Ali Sufiyan Afaqi (22 August 1933 27 January 2015; sometimes spelled Sufyan Afaqi), was a Pakistani film producer, writer and journalist. He made his debut in
Lollywood
Lollywood ( ur, , translit=lâli vuḍ) refers to Pakistan's film industry based in Lahore, previously the base for both Punjabi and Urdu language film production.
Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since the partition of I ...
films with his first ever
Urdu
Urdu (;"Urdu" '' He wrote about twenty eight uncertain books on
travel documentary
A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or tourist attractions without recommending particular package deals or tour operators. A travelogue film is an early type of travel ...
and biographies, including ''Filmi Alif Laila'', a book containing history of
Pakistani cinema
Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad.
...
.
He was born on 22 August 1933 as Ali Sufiyan in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
(in modern-day
Sehore district
Sehore District is a district of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The town of Sehore is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bhopal Division.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, Sehore District has a population of ...
of
Bhopal
Bhopal (; ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the ''City of Lakes'' due to its various natural and artificial lakes. It i ...
, India). Following the split of Indian subcontinent, he along with his family migrated to Pakistan and stayed in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
. At the time of migration, he was fourteen. In 1951, he obtained
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
with
Hons
Honours degree has various meanings in the context of different degrees and education systems. Most commonly it refers to a variant of the undergraduate bachelor's degree containing a larger volume of material or a higher standard of study, or ...
.
Early life
After he obtained his BA, he worked for an
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
company during his initial career span, and later joined newspapers where he used to wrote columns and other subjects such as social, politics and culture. He first joined ''Daily Tasneem'' and Jamaat-e-Islami. He also worked at ''Chattan'', a weekly newspaper established by
Agha Shorish Kashmiri
Agha Shorish Kashmiri (1917–1975; ) was a Pakistani scholar, writer, debater, and a leader of the Majlis-e-Ahrar-e-Islam party. He was a figure of the freedom movement in the British Raj, as well as the chief editor of the weekly ''Chattan'' m ...
, and later worked at Nawaiwaqt Group. In later years, he joined ''Daily Afaq'' newspaper where he choose his last name "Afaq" and became known as Ali Sufiyan Afaq. He wrote first-ever film review in Afaq newspaper and then choose it as regular job. As an editor, he worked at ''Aqwam'' weekly and as joint editor at ''Daily Aasar''. Following the
1958 Pakistani coup d'état
The 1958 Pakistani coup d'état began on October 7, when the first President of Pakistan Iskander Mirza abrogated the Constitution of Pakistan and declared martial law, and lasted until October 27, when Mirza himself was deposed by Gen. Ayub Kha ...
, he left journalism and moved to film industry.
Career
He first joined the Urdu cinema as a storywriter and later wrote dialogues for ''Aadmi'' and ''Ayyaz'' films. In 1965, he worked as a producer of '' Kaneez'' film. Prior to his association as a producer, he first worked in ''Thandi Sarak'' film as a storywriter. As a storywriter, producer and director, he produced Urdu language films such as ''Joker'', ''Aaj Kal'', ''Aasra'' ''Aik Hi Rasta'' and ''Shikwa'' among others. During a film festival held in Russia by the Tashkent International Film Festival selected his films such as ''Aas'', ''Saiqa'' and ''Ajnabi'' and translated them into Russian language.
Filmography
Awards
He was the recipient of eight
Nigar Award
The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards ...
s, six Graduate Awards and one Musawar Award and one Kartak Award.
Death
He was suffering from health complications over the past few years and died in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...
, Pakistan on 27 January 2015 of
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...