Shakeel Azmi

Shakeel Azmi is an esteemed Indian lyricist, scriptwriter, and Urdu poet, having majorly worked in Bollywood films. He was born to parents Wakeel Ahmed Khan and Sitarunisa Khan on April 20, 1971, in Azamgarh, UP. He started his career as a lyricist in the movie "Woh Tera Naam Tha" (2005) under the composer Roop Kumar Rathod. He went on to write lyrics for various movies in the following years, such as "Woh Lamhe," "Nazar," and "Zeher," to name a few. 

He has been credited with the prestigious Gaurav Award by the Gujarat Urdu Sahitya Academy to honor his work in Urdu poetry. He continued to write more popular songs, with his most acclaimed song from the film "Thappad" - "Ek tukda dhoop ka." He was nominated for the 2021 Filmfare Awards in the Best Lyricist category and the FOI Online Awards.

His latest ventures were for the films "Anek" and "Bheed," directed by Anubhav Sinha and composed by Anurag Saika, with the songs being "Voice of Anek" and "Chanda Mama," respectively.

Apart from being a renowned lyricist, Shakeel Azmi has also published 7 books in his poetry collection. His first publication was "Dhoop Dariya" in 1996. His 6th book, "Pokhar Mein Singhade," served as his childhood biography. His latest release was "Paron ka Khol" (2017).

Being an acclaimed Urdu poet, he has also attended and participated in various Mushayras all over India, one of them being Jashn-e-Rekhta (2017 and 2018). It is a three-day festival hosted in New Delhi, aimed at promoting and celebrating Urdu literature, culture, and language. His latest attendance was at the International Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan (2023) in Mumbai.