Ahmad Bashir
| Ahmad Bashir احمد بشیر | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 24, 1923 Aimanabad near Gujranwala, Punjab, British India |
| Died |
December 25, 2004 (aged 81) Lahore  Pakistan |
| Occupation | Writer, journalist |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Subject | Literature, biography, socialism |
| Notable works | Dil Bhatkey Ga, Jo Milay Thay Raaste Mein, Neela Parbat |
| Spouse | Mehmooda |
| Relatives | Parveen Atif, Bushra Ansari, Neelam Bashir |
Ahmad Bashir (Urdu: احمد بشیر) (March 24, 1923 – December 25, 2004) was a writer, journalist, intellectual and film director from Pakistan.[1] He was the father of leading television artiste Bushra Ansari and poet Neelam Bashir. Begum Parveen Atif, also an Urdu short story writer, is his sister, and his wife Mehmooda was his partner from the 1947.[2] He was a close friend of Urdu writers Mumtaz Mufti and Ibn-e-Insha.
Early life
Ahmad Bashir was born in Aimanabad near Gujranwala (British India) on March 24, 1923. He gained his Bachelor of Arts degree from Srinagar and went to Bombay for a career in acting but soon started writing for film magazines. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, he came to settle permanently into Pakistan.
Works
After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Ahmad Bashir worked for several newspapers in Pakistan. However, he is remembered for his days at Daily Imroze with particular fondness. He was taken as a sub-editor in Imroze where he introduced feature writing for the first time in Urdu press. He also obtained training in film direction from Hollywood on state scholarship.[3]
Bashir also worked for the Department of Films & Publications and later for National Film Development Corporation (NAFDEC). He resigned after General Zia-ul-Haq imposed martial law in the country. He faced bitter hardships during this period in which he was never allowed to write columns in newspapers.
Bashir was also a portrait writer. His book Jo Milay Thay Raaste Mein contains pen sketches of eminent literary personalities including Mumtaz Mufti, Krishan Chandar, Meeraji, Chiragh Hasan Hasrat, Hasrat Mohani and Kishwar Naheed. He also wrote an autobiographical novel Dil Bhatkey Ga.[4]
In 1969, Bashir directed and produced an Urdu film, Neela Parbat. The film was Pakistan's one of the earliest experimental feature films. However, the film proved to be too much of alternative genre of his times and flopped at the box-office. After the failure of Neela Parbat, Bashir never ventured back in to film making or production.
Death
Bashir died in Lahore of pancreatic cancer on December 25, 2004.
References
External links
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