Aziz Qaisi

Aziz Mohammad Khan or Aziz Qaisi was born on 1st July 1931 in Hyderabad, Telangana. He was a legendary contemporary Urdu poet, Bollywood writer and, short story writer. The Progressive Writer’s Movement, which influenced the literary scene in India, shaped the career of Aziz Qaisi who came to Mumbai in 1957. He is one of those noted poets of the Urdu language who contributed immensely to the growth of Urdu poetry. His collection of poetry ‘Aina - Dar – Aina’ (Mirror Within a Mirror) and ‘Gardbad' (After the Whirlwind) reflect shades of individualism, creative genius, and modernity. These two collections of poetry were published and very well received by critics. A prolific writer and poet, his works were a blend of contemporary and traditional literary trends. 

He loved to write poetry since childhood and was encouraged by his father who was a government servant. His poetry started featuring in some of the famous magazines of his time. It was then that his literary works started gaining popularity. When he came to Mumbai, he started his journalism career and worked for the newspaper Inqilab. Soon the monotony of the job made him quit, and he started writing for films full time. He joined the film studio Filmistan as a film writer in 1960s. He also penned Radio plays, programs, and the lyrics of some memorable movies of his time. He has written the screenplay, story, and dialogues for about 200 films.

His dialogues for Ankur (1974) made him a legendary film writer. Some of the other hit films written by him include Kunwara Baap (1974), Rakhi Aur Hathkadi (1972), Harfan Maulaa (1976), Dayawaan (1988) Indrajeet (1992), etc. Aziz Qaisi breathed his last on 30th September 1992. He died of lung cancer. The Maharashtra State Urdu Academy felicitated him for his contribution to Urdu literature in 1990.