Muzaffar Ali is an Indian film director, fashion designer, poet, artist, cultural revivalist and social worker. He is best known for the Hindi films Gaman (1978) and Umrao Jaan (1981). Ali has achieved much in many fields including publicity, tourism, film production, fashion and writing.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Muzaffar Ali was born on Saturday 21 October 1944 (age 78; as of 2022) in Lucknow, United Provinces, British India. His zodiac sign is Libra. He was the eldest son of Raja Syed Sajid Hussain Ali, the ruling prince of Kotwara, Awadh. He attended La Martinière, a private educational institution for the elite class in Lucknow. Graduated in Science from Aligarh Muslim University. Before entering the film industry, he worked in advertising. He also worked as a communications specialist at Air India.
Muzaffar Ali
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5’8
Hair color: black
Eye color: brown
family and caste
Muzaffar Ali belongs to a royal Muslim Rajput family in Kotwara, Uttar Pradesh.
parents and siblings
Ali’s father, Raja Syed Sajid Hussain of Kotwara, was a royal prince who contributed to India’s freedom movement. He earned a master’s degree from Edinburgh and was a member of the Scottish Parliament in the 1920s before joining Indian politics. He served as MLA in Kotwara for almost 17 years before and after independence. He headed an informal association called the Humanist Union of India, whose members met once a month for tea gatherings at Kaisar Bagh in Lucknow to discuss world-transforming ideas. . Ali, the eldest of three siblings, also has a Turkish half-sister.
Muzaffar Ali, his half sister Keniz Murad and father Raja S Sajid Hussain with Jawaharlal Nehru
wife and children
Ali’s first marriage was to art critic Geeti Sen. They have a son, Murad Ali, who is multi-disciplinary like his father and has acted in films like Is Raat ki Subah Nahin and Dil to Pagal Hai. He also tried his hand at poetry and music. Ali admitted that he had “leftist sympathies” during his stay in Calcutta (now Kolkata). After divorcing Geet, she married left-wing leader and trade union activist Subhashin Ali, who also worked as a costume designer for Umrao Jaan. Their son, Shaad Ali, is the director of hit films like Saathiya (2002) and Bunty Aur Babli (2005).
Muzaffar Ali with his son Shaad Ali and grandson Imaan
Ali met and eventually married designer and architect Meera Ali on the set. They both came together to create a niche of sorts when it came to ethnic fabric designs with a unique kotwara touch. They have a daughter, Sama, who also shows a penchant for design.
Muzaffar Ali (centre) and Meera Ali (standing left) with daughter Sama (seated left), son Shaad, daughter-in-law Aarti Patkar (seated right) and grandson Imaan.
Relationships/affairs
Ali was married twice before meeting his current wife Meera Ali, whom he fell in love with and married six months later. He met his first wife Geeti Sen during his Air India days and his second wife Subhashini Ali, daughter of Indian National Army Colonel Prem Sehgal and Captain Lakshmi Sehgal, on the sets of his biggest hit Umrao Jaan.
Muzaffar Ali with his wife Meera Ali
signature/autograph
Autograph of Muzaffar Ali
Career
Cinema and television
Ali had a successful career as a film director. In the early 1970s, Ali worked at the advertising firm MacLaren McCann and met Satyajit Ray. His first film as a director was ‘Gamam’ (1978) and his next film ‘Umrao Jaan’ (1981) was his biggest hit. He went on to produce Aagaman (1982), Anjuman (1986) and Jaanisaar (2015). He also acted in the Hindi serial Jaan-e-Alaam (1986).
painting and fashion
Ali has always been an artist. Ali has always shown a keen interest in art and has exhibited his paintings in exhibitions all over India. His works depict a mesmerizing mix of mesmerizing Sufi melodies, elegantly dressed women in black and horses. After setting up a studio in Delhi, Ali began his journey as an artist. More than 100 of his works are spread across 11 sections of the beautiful heritage building that was once the home of the Maharaja of Bikaner and is now a cultural center in the India Gate hexagon.
Muzaffar Ali’s Debut Show in Delhi not at Film Arts Enterprises.
Muzaffar Ali at his art exhibition in Delhi
After making a global impact with his work, Ali returned to his roots in Kotwara and Lucknow. He launched a couture line called Kotwara with the help of his wife Mera; Her couture line is dedicated to celebrating the art and promoting traditional crafts of Awadh and promoting Sufism.
Muzaffar Ali’s Kotwara brand logo
music
In 2004, he founded the Rumi Foundation to promote global unity. The foundation organizes Sufi festivals, including the World Sufi Music Festival and Jahan-e-Khusaru in Delhi. To promote tourism and culture in Lucknow, he founded the Wajid Ali Shah Festival, which celebrates poetry and performing arts.
ᐯildo
- National Film Award – Special Mention (Feature) – Gaman (1978)
- Filmfare Award for Best Director – Umrao Jaan (1981)
- Rajiv Gandhi Sadbhavana Award (2014)
Net worth
Ali’s net worth is $1 million as of 2023.
Facts/Trivia
- Ali was shooting for a film titled Husn E Jaana with Rubaina Khan, but later decided to do the film. He released the songs of his unreleased film Husn E Jaana as a personal album in 1996.
- In 1984, he was planning a film titled Manzar with Zeenat Aman, which got shelved. It was later remade as Zooni with Vinod Khanna and Dimple Kapadia; However, the film was not released.
- In 2022, Ali released his autobiographical book titled “Zikr: In the Light and Shade of Time” detailing his early days and journey.
Zikr – in the light and shadow of time
- Muzaffar Ali and his wife Mera Ali opened their own house in Gurgaon and opened a restaurant “Maashra” in a tent. It offers a fine dining experience with the royal cuisine of Awadh.
Muzaffar Ali Mashra
- In 2008, Ali had a minor spat with filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh over actor Amitabh Bachchan’s appearance in The Last Lear. Ali felt that the face was a copy of his own style; However, Rituparno denied the allegations and said that the look was inspired by Rabindranath Tagore.
- Muzaffar Ali is a black belt in karate.
- Ali loves horses very much and this is reflected in his work. In an interview with The Times Of India, he said:
“My love for horses began with childhood stories of the battlefield of Karbala, to the ornate dungarees to the horses I saw in many horse movies during my travels.”
Categories: Television
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
