Muslim dynamics in India as it is based around the Babri Masjid demolition of 1992. It stands amidst great films of...
(1995)