Anees Bazmee

Anees Bazmee was born on November 1, 1962 in a remote town of Modasa in Gujarat, India. Born to an Urdu poet Abdul Hameed ‘Nerang’ Bazmee and housewife Khatoon Begum, he realized his cinematic inclination at a very early age. He started working as a Child artist at the tender age of 12 and showcased his acting chops in films like ‘Bhayanak’ and ‘Kitab’. He was greatly applauded for his portrayal of young Shatrughan Sinha in ‘Naseeb’.

Poetry and lyricism courses through his blood and he credits his father for passing his hold over words to him. At age 13, in the year 1976, he landed in Mumbai to follow his dreams of being a filmmaker. He dabbled in a number of jobs in his initial years viz, art direction, editing and sound recording to gain hands on experience and knowledge about the workings of the industry and filmmaking. He worked as an assistant writer to some of the most prominent writers of that time mainly Mr Ravinder Pippat and Jainendra Jai. During these years, the desire to become a director took root in his heart.

His consistent hard work and belief in himself turned this desire into reality when in 1982, he worked alongside the legendary actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor in the film ‘Prem Rog’ as an assistant director. Thereafter he assisted many more eminent Bollywood directors and ghost-wrote for more than 15 films.

In 1990, the film ‘Swarg’ starring superstars Rajesh Khanna and Govinda marked Anees Bazmee’s debut as a screenplay writer. A certified box-office hit, the film received critical acclaim for its spectacular writing. He was soon engulfed by writing projects and delivered consecutive hits, each one bigger than the last, like ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’, ‘Raja Babu’, ‘Aankhen’, ‘Deewana Mastana’, ‘Bol Radha Bol’, ‘Laadla’ and ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karoge’, to mention a few. He has earned the title of being the most prolific writer among his generation, penning over 60 films in Hindi, Tamil and Marathi across varied genres including comedy, romance, suspense, thriller, action, etc.

In the year 1995, his long overdue aspiration of being a full-fledged director was fulfilled. He wrote and directed the box-office success film ‘Hulchul’ which starred Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Vinod Khanna. In 1998, he delivered his next blockbuster ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’, once again starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol. The film ‘Deewangee’ followed in 2002. In 2005, he created a revolutionary wave in Indian Cinema with the comedy film ‘No Entry’. This film permanently marked him as one of the most accomplished directors of recent times. The following years saw him breaking records with hit after hit movies like ‘Welcome’,’Singh is Kinng’ and ‘Ready’, to name a few.

A writer-director of great virtuosity, Anees Bazmee has worked with an illustrious set of stars like Irrfan Khan, Ajay Devgn, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Govinda, Paresh Rawal and Nana Patekar among others. He has also maintained prolonged and healthy relations with highly regarded production houses like UTV, Boney Kapoor Productions, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, Baba Films, Firoz Nadiadwala and Studio 18.

A career traversing over three and a half decades and counting, he has mastered the art of filmmaking and has captured millions of hearts through his storytelling, all over the world. He has made people cry, fall in love and fall off their seats laughing. Truly a master, he has carved a niche for himself in the world of blockbuster and entertainment of Indian cinema.