Aghajani Kashmeri
Encyclopedia
Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi (Urdu
: , Hindi
: सैय्यद वाजिद हुसैन रिज़वी, (16 October 1908 - 27 March 1998), better known by his Bollywood film name, Aghajani Kashmeri (Urdu
: , Hindi
: आग़ाजानी कश्मीरी) or Kashmiri (Urdu
: , Hindi
: कश्मीरी), also Agha Jani and Aga Jani, was an Indian screenwriter, a former actor, and Urdu poet.
, Uttar Pradesh
, India
. He ran away from home in his late teens to star in an early Bollywood
film, Shan e Subha (also sometimes listed as Shan e Subhan and Shane Subhan), which was being shot in Rangoon. In part, he was inspired by his first cousin, Nawab Kashmiri, also of Lucknow, the best-known character actor in early Indian cinema, with hits such as Yahudi ki Ladki (Daughter of the Jew), in which Nawab played an elderly Jew. Subsequently, Aghajani returned to Calcutta, did bit roles and a few lead roles, two of them opposite Begum Akhtar
. Two of the movies he acted in were Miss Manorama and Anokhi Ada, both in the 1930s. Some websites about Bollywood movies database erroneously refer to him under the category "Actress".
A documentary being shown in Canada, documents his life. It is called The Golden Pen. Click the title to view a website with details on Aghajani's life, films, and on the shooting of this one hour documentary produced with funding from OMNI-TV of Canada.
, learned screenplay writing with Hemansu Roy, and wrote his first movie in the early 1930s, which was directed by German director Franz Osten
, who worked in Bombay Talkies at the time. The movie, named Vachan, was a hit. He went on to write more than 50 movies, became a celebrated movie writer, a poet and a humourist.
) he and his wife lived with their sons Zuhair Kashmeri (now living in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada) and Sarwar Kashmeri http://www.sarwar@kashmeri.com (now living in Reading, Vermont
, USA) on Cumballa Hill Road near Warden Road/Nepean Sea Road/Malabar Hill. He wrote for some of the best known names in Bollywood, producer-directors Subodh Mukherjee, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Sunil Dutt
(also a well-known actor and one of Aghajani's greatest admirers and friends, whose wife Nargis was introduced in Taqdeer, written by Aghajani), Mehboob Khan, Hemanshu Rai of Bombay Talkies
, Franz Osten, Pramod Chakravorty
; and actors Ashok Kumar
, Veena, Devika Rani
, Noor Jehan
, Suraiya
, Sadhana, Saira Banu
, Joy Mukherjee
, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Nimmi
(who was married to his nephew, the famous writer and director Ali Raza).
Aghajani Kashmeri's home in Bombay, a fourth floor apartment overlooking the Arabian Sea in a building called Keki Court, was the venue for some of the greatest poets, songwriters and ghazal singers of the time. He wrote an autobiography in 1971, Sahar Hone Tak http://openlibrary.org/a/OL13694A/Aghajani-Kashmeri, that was published in both Urdu and Hindi. It is now out of print and the copyright is owned by his sons Zuhair Kashmeri and Sarwar Kashmeri. Sahar Hone Tak has been praised by critics for its candid writing, its colorful description of early Lucknow and its mushairas, descriptions of poets who have faded into obscurity, with their verses as remembered by Aghajani, but especially of the very early Indian cinema in Calcutta and in Bombay (Mumbai). It documents the development of early storylines in the Indian cinema, the cultural and social themes that marked post independent India, and how slowly the movies veered towards the formula films that one largely sees in Bollywood today, with the exception of a few gems here and there.
Aghajani retired in Toronto, Canada, with his wife Khursheed Kashmeri, who died on 7 May 1996; Aghajani died on 27 March 1998. Both are buried at the York Cemetery in Toronto. His life is recounted in a one-hour documentary produced by his son Zuhair Kashmeri with funding from OMNI-TV of Canada, http://thegoldenpen.ca being released late in 2011. It features a traditionaal poetry session, mushaira, in Lucknow, and lovely shots of the historic monuments and streets of Lucknow; and footage from early films such as Najma, Amar, and later films such as Mujhe Jeene Do, Junglee, Love in Simla and Humsaya, all written by Aghajani Kashmeri.
