Rahi Masoom Raza

Rahi Masoom Raza (1 September 1927 – 15 March 1992) was an Indian Urdu and Hindi poet, writer and Bollywood lyricist.

He won the Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue three times, for his work in Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1979), Tawaif (1985) and Lamhe (1991). He is best known for writing the screenplay and dialogues for the television series Mahabharat, which was based on the Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata from ancient India. He was the younger brother of educationist Moonis Raza and scholar Mehdi Raza.

Raza completed his early education in Ghazipur district before pursuing higher education at Aligarh Muslim University, where his academic focus was centered on Muslim theology. He earned a doctorate in Hindustani Literature and embarked on a literary career. He married Nayyar Jahan who had been previously married. Raza was told by many of his friends to break off ties with her. But he remained firm in his resolve and they were married, which led to a controversy that made Raza quit the Aligarh Muslim University job as a lecturer. Then the married couple decided to move to Bombay where Raza would work in films in 1967.

Career Raza's career in Hindi films began with the romantic drama Mili (1975), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. His dialogues in the film were praised, marking the beginning of his career in the Hindi film industry.

He won his first Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue for Raj Khosla's drama Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), which dealt with themes of love, sacrifice, and societal expectations. His dialogues were instrumental in conveying the emotional depth and complexity of the film.

After working for various successful films like Gol Maal (1979), Karz (1980), Judaai (1980) and Disco Dancer (1982), Raza's next prominent venture was the romantic drama Tawaif (1985), directed by B. R. Chopra. Showcasing the life and dilemmas of the life of a courtesan, his dialogues were instrumental in humanizing the characters and conveying the emotional depth of the narrative, contributing significantly to the film's critical acclaim. His work on the film earned him his second Filmfare Award for Best Dialogue.

He gained recognition on Hindi television for writing the screenplay and dialogues for the television serial Mahabharat, which was based on the ancient Indian epic, the Mahabharata.

Raza then collaborated with Honey Irani to write the screenplay and dialogues for Yash Chopra's musical romantic drama Lamhe (1991), After his death, Raza's dialogues were featured in two more of Yash Chopra's productions, Parampara (1992) and Aaina (1993).

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