Born on November 1, 1962 in a remote village called Modasa in Gujarat, India to Abdul Hameed 'Nerang' Bazmee (Urdu Poet) and Khatoon Begum (Housewife), Anees Bazmee was a creative and restless soul right from his childhood. He realised his cinematic ambitions at the tender age of 12. When most kids his age were busy playing with toys, he started working as a child artist and displayed his acting prowess in films like ‘Kitaab’, ‘Bhayanak’ and ‘Naseeb’. He played a young Shatrughan Sinha in ‘Naseeb’ and got applauded for his performance.
Creativity and talent flowed in his blood, as he inherited a rich tradition of poetry and lyrical writing from his father and in the year 1976, when he was just 13-year-old, he landed in Mumbai to pursue a career in filmmaking. In his initial years, he dabbled in various jobs comprising sound recording, art direction and editing to gain on field technical knowledge and learn the ropes of filmmaking.
He also worked as an Assistant Writer to Mr. Ravinder Pippat and Jainendra Jain who were among the top writers of those times but the ambition of becoming a director was gaining ground somewhere in his heart. His firm belief in himself finally won him the prestigious job as an Assistant Director with the legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor in the film ‘Prem Rog’ in 1982.
After assisting a few more prominent Bollywood directors and ghost-writing for 15 films, he finally made his debut as a screenplay writer with 1990 release ‘Swarg’ starring superstar Rajesh Khanna and Govinda. The film went on to earn box-office success and also received critical acclaim for its magnificent writing. He was soon flooded with writing assignments and delivered back-to-back hits, which include blockbusters like ‘Bol Radha Bol’, ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’, ‘Aankhen’, ‘Laadla’, ‘Deewana Mastana’, ‘Raja Babu’ and ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karoge’ to name a few. In all he wrote over 60 films in Hindi, Tamil and Marathi cutting across various genres including romance, thriller, suspense, comedy and action thus, becoming the most prolific writer among his generation.
Finally in the year 1995, he lived his long overdue ambition of becoming a director. His first film as a writer-director was ‘Hulchul’ with superstars like Ajay Devgn, Kajol and Vinod Khanna. The film did well at the box-office and was appreciated by the trade circuit. Then he delivered his next blockbuster ‘Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha’ in the year 1998, again starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol. It was followed by ‘Deewangee’ in the year 2002. Few years down the line came ‘No Entry’, a cult comedy film which created an unprecedented wave in the Indian Cinema. The film made him a household name and one of the most successful directors of the recent times. This was followed by super-duper hits like ‘Welcome’, ‘Singh is Kinng’ and ‘Ready’, just to name a few.
Anees Bazmee is one of the few writer-directors of modern times, who have had the privilege of working with superstars like Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Irrfan Khan, Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Suniel Shetty, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal among others. He has also had a long and trustful association with reputed production houses like Firoz Nadiadwala, Vipul Amrutlal Shah, UTV, Studio 18, Baba Films and Boney Kapoor Productions.
The journey spanning over three-and-a-half decades mirrors strong resolve and determination as he slowly yet steadily learnt the art, craft and business of cinema, and most importantly the pulse of Indian and overseas audiences. He thus gradually climbed up the ladders of Indian cinema reaching the top echelons of industry but with his foot firmly placed on ground and has created a niche for himself which is recognised as the world of blockbuster entertainment.
His next will be ‘Pagalpanti’ featuring John Abraham & Ileana D’Cruz in the leading roles & 'Aankhein-2' featuring Mr. Amitabh Bachchan.