अज़ीज़ कश्मीरी

Aziz Kashmiri was an Urdu/Hindi and Punjabi-language poet, lyricist, and dialogue writer active in Hindi and Punjabi cinema from the 1940s through the 1970s. His family originated from Kashmir but settled in Punjab, where he completed his early education and began writing poetry as a student.

He made his debut as a film lyricist with Himmat (1941), produced and directed by Roop K. Shorey, and went on to write lyrics for around 50 films over his career, including Ek Thi Ladki (1949), Wafa (1950), Dholak (1951), Mukhda (1951), Aag Ka Dariya (1953), and Yeh Raat Phir Na Ayegi (1966). His songs were composed by music directors including O. P. Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishan, Shyam Sundar, and Vinod, and were sung by leading playback artists such as Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Noor Jehan, Shamshad Begum, and G. M. Durrani.

Beyond his Hindi film work, Aziz Kashmiri was also active in Punjabi cinema as a lyricist and dialogue/story writer. He lived in Mumbai's Vikhroli West locality in his later years and had two sons, Akhtar Kashmiri and Abdul Khaliq Kashmiri.