Javed Siddiqui

His play Tumhari Amrita, an adaptation of A R Gurney's classic American play Love Letters attained cult success. It had only two actors (Shabana Azmi and Farooque Shaikh) reading out letters to each other with neither change of set or costume. It ran for 21 years until Farooque Shaikh's death on December 28, 2013, and is one of the longest running plays in India. Since its debut at Prithvi Theatre on February 27, 1992, the play has been performed all over the world, including a special performance at the United Nations, the first Indian play to do so.

Siddiqi started the second part of Roshandan with the first pen sketch on Satyajit Ray (Kya Admi Tha Ray) which was published in Mumbai's literary magazine Naya Warq and later on in Ajj, Karachi, March 2013.

In 2012, Siddiqi wrote a book of pen sketches named Roshandan. The book was published from Delhi and later on it was republished from AJJ, Karachi. A comprehensive review on the book was written by Karachi-based writer and researcher on Ibne Safi, Rashid Ashraf which was published in Karachi renowned Urdu magazine Quarterly Ijra in 2012.

Siddiqi has won two Filmfare Awards, two Star Screen Awards, and one BFJA Award. In 2010, he announced his association with Tumbhi where he would review artists and their artwork.

He started his career as a dialogue writer in Satyajit Ray's Shatranj Ke Khilari in 1977.

After having graduated in Urdu Literature from Rampur, Javed Siddiqi moved to Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1959, where he worked as a professional journalist for various Urdu dailies like Khilafat Daily and Inquilaab. Soon after that, he went on to lead his own newspaper, Urdu Reporter.

Javed Siddiqi (13 January 1942) is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues.

Siddiqi has successfully ventured into various domains, from Bertolt Brecht to more contemporary themes in his adaptations. He has adapted Bertolt Brecht's play Puntilla and several of his other works. His play Andhe Choohe based on Agatha Christie's Mousetrap, is one of the world's longest-running dramas. In the words of critic Vijay Nair, "Javed Siddiqi's lines are as poignant as ever. They leap out of the letters as little gems. At times they plead with the incoherence of hurts long stifled. At times they flare up like little flames scorching the audience. At times they soothe like fresh raindrops after a scorching summer. But at all times they have a life of their own and make their presence felt like an invisible third character on stage. His play 1857: Ek Safarnama set in Indian Rebellion of 1857 was also stage at Purana Qila, Delhi ramparts by Nadira Babbar and National School of Drama Repertory company, in 2008.