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Javed Siddiqui

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Javed Siddiqui
Born (1942-01-13) 13 January 1942 (age 82)
India
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • dialogue writer
  • playwright
Years active1977–present
ChildrenLubna Salim, Sameer Siddiqui, Murad Siddiqi, Zeba Siddiqi
Awards2 Filmfare Awards in 1994 and 1996
Screen Award in 1996
Websitejavedsiddiqi.com

Javed Siddiqui (born 13 January 1942) is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues.

During his career, Siddiqi has collaborated with some of India's most prominent filmmakers, from independent directors like Satyajit Ray and Shyam Benegal to commercial directors like Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai. He has become an integral part of Indian cinema, in both commercial and art cinema fields.

Siddiqi has won two Filmfare Awards, two Star Screen Awards, and one BFJA Award. In 2010, he announced his association with Tumbhi where he would review artists and their artwork.

Cinema and television

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After having graduated in Urdu Literature from Rampur, Javed Siddiqi moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1959, where he worked as a professional journalist for various Urdu dailies like Khilafat Daily and Inquilaab. Soon after that, he went on to lead his own newspaper, Urdu Reporter.[1]

He started his career as a dialogue writer in Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari in 1977.[2]

Since then, he has been highly regarded for his works in different genres of film making, including art films of parallel cinema, like Umrao Jaan, Mammo, Fiza, Zubeidaa and Tehzeeb; as well as commercial hits, such as Baazigar, Darr, Yeh Dillagi, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Raja Hindustani, Pardes, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke and Koi... Mil Gaya.[2]

He has also written scripts for serials like Shyam Benegal's Bharat Ek Khoj, Ramesh Sippy's Kismet, Yash Chopra's Waqt and others.

Theatre

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Siddiqi has worked in theatre. He was national vice-president of Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), and later contributed to the origin and functioning of the Marathi IPTA, and has been associated with it as a national member.[3]

His play Tumhari Amrita, an adaptation of A R Gurney's classic American play Love Letters attained cult success. It had only two actors (Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh) reading out letters to each other with neither change of set or costume. It ran for 21 years until Farooque Shaikh's death on December 28, 2013, and is one of the longest-running plays in India.[4][2] Since its debut at Prithvi Theatre on February 27, 1992, the play has been performed all over the world, including a performance at the United Nations, the first Indian play to do so.

This was followed by Saalgirah, starring actress Kirron Kher, a play dealing with the complexity of divorce in modern urban life.[2]

Siddiqi has ventured into various domains, from Bertolt Brecht to more contemporary themes in his adaptations. He has adapted Brecht's play Puntilla and several of his other works. His play Andhe Choohe, based on Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, is one of the world's longest-running dramas.[5] Critic Vijay Nair wrote "Javed Siddiqi's lines are as poignant as ever. They leap out of the letters as little gems. At times they plead with the incoherence of hurts long stifled. At times they flare up like little flames scorching the audience. At times they soothe like fresh raindrops after a scorching summer. But at all times they have a life of their own and make their presence felt like an invisible third character on stage. His play 1857: Ek Safarnama set in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 was staged at Purana Qila, Delhi ramparts by Nadira Babbar and National School of Drama Repertory company, in 2008.[6]

His plays include Hamesha, Begum Jaan, Aap Ki Soniya and Kacche Lamhe.[7]

Personal life

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Javed Siddiqi belongs to the family of great freedom fighters, Mohammad Ali Jouhar and his brother Maulana Shaukat Ali. His father was an assistant librarian at Raza Library.

His early education was in Rampur's Hamid High School and Jaame-ul-uloom, Furqaniah. He passed his high school in English in Aligarh Muslim University. At the age of 17, he moved to Bombay and under the guidance of his uncle Maulana Zahid Shaukat Ali, Javed started his career as a journalist in his Urdu newspaper Khilafat Daily. He worked in newspapers such as Inquilab and Hindustan and then started his own newspaper named Urdu Reporter.

Siddiqi started his career in films as a dialogue writer and assistant director to Satyajit Ray in Shatranj Ke Khilari. He also assisted James Ivory as chief assistant director.

Siddiqi has four children. Two of them, Lubna Salim and Sameer Siddiqui, are involved in film and theatre.

Urdu literature

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In 2012, Siddiqi wrote a book of pen sketches named Roshandan. The book was published from Delhi and later on it was republished from AJJ, Karachi. A comprehensive review on the book was written by Karachi-based writer and researcher on Ibne Safi, Rashid Ashraf which was published in Karachi renowned Urdu magazine Quarterly Ijra in 2012.[8]

Siddiqi started the second part of Roshandan with the first pen sketch on Satyajit Ray (Kya Admi Tha Ray) which was published in Mumbai's literary magazine Naya Warq and later on in Ajj, Karachi, March 2013.

Awards

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List of works

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Film writer

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Plays

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  • Tumhari Amrita[2]
  • Saalgirah[2]
  • Hamesha
  • Begum Jaan
  • Aap ki Soniya[7]
  • Kacche Lamhe
  • Dhuaan
  • Aur Agle Saal
  • Kate hue Raaste
  • Patjhad se Zara Pehle
  • Shyam Rang
  • Who Ladki
  • Raat
  • Mogra
  • Maati Kahe Kumhar Se
  • Peele Patton ka Ban
  • Kharaashein
  • Lakeerein
  • Humsafar
  • Gudamba

References

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  1. ^ Vidya Prabhu (27 November 2011). "Words Worth". The Indian Express (newspaper). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kumar, Anuj (18 December 2014). "Between the lines". The Hindu (newspaper). Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  3. ^ IPTA (Indian People's Theatre Association) at mumbai theatreguide.com website Retrieved 16 November 2022
  4. ^ "Tumhari Amrita Review". Archived from the original on 23 July 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  5. ^ C. Suresh Kumar (25 November 2005). "Babbars' brush with Hyderabad". The Hindu (newspaper). Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  6. ^ Romesh Chander (2 May 2008). "A little peek into history". The Hindu (newspaper). Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Living it with letters". The Hindu (newspaper). 20 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  8. ^ (Rashid Ashraf) Book Review Ijra, (In Urdu), Hamari Web website, Published July–September 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2022
  9. ^ Filmfare Award Winners List Filmfare.com website, Retrieved 18 November 2022
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