Asim Raza (; ur, ) is a
Pakistani film and
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
and
producer. Asim began his career as an architect and worked with the architectural firm Arshad Shahid Abdullah (PVT) LTD before venturing into film production and direction. He made his debut as a film maker in the mid 90s, he worked in all visual mediums from TV commercials to music videos, long plays and feature films. In 2004, Asim won the
Lux Style Award
The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...
for
Best Music Video Director
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporatio ...
for "
Mahi Ve". In 2013, Asim directed a television film, ''
Behadd
''Behadd'' ( ur, ; English: ''Boundless'') is a 2013 Pakistani drama film directed by Asim Raza, produced by Momina Duraid, and written by Umera Ahmad. The telefilm stars Fawad Khan, Nadia Jamil, Sajjal Ali, Nadia Afgan, Adnan Siddiqui, A ...
'' which won the
Hum Award for Best Television Film. Asim marked his feature film debut with a
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
drama ''
Ho Mann Jahaan
''Ho Mann Jahaan'' ( ur, ) is a 2015 Pakistani coming-of-age musical drama film, written and directed by Asim Raza at his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Rashna Abdi, Imtisal Abbasi and Asim Raza, while dialogues were written ...
'', Asim Raza owns a production company called The Vision Factory.
Career
1994–1996: TVCs and music videos
From 1994 onwards, Asim worked on many commercials and videos as a producer/director. He also directed a magazine show for television based on advertising and marketing called ''The Big Idea''. Between 1994 -1996 Asim continued making commercials for big brands like
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...
,
Sprite,
Lux,
Olay
Olay, previously Oil of Olay, Oil of Olaz, Oil of Ulan or Oil of Ulay, is an American skin care brand owned by Procter & Gamble. For the 2009 fiscal year, which ended on June 30, Olay accounted for an estimated $2.8 billion of P&G's revenue.
Ear ...
,
Cadbury,
Mobilink
Mobilink ( ur, ) was the trade name of Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), a mobile operator in Pakistan providing a range of prepaid and postpaid voice and data telecommunication services to both individual and corporate subscribers ...
,
Sunsilk
Sunsilk is a British hair care brand produced by the company Unilever. The brand was introduced in 1954 in the UK and available in most countries globally. It is a hair care brand in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, an ...
,
Pantene
Pantene () is a brand of hair care products owned by Procter & Gamble. The product line was first introduced in Europe in 1945 by Hoffmann-La Roche, which branded the name based on panthenol as a shampoo ingredient. It was purchased by Procter & ...
,
Head and Shoulders,
Garnier
Garnier () is a mass market cosmetics brand of French cosmetics company L'Oréal. It produces hair care and skin care products.
Launch
''Laboratoires Garnier'' was founded in France in 1904 by Alfred Amour Garnier. The company's first product ...
and many others. He has also worked with musicians from Pakistan such as
Junoon,
Junaid Jamshed
Junaid Jamshed Khan ( ur, ; 3 September 1964 – 7 December 2016) was a Pakistani singer-songwriter, television personality, fashion designer, actor, and preacher. After graduating with a degree in engineering from the University of Engineer ...
,
Najam Sheraz
Najam Sheraz (Urdu: نجم شیراز) is a Pakistani pop singer and songwriter.
Early life
Najam Sheraz was born in Multan, Pakistan on 2 August 1969. He played professional cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two t ...
,
Abrar-ul-Haq and
Hadiqa Kiani
Hadiqa Kiani (in Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, composer, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and also has performed at the Royal Albert Hall and The Kennedy ...
.
1997–2012: The Vision Factory and music concerts
![AsimRaza(TheVisionFactory)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/AsimRaza%28TheVisionFactory%29.jpg)
In 1997, Asim started his production company, The Vision Factory. Under this banner, he made the music video for the single "
Sayonee
''Sayonee'' ( ur, ) is a song by the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released in April, 1997. It is the first track from the band's fourth album, '' Azadi'' (1997), released on EMI Records. Written by lead guitarist and founder of the band Sal ...
