Zia Sarhadi – Screenwriter and film director of early talkies

Zia Sarhadi (1914 -1997) was a celebrated screenwriter and dialogue writer of Hindi cinema in the 1930s and 1940s, and he also directed a few movies since mid-1930s. After partition, he contributed towards Lollywood, and his career best works were born after that. Humlog (1951) and Footpath (1953) are his best works as a film director. He also made a brief appearance in 1936 film, Manmohan directed by Mehboob Khan. His son Khayyam Sarhadi is a popular TV and radio actor, and granddaughter Zhalay Sarhadi is also an actress.

Zia Sarhadi was born in Peshwar. He started his film journey in the second half of 1930s in Mumbai and he contributed as a screenwriter as well as director. His friend Mehboob Khan asked him to write the screenplay, dialogue and songs of Deccan Queen. Thus the movie marked his debut in film industry. As a film director, Bhole Bhale, Madhur Milan, Nadaan, Abhilasha and Yateem are his contributions towards Indian film industry. He wrote the dialogues of Jagirdar, Gramophone Singer, Jeevan Saathi etc, and the scripts of Manmohan, Deccan Queen, Sajani, Footpath etc.

Zia Sarhadi – Some interesting and less-known facts

1. He was a script consultant of iconic movie, Mother India, originally made in the early 1940s titled Aurat.

2. Deccan Queen in 1936 marked his debut as a scriptwriter and Bhole Bhale as film director.

3. His last directorial ventures gave contributions towards parallel cinema of Pakistan, and were not successful ventures.

4. Known for his leftist ideology, he explored with social themes for scripts and movies.

5. Till independence he worked in Mumbai, and later he moved to Pakistan.

6. He spent the last 15 years of his life in self-exile in London.