Kashmeri was credited by various names in these films. In addition, Kashmeri recorded several propaganda Urdu commentaries for the British India army command during the Second World War and was given a rank in the army.
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: , Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: सैय्यद वाजिद हुसैन रिज़वी, (16 October 1908 - 27 March 1998), better known by his Bollywood film name, Aghajani Kashmeri (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: , Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: आग़ाजानी कश्मीरी) or Kashmiri (Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: , Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: कश्मीरी), also Agha Jani and Aga Jani, was an Indian screenwriter, a former actor, and Urdu poet.
Early life and acting career
Kashmeri was born on 16 October circa 1908, in LucknowLucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He ran away from home in his late teens to star in an early Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
film, Shan e Subha (also sometimes listed as Shan e Subhan and Shane Subhan), which was being shot in Rangoon. In part, he was inspired by his first cousin, Nawab Kashmiri, also of Lucknow, the best-known character actor in early Indian cinema, with hits such as Yahudi ki Ladki (Daughter of the Jew), in which Nawab played an elderly Jew. Subsequently, Aghajani returned to Calcutta, did bit roles and a few lead roles, two of them opposite Begum Akhtar
Begum Akhtar
Akhtari Bai Faizabadi or Begum Akhtar was a well known Indian singer of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri.She received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for vocal music, and was awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan by Govt. of India...
. Two of the movies he acted in were Miss Manorama and Anokhi Ada, both in the 1930s. Some websites about Bollywood movies database erroneously refer to him under the category "Actress".
A documentary being shown in Canada, documents his life. It is called The Golden Pen. Click the title to view a website with details on Aghajani's life, films, and on the shooting of this one hour documentary produced with funding from OMNI-TV of Canada.
Screenwriting
Kashmeri later realized he wasn't over six feet and decided he wasn't the "hunk" he should be to become a real hero in the Bollywood of that time. Given his literary upbringing in Urdu - he was a pupil of the famous Urdu poet Arzoo Lucknowi and was schooled in the finest tradition of Urdu literature - he joined the film studio Bombay TalkiesBombay Talkies
The Bombay Talkies Limited was a movie studio produced 102 movies, founded in 1934 in Malad, Bombay , India, by Himanshu Rai, Rajnarayan Dube and Devika Rani along with businessmen like F. E...
, learned screenplay writing with Hemansu Roy, and wrote his first movie in the early 1930s, which was directed by German director Franz Osten
Franz Osten
Franz Osten was a German filmmaker who along with Niranjan Pal was among the first retainers of Bombay Talkies. Osten partnered with Pal on a number of India's earliest blockbuster films like Achhut Kanya and Jeevan Naiya.-Early life:He was born as Franz Ostermayr in Munich on 23 December 1876...
, who worked in Bombay Talkies at the time. The movie, named Vachan, was a hit. He went on to write more than 50 movies, became a celebrated movie writer, a poet and a humourist.
Personal life
In Bombay (now MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
) he and his wife lived with their sons Zuhair Kashmeri (now living in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada) and Sarwar Kashmeri http://www.sarwar@kashmeri.com (now living in Reading, Vermont
Reading, Vermont
Reading is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 707 at the 2000 census.-History:On August 30, 1654, after being captured by Abenakis at Fort at Number 4, Charlestown, New Hampshire and being forced marched to Montreal, Susannah Willard Johnson gave birth to a...
, USA) on Cumballa Hill Road near Warden Road/Nepean Sea Road/Malabar Hill. He wrote for some of the best known names in Bollywood, producer-directors Subodh Mukherjee, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...
(also a well-known actor and one of Aghajani's greatest admirers and friends, whose wife Nargis was introduced in Taqdeer, written by Aghajani), Mehboob Khan, Hemanshu Rai of Bombay Talkies
Bombay Talkies
The Bombay Talkies Limited was a movie studio produced 102 movies, founded in 1934 in Malad, Bombay , India, by Himanshu Rai, Rajnarayan Dube and Devika Rani along with businessmen like F. E...
