Nazar ul Islam

Nazar-ul-Islam was a Pakistani film director and filmmaker who was known for his movies like Ehsaas (1972), Sharafat (1974), Aina (1977), and Bandish (1980). He was born in Calcutta in 1939 and later migrated to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). In 1971, after the separation of East Pakistan, he settled in Lahore. He started his career as a film editor in the 1960s in Dhaka. He directed his first Urdu movie, Kajal, in 1966. His other notable Urdu movie in Dhaka was Piyasa (1969). After 1971, he became the most successful film director of Lollywood in the decades of 1970s and 1980s. His successful films include: Ambar (1979), Nahin Abhi Nahin (1980), Do Deewane (1982), and Kalay Chor (1991). Nazar-ul-Islam brought a realistic approach to filmmaking and experimented with new themes for Urdu movies. He was awarded the Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan in 1965 and the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan in 1966, 1996 and 1997 respectively. His movie, Aina (1977) became a record-setting mega-hit in the history of Pakistani cinema. It reigned on the box office for a total of 401 weeks after being released on 18 March 1977. He died of old age in Lahore on 11 January 1994. He is regarded as one of the finest film directors and filmmakers of his generation.