Asim Raza
Asim Raza (/rɑːzɑː/; Urdu: عاصم رضا) is a Pakistani film and television commercial director and producer. Asim began his career as an architect and worked with the architectural firm Arshad Shahid Abdullah (PVT) LTD before venturing into film production and direction. He made his debut as a film making in the mid 90s, he has worked in all visual mediums from TV commercials to music videos, long plays and feature films. In 2004, Asim won the Lux Style Award for Best Music Video Director for "Mahi Ve". In 2013, Asim directed a television film, Behadd which won the Hum Award for Best Television Film. Asim marked his feature film debut with a coming-of-age drama Ho Mann Jahaan,[1][2] Asim Raza owns a production company called The Vision Factory.
Asim Raza | |
---|---|
Born | Asim Raza Karachi |
Occupation | Director, producer and entrepreneur |
Years active | 1993–present |
Organization | The Vision Factory |
Spouse(s) | Ayla Raza |
Children | Zainab Raza, Maryam Raza |
Relatives | Pervez Musharraf (father in law) |
Career
1994–1996: TVCs and music videos
1994 onwards, Asim worked on many commercials and videos as a producer/director. He also directed a magazine show for television based on advertising and marketing called The Big Idea. Between 1994 -1996 Asim continued making commercials for big brands like Coca-Cola, Sprite, Lux, Olay, Cadbury, Mobilink, Sunsilk, Pantene, Head and Shoulders, Garnier and many others. He has also worked with musicians from Pakistan such as Junoon, Junaid Jamshed, Najam Sheraz, Abrar-ul-Haq and Hadiqa Kiani.[3]
1997–2012: The Vision Factory and music concerts
In 1997, Asim started his production company, The Vision Factory. Under this banner, he made the music video of the single "Sayonee" for the band Junoon. It stayed at no. 1 on both Channel V and MTV Asia for over eight weeks. Asim then attended various short courses, workshops and seminars including one at the New York Film Academy. On 4 May 1997, Asif Jamal filmed and directed the last concert of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, before his death on 17 August 1997, known as "The Pakistan 4 U Concert" aired on Channel V at Karachi Gymkhana. The concert was televised internationally, marking the first ever Pakistani music production which was broadcast beyond South Asia. The concert was made into live album named, "Swan Song-His Final Performance".[4] Following that, Asim filmed the concert performed by Junoon at Central Park, known as "A Tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – Junoon Live at Central Park".[5] Asim also directed the 2nd Lux Style Awards ceremony in 2003 and short documentary about Kathak dance called Raqsan showcasing the talent of Pakistani classical dancer Fasih Ur Rehman. In 2008, he became an external board member on the board of studies for the communication design department at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture.
2013–present: Behadd and Ho Mann Jahaan
In 2013, Asim directed a telefilm Behadd,[6] written by Umera Ahmed under MD Productions for Hum TV.[7] Starring Fawad Khan, Nadia Jamil and Sajjal Ali,[8] Behadd premiered 23 February 2013 on Hum TV.[9] The telefilm went on to win Best Television Film award at second Hum Awards ceremony.[10][11]
Asim marked his directional debut in the film industry with Ho Mann Jahaan,[12] which Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui co-produced with him. Ho Mann Jahaan is a coming-of-age drama film, starring Mahira Khan, Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui, Adeel Hussain and Sonya Jehani[13][14] The film was released on 1 January 2016. Film opened to great critical reviews and proved to be huge commercial success at the box office.[15] Ho Mann Jahaan was distributed by ARY Films.[16] Asim also wrote three songs for the Film that were heavily praised by critics.[17] In an interview with The Express Tribune Asim Said, "One should tell a story which is real, relatable and true to life, which is why I opted for a more content-driven film which would touch hearts."[18]
Personal life
Asim Raza is married to Ayla Raza, daughter of former army chief and president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf.[19] Also an architect by education, Ayla Raza is working for the promotion of traditional performing arts as the director at a not for profit organization, All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC), Karachi. Together they have two daughters, Maryam Raza and Zainab Raza.
Filmography
Films
Year | Title | Language | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Ho Mann Jahaan | Urdu | Released – January 1, 2016 |
2019 | Parey Hut Love | Urdu | Released – August 9, 2019 |
Television
No. | Year | TV |
---|---|---|
01 | 2013 | Behadd |
Awards
No | Year | Film | Awards |
---|---|---|---|
01 | 2004 | Mahi Ve | Best Music Video Director |
02 | 2013 | Behadd | Best Telefilm Direcor |
See also
References
- "ARY Films and Asim Raza partner to release multi-starer "Ho Mann Jahaan"". Zeeshan Mahmood. Galaxy Lollywood. 4 October 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- "Ho Mann Jahaan — the next big thing in Pak cinema is coming soon". Zoya Anwer. Dawn News. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- "Asim Raza silently working on a film". Rashid Nazir Ali. Review it!. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan-Channel V Concert-His Final Performance. DailyMotion. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- Pareles, Jon (11 August 1998). "Moving the Spirit (and Feet) With Ancient Utterances Updated". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2010.
- ""Behadd" or Boundless!!! ~ A Telefilm Review by Swati Ghosh". Talksoap. 12 June 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
- "Asim Raza's Behadd to go onair soon". Daily Times. 8 June 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- "BEHADD starring Nadia Jamil and Sajal Ali, alongside Fawad Khan will be coming on 8th June on HUM TV". FUCHSIA weekly. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
- "Behadd premier". Fashion of the year. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 23 December 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
- "Winner List of 2nd Hum Awards". Showbiz Spice. 30 March 2014. Archived from the original on 3 April 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- "2nd Servis Hum Awards Held at Karachi". Umar Farooq. Web Pakistan. 5 April 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- "Ho Mann Jahan Casting Press Conference in Karachi". Pakistan Music Mind. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "'Ho Mann Jahaan' Upcoming Pakistani film's cast and crew addresses media in Karachi". Daily Times. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 July 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- "ARY Films to Release 'Ho Mann Jahaan' on January 1st 2016!". Views Craze. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- "ARY Films to release 'Ho Mann Jahaan'". BizAsia. Raj Baddhan. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
- "Mahira Khan's "Ho Mann Jahaan" to be released on January 1, 2016, commercially". Daily Pakistan. Ali Zain. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
- "Ho Mann Jahaan – A Musical Treat". Ary Digital. 2 November 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
- "Coming of age with Ho Mann Jahaan". Hasan Ansari. The Express Tribune. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
- Pervez Musharraf, In the Line of Fire: A Memoir, Simon and Schuster (2006), p. 52
External links
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Asim Raza |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Asim Raza. |
- Official page on Facebook
- Asim Raza at The Vision Factory
- Asim Raza on YouTube