" for the band
Junoon. It stayed at no. 1 on both
Channel V
Channel '' ("V" standing for the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong (now Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific). It was part of the unit of Disne ...
and
MTV Asia
MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA.
History
MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...
for over eight weeks. Asim then attended various short courses, workshops, and seminars including one at the
New York Film Academy
New York Film Academy – School of Film and Acting (NYFA) is a private for-profit film school and acting school based in New York City, Los Angeles, and Miami. The New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 by Jerry Sherlock, a former film, ...
. On 4 May 1997, Asif Jamal filmed and directed the last concert of
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...
, before his death on 17 August 1997, known as "The Pakistan 4 U Concert" aired on
Channel V
Channel '' ("V" standing for the letter, not the Roman numeral "5") is a Chinese and former Asian pay television musical network originally launched by Star TV Hong Kong (now Fox Networks Group Asia Pacific). It was part of the unit of Disne ...
at
Karachi Gymkhana
The Karachi Gymkhana (KG) ( sd, ڪراچي جمخانه, Urdu: کراچی جِمخانہ) is a premier gymkhana (sports club) in the city of Karachi. It is located on Club Road in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
Formerly, it was a first class crick ...
. The concert was televised internationally, marking the first ever Pakistani music production which was broadcast beyond
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
. The concert was made into live album named, "Swan Song-His Final Performance". Following that, Asim filmed the concert performed by
Junoon at
Central Park
Central Park is an urban park in New York City located between the Upper West and Upper East Sides of Manhattan. It is the fifth-largest park in the city, covering . It is the most visited urban park in the United States, with an estimated ...
, known as "A Tribute to
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...
– Junoon Live at Central Park". Asim also directed the
2nd Lux Style Awards
The 2003 Lux Style Awards, officially known as the 2nd Lux Style Awards ceremony, presented by the Lux Style Awards honours the best films of 2002 and took place 22–24 February 2003. This year, the city of Pakistan played host to the Pakist ...
ceremony in 2003 and short documentary about
Kathak
Kathak ( hi, कथक; ur, کتھک) is one of the eight major forms of Indian classical dance. It is the classical dance from of Uttar Pradesh. The origin of Kathak is traditionally attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern Ind ...
dance called ''Raqsan'' showcasing the talent of Pakistani classical dancer
Fasih Ur Rehman. In 2008, he became an external board member on the board of studies for the communication design department at the
Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture
Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture () ( sd, انڊس ويلي اسڪول آف آرٽ اينڊ آرڪيٽيڪچر) is a not-for-profit degree awarding institution in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The university was established in 1989, ther ...
.
2013–present: ''Behadd'' and ''Ho Mann Jahaan''
In 2013, Asim directed a telefilm ''
Behadd
''Behadd'' ( ur, ; English: ''Boundless'') is a 2013 Pakistani drama film directed by Asim Raza, produced by Momina Duraid, and written by Umera Ahmad. The telefilm stars Fawad Khan, Nadia Jamil, Sajjal Ali, Nadia Afgan, Adnan Siddiqui, A ...
'',
written by
Umera Ahmed
Umera Ahmed (Punjabi, ur, ) is a Pakistani writer, author and screenwriter. She is best known for her novels and plays ''Shehr-e-Zaat'', ''Pir-e-Kamil'', ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'', '' Alif'', '' Durr-e-Shehwar'', '' Daam'', '' Man-o-Salwa'', ''Q ...
under
MD Productions
MD Productions is a Pakistani television and film production company based in Karachi, Pakistan. It is founded by Momina Duraid and Duraid Qureshi, son of Sultana Siddiqui.
History
The company has produced television serials such as ''Zindagi G ...
for
Hum TV. Starring
Fawad Khan
Fawad Afzal Khan ( ur, ) (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, model and singer having received several awards including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards and six Hum Awards.
Khan began his acting caree ...
,
Nadia Jamil
Nadia Jamil ( ur, نادیہ جمیل) (Born: October 19, 1975) (also known as Nadia Fazal Jamil) is a Pakistani actress and host who is known for ''Balu Mahi'', ''Behadd'' and ''Damsa'', a story about child trafficking.
