“From being a child star to being labeled as a versatile filmmaker, it has been an arduous climb for me” - ANEES BAZMEE

Anees Bazmee was born on November 1, 1962 in a remote town of Modasa in Gujarat, India to an Urdu poet Abdul Hameed 'Nerang' Bazmee and housewife Khatoon Begum, he realized his cinematic inclination at a very early age - Jyothi Venkatesh

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 like 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 Ravinder Peepat and Jainendra Jain 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 and action.

In the year 1995, his long overdue aspiration of being a full-fledged director was fulfilled. He wrote and directed the box-office success '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.

From being just a clapper boy to Raj Kapoor to making many surefire hits, how has your journey been?

It has been great and a successful journey and I learnt a lot from the
Showman himself which has helped me in a good stead.

You have been labeled as a Comedy film wizard.

I beg to disagree politely. I have made action films like Hulchul and a psychological thriller like Deewangee and romantic musicals like Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha but my comedy films like No Entry, Welcome.

Singh is King, Ready, Paagalpanti, Thank You and No Problem were blockbusters and I was slotted as a comedy filmmaker.

What attracted you to writing?

My father was a great poet and shaayar and I grew up listening to his
poems and stories and this led to me taking an interest in writing.

Kartik Aryan figures in your film Bhool Bhulaiya 2. What do you have to say about his having been ousted from two projects of his recently?

I don't have the full details yet so I can't comment on this issue.

Your film Benaam is languishing in the cans!

Yes. It is indeed tragic because a lot of money is being lost and since the producer has passed away, that's even more tragic .It’s a sad case.

To whom would you attribute your success to?

I owe my success to both my father as well as my mentor Raj Kapoorji.

Who are your favorite writers?

Gulzaar saab and Salim Jaaved.

But you have not written lyrics yet?

I don't think I can write lyrics as it’s a very difficult job.

What next?

I have Bhool Bhulaiya 2 which is almost complete and a few more projects
on the anvil.