About
Shakeel Azmi, born on 20 April 1971 in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, is a prominent Urdu poet, film lyricist and screenwriter based in Mumbai. Celebrated for his evocative ghazals and nazms, he blends traditional Urdu poetry with contemporary film narratives, and is a much-sought performer at mushairas and kavi-sammelans.
Azmi entered Bollywood with Woh Tera Naam Tha and went on to write for films including Article 15, Thappad, Anek and Bheed, earning a Filmfare nomination for Ek Tukda Dhoop from Thappad. His poetry collections include Dhoop Dariya, Paron Ko Khol and the bestseller Vanvaas, which won the Jagran Sahitya Srijan Samman in 2025, and he has received the Gujarat Urdu Sahitya Academy's Gaurav Award.
The artistry
Azmi writes with a contemporary edge, weaving personal narrative and subtle social critique into ghazals and nazms without archaic tropes. On the mushaira stage and in film, he pairs lyrical beauty with emotional depth on themes of love, longing and resilience.
Azmi offers a host a mushaira recitation or a poetry-and-cinema in-conversation, with the added draw of his well-known film lyrics. Strong for literary and crossover cultural programmes. [Atlas Assessment]
A contemporary Urdu poet who moves fluidly between the literary mushaira and the Hindi film song, enriching both.