"Born in Deena (now Pakistan), Gulzar started out as a poet with the Progressive Writers' Association. He turned lyricist with Bimal Roy's Bandini (1963). While working as Roy's full-time assistant, he wrote scripts, dialogues and lyrics for several film-makers before directing his first feature film Mere Apne in 1971. Over the next decade and a half he made some of the enduring classics of Hindi cinema like Parichay, Mausam, Aandhi Angoor, Ijaazat and Maachis, remembered not only for their story-telling but also their unforgettable songs—films which carved out a different path in an era of film-making characterized by violence and devoid of subtlety. He also directed the TV series Mirza Ghalib, the much-lauded biopic of the poet. He continues to be one of the most popular lyricists in mainstream Hindi cinema with several chartbusters to his credit in recent years. Gulzar has published a number of poetry anthologies (Janam, Ek Boond Chand, Kuch Aur Nazme, Pukhraj), collections of short stories, and a biography of Mirza Ghalib (Mirza Ghalib: A Biographical Scenario). He is regarded as one of India's finest writers for children with several books for children to his credit. Apart from the many Filmfare and National Awards for his films and lyrics, Gulzar has also received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002 (for his short-story collection Dhuan) and the Padma Bhushan in 2004. He lives and works in Mumbai."