Sagar Sarhadi (1933-2021): He always wrote in Urdu, like Gulzar saab, says Javed Siddiqui

Playwright Javed Siddiqui remembers famed writer-director Sagar Sarhadi, who was the mind behind gems Bazaar, Kabhi Kabhie and Noorie

My friendship with Sagar Sarhadi dates back to the early 1960s. Being screenwriters, dialogue writers and playwrights, we were both trying to make a mark then. We had a shared love for Urdu literature. He was one of the finest Urdu playwrights in the country. There was another [thread] that tied us together — we were both [part of] the Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA). 

Sarhadi-directed Bazaar was praised for its sensitive storytelling

In 2008, he was awarded the prestigious Ghalib Award for drama. His numerous plays, including Tanhai and Bhagat Singh Di Wapsi are considered IPTA classics. [In our heydays], we used to meet often at Janki Kutir in Juhu, where several struggling writers would hang out. Kaifi saab and Shaukat [Azmi] aapa were our mentors. [Sarhadi’s] nephew Ramesh Talwar, Bharat Kapoor, Mac Mohan, Shama Zaidi, and I would spend hours, talking literature and poetry. 

Javed Siddiqui

I last met him before the lockdown. I could sense he was feeling lonely, and slipping into depression. He was a bachelor and lived alone in Sion. He loved to write, but his weak eyesight, due to advancing age, proved to be a deterrent. I will always remember him as someone who was full of life and ready with one-liners. 

Like Gulzar saab, he wrote in Urdu, not Hindi. He wrote screenplay and dialogues for films like Kabhi Kabhie [1976], Noorie [1979] and Silsila [1981], but he is best remembered for his directorial venture, Bazaar [1982]. The film highlighted the bride-buying practice in Hyderabad. Every track of the film was a gem, including Karoge yaad toh har baat yaad aayegi. Now, it’s only his memories that remain with us.

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