Kaifi Azmi
Kaifi Azmi (1919–2002) was a leading member of the Progressive Writers' Movement and one of Hindi cinema's most thoughtful lyricists, writing for films like Haqeeqat, Kaagaz Ke Phool and Arth. He was the father of actor Shabana Azmi and a Padma Shri recipient.
Poet of the people, lyricist of the screen
Athar Husain Rizvi, known as Kaifi Azmi, was born in 1919 in Mijwan, a village near Azamgarh. He wrote his first ghazal as a boy and joined the Progressive Writers' Movement as a young man.
In films he wrote lyrics for Kaagaz Ke Phool, Haqeeqat, Heer Raanjha (entirely in verse) and Arth. He was married to the stage actor Shaukat Kaifi and was the father of Shabana Azmi.
He received the Padma Shri in 1974 and died in Mumbai in 2002. His village, Mijwan, remains the focus of his daughter's welfare work.
Recurring themes
- Working-class dignity
- Patriotism and sacrifice
- Quiet sorrow
- Gentle irony
- Human equality
Where to start
Compare 'Kar Chale Hum Fida' with 'Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho' to hear his public and private registers.
Worth knowing
His Heer Raanjha (1970) is among very few Hindi films in which the entire dialogue is in verse.
शास्त्रीय शेर — Kaifi Azmi
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