Cinemaazi remembers Dr Rahi Masoom Reza on his death anniversary

Today is the death anniversary of Dr Rahi Masoom Reza, one of Urdu's finest writers, and an icon of the Hindi film industry. His body of memorable work includes the screenplay and dialogue for the very successful teleserial, Mahabharat. Questioned by Hindi fundamentalists about how a Muslim could write the dialogue for a Hindu epic, he responded: “I am a son of the Ganga. Who would know the civilization and culture of India better than I?" Raza penned the dialogues of films such as Mili (1975), Alaap (1977), Gol Maal (1979), Karz (1980), Judaai (1980), Hum Paanch (1980), Anokha Rishta (1986), Baat Ban Jaye (1986), Naache Mayuri (1986), Awam (1987), Lamhe (1991), Parampara (1992), and Aaina (1993). Born in 1927 in Ghazipur to a leading civil lawyer father who refused to leave for Pakistan, Raza acquired a PhD from Aligarh Muslim University, and even lectured in the Urdu department, before he sought his livelihood in the film industry in 1967. Remaining in Bombay till his death in 1992, he stayed an intellectual in the commercial film industry. Working in over 300 films, literature remained Raza’s enduring love.