, Franz Osten, Pramod Chakravorty
Pramod Chakravorty
Pramod Chakravorty was an Indian director and film producer.-Biography:Pramod Chakravorty was born on 15 August 1929 in West Bengal, India. Became a producer in the 1958 by 12 O'Clock...
; and actors Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...
, Veena, Devika Rani
Devika Rani
Devika Rani Chaudhuri Roerich was an early Indian movie star.- Career :Born in Waltair , Devika Rani came from a distinguished background: she was the great-grandniece of the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and her father, Col. M. N. Chaudhuri, was the first Indian Surgeon-General of Madras...
, Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan
Noorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades...
, Suraiya
Suraiya
Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh was a singer and actress of the Indian films in the 40s and 50s, and was popularly known by her first name Suraiya..-Early life:...
, Sadhana, Saira Banu
Saira Banu
Saira Banu , also known as Saira Bano, is an Indian Bollywood actress and the wife of the film actor Dilip Kumar. She acted in many Bollywood films between 1960 and 1980.-Early life:...
, Joy Mukherjee
Joy Mukherjee
- Family Background :Main article: Mukherjee-Samarth familyJoy Mukherjee is the son of Sashadhar Mukherjee and Sati Devi. His father was a successful producer and a co-founder of Filmalaya Studios. His paternal uncle is director Subodh Mukherjee, whilst his maternal uncles were Ashok Kumar and...
, Shammi Kapoor, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Nimmi
Nimmi
Nimmi was a popular Indian screen actress who achieved stardom in the 1950s and early 1960s in Hindi films. She gained popularity playing spirited village belle type characters, but also appeared in diverse genres such as fantasy and social films.-Early life:...
(who was married to his nephew, the famous writer and director Ali Raza).
Aghajani Kashmeri's home in Bombay, a fourth floor apartment overlooking the Arabian Sea in a building called Keki Court, was the venue for some of the greatest poets, songwriters and ghazal singers of the time. He wrote an autobiography in 1971, Sahar Hone Tak http://openlibrary.org/a/OL13694A/Aghajani-Kashmeri, that was published in both Urdu and Hindi. It is now out of print and the copyright is owned by his sons Zuhair Kashmeri and Sarwar Kashmeri. Sahar Hone Tak has been praised by critics for its candid writing, its colorful description of early Lucknow and its mushairas, descriptions of poets who have faded into obscurity, with their verses as remembered by Aghajani, but especially of the very early Indian cinema in Calcutta and in Bombay (Mumbai). It documents the development of early storylines in the Indian cinema, the cultural and social themes that marked post independent India, and how slowly the movies veered towards the formula films that one largely sees in Bollywood today, with the exception of a few gems here and there.
Aghajani retired in Toronto, Canada, with his wife Khursheed Kashmeri, who died on 7 May 1996; Aghajani died on 27 March 1998. Both are buried at the York Cemetery in Toronto. His life is recounted in a one-hour documentary produced by his son Zuhair Kashmeri with funding from OMNI-TV of Canada, http://thegoldenpen.ca being released late in 2011. It features a traditionaal poetry session, mushaira, in Lucknow, and lovely shots of the historic monuments and streets of Lucknow; and footage from early films such as Najma, Amar, and later films such as Mujhe Jeene Do, Junglee, Love in Simla and Humsaya, all written by Aghajani Kashmeri.
Filmography
The following is a partial filmography:- Naya ZamanaNaya Zamanahas played a pioneering role in the field of Indian music and culture in Trinidad and Tobago. Formed in 1944, the orchestra has provided entertainment for hundreds of thousands of people across the Caribbean and North America and has assisted many charitable organizations and events...
(1971) (writer) - Parwana (1971) (dialogue and screenplay)
- Tumse Achha Kaun Hai (1969) (dialogue)
- Love in TokyoLove in TokyoLove In Tokyo is a 1966 Hindi film that became a hit at the box office. It was written by Sachin Bhowmick and produced and directed by Pramod Chakravorty. The film stars Joy Mukherjee, Asha Parekh, Pran, Mehmood, Lalita Pawar, Asit Sen and Madan Puri. Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the lyrics.-Filming:The...
