Gulzar, born Sampooran Singh Kalra on August 18, 1934, is an Indian poet, lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director. For more than sixty years, he has remained one of the most respected voices-from literature to cinema-in the country. Once he crosses ninety years in 2025, he will certainly carry the stature of an elder in the world of arts and letters.

Early Life & Roots

Gulzar was born in Dina in British India (present Pakistan).. After the Partition, his family migrated to several places before finally settling in Delhi. His childhood was nourished by an ardent love for language and poetry, which slowly metamorphosed into a love for cinema. He began his career behind the camera, slowly inching towards writing and direction-the two aspects that truly fulfilled him.

Career & Achievements

The name of Gulzar was born as a lyricist and dialogue writer. His arrival into notoriety in the Bollywood film set came in Bandini, where he was assigned to write lyrics. With time, he worked with almost all leading music composers and filmmakers of India, having written songs and scripts now considered classics.

As a writer and director, Gulzar has given accepted works like Mere Apne, Parichay, Koshish, Aandhi, Mausam, and television works like Mirza Ghalib. He weaves poetic sensibility with a mature understanding of human feelings into his storytelling approaches, granting both serious artistic weight and popular appeal to his works.