Gulzar

He first collaborated with Hrishikesh Mukherjee as a scriptwriter for Guddi and Anand. His first film as director was Mere Apne, which captured the urban angst of the 70s, followed by Parichay an adaptation of Sound Of Music followed by Achanak, a searing love story. Then came Koshish, a poignant tale of a physically challenged couple, followed by Aandhi, rumoured to be based on the woman behind the politician that was Indira Gandhi. He followed his tracks with a host of other films including, Khusboo based on a Sarat Chandra novel, Mausam, Kitaab, Kinara, Meera, Namkeen, Angoor, Ijaazat, Libaas, Lekin, Maachis, Hu Tu Tu. Besides these films, he also made several short and documentary films. The subjects of all the films are diverse and explore different facets of human emotions. Though most of his films depicted sensitive aspects of human emotions, Angoor stood out for its brilliant comedy. It was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors. He approached child psychology with great tenderness in Kitaab. The film starred the Bengali superstar Uttam Kumar and Master Rajoo. Meera was a historical starring Hema Malini in the lead role. He got the music maestro Ravi Shankar to compose the music for the film. Ijaazat was a poignant love triangle starring Naseeruddin Shah, Rekha and Anuradha Patel. It featured his most praised lyric Mera kuch saman Tumhare pass pada hai. Maachis highlighted the plight of Sikh youths during the peak of the Khalistan movement. Lekin was adapted from Tagore’s famous short story Hungry Stones. Gulzar also directed a few TV series, the most notable among them being Mirza Ghalib starring Naseeruddin Shah in the title role. The songs were rendered by Jagjit Singh and remain eternal favourites. As a director, he felt most confident working with R.D. Burman whom he used to affectionately call Pancham. The duo even went on to compose non-filmy albums like Dil Padosi Hai.