Ilyas Rashidi
Ilyas Rashidi | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | 1997[1] Karachi, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Other names | Baba-e-Filmi Sahafat (Pioneer of Film Journalism) in Pakistan[1] |
| Occupation | Film journalist[1] |
| Years active | 1948 – 1997 |
| Known for | Founder of Nigar Awards (founded 1957) and Nigar (magazine) (a weekly film magazine in Urdu language (founded 1948)[1] |
| Relatives | Aslam Ilyas Rashidi (son of Ilyas Rashidi and current 'flag-bearer and custodian' of Nigar Awards[2] |
Ilyas Rashidi (Urdu: اِلیاس رشیدی) was a Pakistani magazine publisher and editor who founded the film magazine Nigar in 1948, dedicated to films and film personalities, and the historic and prestigious Nigar Awards on 17 July 1957.[3][1][2]
Early life and career
[edit]Ilyas Rashidi was born in Delhi, British India in 1925, he worked with his brothers, Mohammad Usman Azad and Mohammad Umar Farooqi, for the Delhi-based Urdu newspaper Anjam (owned by Umar) which shifted to Karachi after partition in 1947. He launched Nigar from Karachi. Pakistan, modelling it after the Indian film magazine Filmfare.[1]
Ilyas had purchased a children's magazine Monthly Nigar from his friend Ibne Hassan Nigar, and re-branded it as a weekly film magazine in 1948.[2]
The Ilyas Rashidi Lifetime Achievement Gold Medal is presented annually at the Nigar Awards ceremony and event. In January 2017, a press conference was held at a local hotel in Karachi to announce the scheduled date of 16 March 2017 for the 47th Nigar Awards.[2]
Death and legacy
[edit]Ilyas Rashidi died in 1997 in Karachi, Pakistan.[1] He was also affectionately called Baba-e-Filmi Sahafat (Pioneer of Film Journalism) in Pakistan. His son, Aslam Ilyas Rashidi temporarily suspended the annual awarding of Nigar Awards from 2005 to 2012 due to a then ongoing decline in Pakistani film industry during that period.[4][1]
In 2012, Aslam Ilyas Rashidi announced plans to revive the Nigar Awards for films and stated that this time it would also include awards for the Pakistani television industry.[1][4]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Rafay Mahmood (12 January 2012). "Baba-e-Filmi Sahafat: The return of Nigar Awards". The Express Tribune newspaper. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Reviving the industry's annual award show". Daily Times newspaper. 21 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ "COVER STORY: Trouble in tinsel town". Dawn newspaper. 17 December 2008. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
- ^ a b Wara Irfan (25 February 2023). "What happened to Nigar Weekly? - The Pioneer of film journalism in Pakistan has now faded from our collective memory". Images magazine (Dawn Group of Newspapers). Archived from the original on 23 July 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2025.