Early life and educat ...
and
Sajjal Ali, ''Behadd'' premiered 23 February 2013 on
Hum TV. The telefilm went on to win
Best Television Film award at
second Hum Awards ceremony.
Asim marked his directional debut in the film industry with ''
Ho Mann Jahaan
''Ho Mann Jahaan'' ( ur, ) is a 2015 Pakistani coming-of-age musical drama film, written and directed by Asim Raza at his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Rashna Abdi, Imtisal Abbasi and Asim Raza, while dialogues were written ...
'', which Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui co-produced with him.
Ho Mann Jahaan
''Ho Mann Jahaan'' ( ur, ) is a 2015 Pakistani coming-of-age musical drama film, written and directed by Asim Raza at his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Rashna Abdi, Imtisal Abbasi and Asim Raza, while dialogues were written ...
is a
coming-of-age
Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...
drama film, starring
Mahira Khan
Mahira Hafeez Khan (; born 21 December 1984) is a Pakistani actress. She started her career as a VJ in 2006. Khan is best known for portraying the role of Khirad Hussain in the romantic-drama ''Humsafar'' for which she received numerous acco ...
,
Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui
Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui (born 9 August 1988) is a Pakistani actor, film producer and director. He made his film debut as a lead actor and producer in 2016 with Ho Mann Jahaan. He is notable for his role in Asim Raza's ''Parey Hut Love'', whi ...
,
Adeel Hussain
Adeel Husain ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actor and director.
He is best known for his roles in '' Daasi,'' ''Mata-e-Jaan Hai Tu'', '' Mohabat Subh Ka Sitara Hai,'' '' Jackson Heights'' and ''Mera Naseeb''.
Early life and education
Born on 30 June ...
and
Sonya Jehan
Sonya Rizvi ( ur, ; born 24 April 1980), better known by her stage name Sonya Jehan, is a Pakistani film actress who predominantly works in Urdu and Hindi-language films. She is the granddaughter of legendary singer Noor Jehan and filmmaker S ...
i The film was released on 1 January 2016. The film opened to great critical reviews and proved to be a huge commercial success at the box office. Ho Mann Jahaan was distributed by
ARY Films
ARY Films ( ur, ) is a film distribution and production company in Pakistan, part of ARY Digital Network. 35 films including 11 Urdu, six Punjabi and 17 Pashto films have been released by ARY Films since 2013. Among them, '' Waar'', '' Jawani P ...
. Asim also wrote three songs for the Film that were heavily praised by critics. In an interview with ''
The Express Tribune
''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English language, English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the ''Daily Express (Urdu newspaper), Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliat ...
'' Asim Said, "One should tell a story which is real, relatable and true to life, which is why I opted for a more content-driven film which would touch hearts."
Personal life
Asim Raza is married to Ayla Raza, daughter of former army chief and president of Pakistan
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...
. Also an architect by education, Ayla Raza is working for the promotion of traditional performing arts as the director at a not for profit organization,
All Pakistan Music Conference
The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) is a volunteer organization founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical arts in Pakistan and continues to preserve and promote Pakistani classical and folk music and dance. It hosts a concert of musi ...
(APMC),
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...
. Together they have two daughters, Maryam Raza and Zainab Raza.
Filmography
Films
Television
Awards
Lux Style Awards
See also
*
The Vision Factory
*
Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar
Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar ( ur, ) is a Pakistani writer, director, Urdu poet, lyricist and occasional actor known for writing such dramas as ''Pyarey Afzal'' (2013), ''Sadqay Tumhare'' (2014) and most recently the top-rated '' Meray Paas Tum H ...
References
External links
*
Asim Razaat The Vision Factory
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raza, Asim
1966 births
Living people
Muhajir people
People from Karachi
Pakistani television commercial directors
Urdu film producers
Pakistani music video directors
Alumni of University College London
National College of Arts alumni
Pakistani film directors
Pakistani film producers
Pakistani television directors
Lux Style Award ceremonies directors
Lux Style Award winners
Pakistani architects