A celebration of the life and times of Kaifi Azmi

In this, the centenary year of one of Urdu literature’s brightest stars, Kaifi Azmi, a shayar, a rebel, a writer and a lyricist who has given the Hindi film industry some of its most iconic songs, BIC in collaboration with MAP, celebrates Kaifisaab with his daughter Shabana Azmi, in an evening of poetry, storytelling and guftagu.
His life however went beyond literature. “…poetry was but one part of Kaifisaab’s passions. His principle passion was life itself. Kaifi Azmi lived and loved at the cusp of Independence when there was a superb gathering of literary talent concentrated in one vibrant city. And so, to my joy, a larger story – of camaraderie, of nationalism, of idealism, of social commitment – emerged. A story made more poignant by where we are poised today as a nation” Sumantra Ghosal, director of Kaifinama.

The evening commences with Shabana talking about her father with some poetry readings in Urdu and English. The story of his life and art is shown in the eloquently made documentary film Kaifinama directed by Sumantra Ghosal (not shown in the video). Subsequently, Aakar Patel is in conversation with both of them.