PROFILE

Name: Asif Karim
DOB: 14 June, 1922
Star sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India
Occupation: Director, producer and screenwriter

Achievements:

• K. Asif is famous for his work on the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam (1960).

• The film won Filmfare Best Movie Award, was nominated for Filmfare Best Director Award and received President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Interesting facts:

• Asif Karim was born to Dr. Fazal Karim and Bibi Ghulam Fatima. Later, he took the name K. Asif after he went to Bombay.

• His directorial debut, Phool (1945), did very well at the box-office. In 1944, Asif planned to make a film called Mughal-e-Azam based on the life and times of Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great's court dancer, based on Urdu novel Anarkali written by Syed Imtiaz Ali Taj, with Chandramohan in the male lead and the then upcoming actress Nargis in the female lead.

• In 1946, before the production of the film could begin, Chandramohan died. At that time, Asif temporarily shelved the film until further notice. He produced the film Hulchul and released it in 1951.

• At that time, Asif recast Mughal-e-Azam with Dilip Kumar in the male lead and Madhubala in the female lead and began the production of the film in the same year. In 1960, after 12 years in production, the film was released and became a huge hit at packed cinema houses across India.

• After the release and success of Mughal-e-Azam, Asif planned yet another motion picture called Love and God, his first directorial venture to be made completely in colour, and began production. The film was to star Guru Dutt in the male lead and Nimmi in the female lead.

• However, in 1964, when lead actor Guru Dutt died, shooting came to a halt. Asif recast Sanjeev Kumar in the male lead and resumed production of the film. During the production of the film, K. Asif died on 9 March 1971.