Ali Sufiyan Afaqi

Ali Sufiyan Afaqi
Ali Sufiyan Afaqi
Born
Ali Sufiyan

(1933-08-22)August 22, 1933
DiedJanuary 27, 2015(2015-01-27) (aged 81)
Lahore, Pakistan
EducationBachelor of Arts
Occupations
  • Journalist
  • Film producer
  • Director
  • Writer
Years active1953 – 2015
Era1958
AwardsWon 8 Nigar Awards during his career

Ali Sufiyan Afaqi (22 August 1933 – 27 January 2015; sometimes spelled Sufyan Afaqi) was a Pakistani film producer, director, writer, and journalist. He made his debut in Lollywood films with his first ever Urdu film Thandi Sarak in 1957, and later appeared in other films as a writer and director, however he earned recognition as a film producer.[1] He wrote about twenty eight books on travel documentary and biographies, including Filmi Alif Laila, a book containing history of Pakistani cinema.[2]

Early life

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Ali Sufiyan Afaqi was born on 22 August 1933 as Ali Sufiyan in British India (in modern-day Sehore district of Bhopal, India).[3][4] Following the Partition of India in 1947, he along with his family migrated to Pakistan and settled in Lahore. At the time of migration, he was fourteen. In 1951, he obtained a Bachelor of Arts[3] degree.

After obtaining his BA degree in 1951, he worked for an insurance company, and later joined newspapers where he used to write columns on various subjects. He first joined Daily Tasneem and Jamaat-e-Islami. He also worked at Chattan, a weekly newspaper established by Agha Shorish Kashmiri, and later worked at Nawaiwaqt Group. In later years, he joined Daily Afaq newspaper where he choose his last name "Afaq" and became known as Ali Sufiyan Afaqi. He wrote first-ever film review in Afaq newspaper and then chose it as a regular job. As an editor, he worked at Aqwam weekly and as joint editor at Daily Aasar. Following the 1958 Pakistani coup d'état, he left journalism and moved to film industry.[3]

Career

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He first joined the Urdu cinema as a storywriter and later wrote dialogues for Aadmi and Ayyaz films. In 1965, he worked as a producer of Kaneez film. Prior to his association as a producer, he first worked in Thandi Sarak film as a storywriter. As a storywriter, producer and director, he produced Urdu language films such as Joker, Aaj Kal, Aasra Aik Hi Rasta and Shikwa among others.[3] During a film festival held in Russia by the Tashkent International Film Festival selected his films such as Aas, Saiqa and Ajnabi and translated them into Russian language.[3][4]

Filmography

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Key
Remarks denote a short description of the work where available.
# Title Year Director Producer Screenwriter Notes
1 Thandi Sarak[3] 1957 Yes
2 Kaneez[3] 1965 Yes Yes co-producer
3 Aaj Kal[3] 1959 Yes dialogues only
4 Joker 1966 Yes dialogues only
5 Aik Hi Rasta[3] 1968 Yes
6 Mera Ghar Meri Jannat 1968 Yes Yes co-producer
7 Aasra 1969 Yes dialogues only
8 Shikwa[3] 1963 Yes
9 Diwangi 1983 Yes
10 Aar Par 1973 Yes
11 Kabhi Alwida Nah Kehna[3] 1983 Yes
12 Andleeb[3] 1969 Yes dialogues only
13 Merey Hamsafar 1972 Yes dialogues only
14 Gumnam 1983 Yes dialogues only
15 Bandagi 1972 Yes
16 Kamyabi[3] 1984 Yes dialogues only
17 Saiqa 1968 Yes screenplay only
18 Play Boy[3] 1978 Yes
18 Miss Colombo 1984 Yes
19 Daman Aur Chingari[3] 1973 Yes dialogues only
20 Devar Bhabi 1967 Yes dialogues only
21 Dil Aik Aaina 1972 Yes
22 Mohabbat[3] 1972 Yes screenplay only
23 Intizar 1974 Yes
24 Insaniat[3] 1976 Yes
25 Dosti[3] 1971 Yes
26 Namak Haram 1974 Yes Yes Yes
27 Beta 1994 Yes
28 Moamla Garh Barh Hai 1996 Yes
29 Very Good Duynia Very Bad Log[3] 1998 Yes
30 Aas[3] 1973 Yes Yes Yes co-producer

Awards

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He was the recipient of eight Nigar Awards, six Graduate Awards and one Musawar Award and one Kartak Award.[3][4][5]

Death

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He was suffering from health complications over the past few years and died in Lahore, Pakistan on 27 January 2015 of cancer.[3][5][6]

Bibliography

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  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali. Europe ka koh e kaf. Maqbul Academy. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali. Chand chehre, Madhu Bala, Mina Kumari, Rekha, Lata. Sarang. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali. Gorion ka des. Sarang. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali. Travelogue of Europe: Urdu. Urdu-Books. p. 120. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali (1995). Ajaibat e Firang. Maqbul Academy. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
  • Sufyan Afaqi, Ali (2001). Filmi Alif Laila. Haq. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

References

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  1. ^ "صحافی اور فلم ساز علی سفیان آفاقی انتقال کر گئے". BBC News اردو (in Urdu). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  2. ^ Omair Alvi (9 May 2021). "Revisiting the Golden Era (scroll down to read about Ali Sufiyan Afaqi)". The News International (newspaper). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "A.S. Afaqi passes away". Dawn (newspaper). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Ali Sufiyan Afaqi passes away". The Nation (newspaper). 28 January 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Renowned name of Pakistani industry, Ali Sufiyan Afaqi dies at 81". ARY TV News website. 28 January 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  6. ^ Rehman, Asha’ar (30 January 2015). "The missing story". Dawn (newspaper). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
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