(1966) (dialogue) - April Fool (1964) (dialogue)
- Gazal (1964) (written by)
- ZiddiZiddi (1964 film)Ziddi was a 1964 Hindi film directed by Pramod Chakravorty, starring Joy Mukherjee and Asha Parekh.The film has music by S. D. Burman and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri, creating hits like, Raat Ka Samaa...
(1964) (dialogue) - Mujhe Jeene DoMujhe Jeene DoMujhe Jeene Do is a 1963 Hindi film directed by Moni Bhattacharjee. This dacoit-drama stars Sunil Dutt, Waheeda Rehman, Nirupa Roy, Rajendranath and Mumtaz....
(1963) (written by) - Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke (1963) (written by)
- JungleeJungleeJunglee is a 1961 Indian movie produced and directed by Subodh Mukherjee. Junglee means "Wild" or "ill mannered" in Urdu & Hindi. The music is by Shankar Jaikishan and the lyrics by Shailendra and Hasrat Jaipuri. The film stars Shammi Kapoor, Lalita Pawar, Shashikala and Asit Sen...
(1961) (dialogue) - Love in SimlaLove in SimlaLove In Simla is a 1960 Indian Hindi film, produced by Sashadhar Mukherjee and his Filmalaya production house. Directed by R.K. Nayyar, the film had the producer's son, Joy Mukherjee, in the lead...
(1960) (dialogue) (as Aghajani Kashmiri) (screenplay) - Chori ChoriChori ChoriChori Chori is a 1956 Hindi film directed by Anant Thakur, with music by Shankar Jaikishan and lyrics by Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra. The film is inspired by the Hollywood movie, It Happened One Night. The film stars Raj Kapoor and Nargis. Bhagwan Dada, Pran, David, and Johnny Walker have...
(1956) (dialogue) (screenplay) - AmarAmar (1954 film)Amar is a 1954 black-and-white Hindi movie. Produced and directed by Mehboob Khan, the film stars Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Nimmi and Jayant. Amar features music by Naushad with lyrics by Shakeel Badayuni.-Plot:...
(1954) (dialogue) - AuratAurat (1953 film)Aurat is a 1953 Hindi movie produced by Munshiram Verma and directed by B Verma. The film stars Premnath and his wife Bina Rai. The film's music is by Shankar Jaikishan. The film is a re-working of the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah. Premnath and Bina Rai fell in love during filming and...
(1953) (screenplay) (as Agha J. Kashmiri) - Malkin (1950's) (screenplay/dialogue)
- ChandralekhaChandralekha (1948 film)Chandralekha is a 1948 Tamil epic film directed and produced by S. S. Vasan. It features an ensemble cast consisting of M.K.Radha, Ranjan, T. R. Rajakumari, N. S. Krishnan and T. A. Madhuram...
(1948) (dialogue) - Taqdeer (1943) (screenplay/dialogue)
- NajmaNajma (film)Najma is a 1943 Indian film directed by Mehboob Khan and starring Ashok Kumar and Veena. The film's music is by Rafiq Ghaznavi with lyrics by Anjum Pilibhiti. Najma was the first film under Mehboob Khan's Mehboob Productions banner. Khan paid Kumar Rs. 1 lakh for his role in the film, a record at...
(1943) (screenplay/dialogue) - Anmol GhadiAnmol GhadiAnmol Ghadi is a 1946 Hindi film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan.The film was musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, which have hits like, Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai, Jawaan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana and Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na...
(1946) (writer) - HumayunHumayun (film)Humayan is a 1945 Indian Bollywood historical epic film directed by Mehboob Khan. It was the seventh highest grossing Indian film of 1945.-Cast:*Mohammad Afzal *Yusuf Effendi *Abdul Kader *Ashok Kumar as Badshah Naseerudin Humayun...
(1945) (writer)
Kashmeri was credited by various names in these films. In addition, Kashmeri recorded several propaganda Urdu commentaries for the British India army command during the Second World War and was given a rank in the army.