Meenu Gaur
| Meenu Gaur | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Meenu Gaur Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Residence | London, UK |
| Nationality |
 Indian |
| Education | Lady Shri Ram College for Women |
| Alma mater |
Jamia Millia Islamia SOAS, University of London |
| Occupation | Film director and Playwright |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Notable work | Zinda Bhaag |
| Spouse(s) | Mazhar Zaidi |
Meenu Gaur (Urdu: مینو گور ; Bengali: মেএনু গাউর) is an Indian-London-based Pakistani director and screenwriter. She is best known for her 2013 Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag which she co-directed with Farjab Nabi. Zinda Bhaag earned her a critical recognition worldwide.
Personal life
Meenu was born to Indian parents of Uttar Pradesh origin in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She attended Lady Shri Ram College for Women for graduation and then joined Jamia Millia Islamia and completed her master's in film making. Later she completed a PhD in Film Studies at School of Oriental and African Studies in London. In London she met Mazhar Zaidi, a London-based Pakistani journalist at the BBC, UK; together they work on many projects and made documentaries and short films and later got married.[1][2]
Zinda Bhaag
In 2013 Meenu co-directed a Pakistani film Zinda Bhaag, under her husband's film production company Matteela Films which earned her a critical acclaimed and recognition in film world. She stated in an interview telling her idea about making film:
While I was doing my PhD in filmmaking at the School of Oriental and African Studies,London, I met Mazhar Zaidi, who was a journalist with the BBC for 13 years. We bonded over our common passion "cinema" and later got married. We moved to Pakistan for what we thought would be a brief stint when Mazhar got an offer to head the current affairs television channel of Dawn newspaper. Soon, we were in Karachi, we started working on Zinda Bhaag. By then, Mazhar had already been running Matteela Films with Farjad Nabi, who is also a lawyer. Both of them have made much-appreciated documentaries (Nusrat Has Left the Building…But When and Nar Narman). I too made documentaries intermittently. Since Mazhar has a background in journalism, he is more inclined to documentaries while Farjad and I are interested in fiction. That's how we came to write and direct the movie together.[3]
Meenu got immense praise from Pakistani film directors and critics for putting forward the Pakistani cinema into limelight again.[4] Zinda Bhaag became one of the highest-grossing of Pakistan and has won many accolades and recognition including an official selection for Best Foreign Language Film[5][6] at 86th Academy Awards however was out of the competition for the final race.[7] Zinda Bhaag was the only the third Pakistani film in 50 years to get recognition at the Oscars, after 1959's The Day Shall Dawn and 1963's The Veil.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Zinda Bhaag | Won: ARY Film Award for Best Story (shared with Farjad Nabi) Nom: ARY Film Award for Best Director (nom with Farjad Nabi) |
| 2013 | The Dead 2 | Directors: Howard J. Ford, Jonathan Ford |
References
- ↑ "International Museum of Women-Meenu Gaur". International Museum of Women. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ http://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/our-intention-was-to-tell-a-story-out-of-the-streets-of-lahore/
- ↑ "Story Behind The Film to Lahore Streets". The Indian Express. December 8, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Pak Directors Congratulate Meenu for her Success". Panaji. Business Standard. November 28, 2013. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Pakistan sends official entry to Oscars after 50 years". Arab News. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
- ↑ "The Pakistani Academy Selection committee nominates Zinda Bhaag for Oscar consideration". Apnahub. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ↑ "Pakistani film 'Zinda Bhaag' out of Oscar race". Tribune. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.