Saeed Akhtar Mirza (born 30 June 1943) is an Indian screenwriter and

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 ...

Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

and television. He is the maker of notable parallel films such as ''

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. The film is a comic satire on a judicial system, where cases drag on for decades, whe ...

'' (1984), '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), ''

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 Best Feature Film in Hindi and Best Cinematography at 37th National Film Awards. Plot The film is set in the per ...

'' (1989) and '' Naseem'' (1995), which won two

National Film Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directora ...

s in 1996. Saeed Mirza Was Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at ICA - International Cultural Artifact Film Festival in 2020. He is director of the popular TV serials ''

Nukkad ''Nukkad'' (English: Street Corner) is an Indian Hindi-language television series that aired on DD National in 1986–87. It was directed by Kundan Shah and Saeed Akhtar Mirza; it was written by Prabodh Joshi and Anil Chaudhary. It starred Dil ...

'' (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 (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy) is an Indian socio-cultural organization established in March 2003, as a response to 2002 Gujarat riots. Social activist Shabnam Hashmi, sister of the slain activist Safdar Hashmi and founder of SAHMA ...

, a Delhi-based NGO working for communal harmony.

Early life and education

Saeed was born in 1943, in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

, Maharashtra to

Akhtar Mirza Akhtar Mirza was an Indian screenwriter and director for Bollywood films. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Story, for the 1965 film '' Waqt''. He is the father of National Award-winning director Saeed Akhtar Mirza and the commercially success ...

, noted screenwriter himself in the 1960s. 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 also taught at the institute, going on to become chairman of the premier institute.Saeed Akhtar Mirza
''Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema'', by Encyclopædia Britannica (India) Pvt. Ltd,

Gulzar Sampooran Singh Kalra (born 18 August 1934), known professionally as Gulzar, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is regarded as one of greatest Urdu poets of this ...

, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee. Popular Prakashan, 2003. . ''Pp 589''.

Career

Saeed Akhtar Mirza started his career as a documentary film maker in 1976, graduating to films with the acclaimed ''

Arvind 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, Rohini Hattangadi, Satish Shah and Om Puri. The Film explores the life of a guy born ...

'' (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 The Filmfare Critics Award for Best Film is awarded during annual Filmfare Awards, given by the Filmfare magazine. The awards are the oldest and most prominent film awards given for Hindi films in India. The yearly awards started in 1954. Mo ...

for the year. This was followed by '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980), about an angry youth, in search of his class and ethnic identifications. This too won the

. Next in this series of his based on the urban middle class, came his satire on the Indian judicial system, ''

'' (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, ''

'' (1989), starring

Pawan Malhotra Pavan Malhotra (born 2 July 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and television alongside Punjabi and few Telugu films. He has played lead roles in Buddhadeb Dasgupta's National Film Award-winning ''Bagh Bahadur'' and Saeed Akhta ...

, 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 ''

'' (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. The film was featured in Avijit Ghosh's book, 40 Retakes, Bollywood Classics you May Have Missed. 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 Noida Film City houses the Asian Academy of Film & Television and Marwah Films & Video Studios along with prominent news channels from India. It is located in Sector 16-A Noida, India. It was founded in 1988 by Sandeep Marwah, an Indian film pr ...

. Currently he is making film, ''Ek Tho Chance'' ‘Once again, I feel I have something to say’

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split be ...

, 7 June 2009.

Personal life

His father

was a noted film script writer, with credits like ''

Naya Daur ''Naya Daur'' may refer to: * ''Naya Daur'' (1957 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (1978 film) * ''Naya Daur'' (magazine), a literary magazine published by Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Prade ...

'' and '' Waqt''. His brother is

Aziz Mirza Aziz Mirza (born 15 August 1947) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Bollywood and Indian television. Background Mirza was born the son of bollywood script-writer Akhtar Mirza. He is a brother of the fi ...

, the Bollywood Director responsible for launching

Shahrukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

, after directing the 1989 television serial ''

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...

''. 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 '' Kotwal'' is a Marathi play written by playwright Vijay Tendulkar in 1972 as a response to the rise of a local political party, in Maharashtra. The play is a political satire, written as historical drama. It is based on the life of Nana Phadna ...

'' (1976) * ''An Actor Prepares'' (1976) * ''Urban Housing'' (1977) * ''

'' (1978) * '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980) * ''Piparsod'' (1982) * ''

'' (1984) * ''The Rickshaw Pullers of Jabalpur'' (1984) (V) * ''

'' (1986) TV series * ''Is Anybody Listening?'' (1987) (V) * ''We Shall Overcome'' (1988) (V) * ''Intezzar''(1988) TV series * ''

'' (1989) * ''Ajanta and Ellora'' (1992) * '' Naseem '' (1995) * ''

Ek Tho Chance ''Ek Tho Chance'' is a 2009 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. The film stars Amrita Arora, Purab Kohli, ...

'' awaiting release

Writer

* ''

'' (1978) (story) * '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980) * ''

'' (1984) (screenplay and story) * ''

'' (1989) (screenplay and story) * '' Naseem '' (1995) * ''Choo Lenge Akash'' (2001) *''Karma Cafe'' (short) (2018)

Producer

* '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980) ''Saeed Mirza: The Leftist Sufi'' (2016), a documentary film on Mirza and his works directed by Kireet Khurana and Padmakumar Narasimhamurthy, was released in 2016.

Awards

* 1979

: ''

'' (1978) * 1981

: '' Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyoon Aata Hai'' (1980) Awards

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

. * 1984

National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare The National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

: ''

'' (1984) * 1996

National Film Award for Best Direction The National Film Award for Best Direction is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Since 1 ...

: '' Naseem'' * 1996

National Film Award for Best Screenplay The National Film Award for Best Screenplay is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in India. It is one o ...

: '' Naseem'' (1995)

Novels

*'' Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother'' (2008) *'' The Monk, the Moor & Moses Ben Jalloun'' (2012)

References

External links

*
Mirza on BFI
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mirza, Saeed Akhtar Hindi-language film directors Indian male screenwriters Indian television directors 1943 births Living people Indian Muslims Indian documentary filmmakers Film and Television Institute of India alumni Filmfare Awards winners Best Director National Film Award winners 20th-century Indian film directors Film directors from Mumbai Best Original Screenplay National Film Award winners Directors who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award Producers who won the Best Film on Family Welfare National Film Award