Agha Hashr Kashmiri

Biography

Agha Hashr Kashmiri remains one of the most celebrated playwrights and poets in Urdu. Born in 1879 in Banaras to a Kashmiri family, he displayed literary talent from an early age. He moved to Bombay and then Calcutta, where he began writing for the theatre.

His plays combined poetic beauty with gripping drama. Influenced by Shakespeare, he adapted several works, including Safed Khoon (inspired by King Lear) and Shaheed-e-Naaz (linked to Romeo and Juliet). Yet his plays were not mere imitations; he localized them, adding Urdu poetry, ghazals, and themes that spoke to Indian audiences.

Beyond adaptations, he wrote original plays like Yahudi Ki Ladki, which addressed themes of oppression and justice, and became one of the most staged plays in Urdu theatre. His dialogues, often in verse, had the cadence of ghazals, making them memorable long after the curtain fell.

Agha Hashr was married to Mukhtar Begum, a renowned singer, and their partnership blended theatre and music. His career also included writing lyrics for early films as cinema began to replace stage drama.

He passed away in Lahore in 1935. Even today, he is remembered as the “Shakespeare of Urdu,” a dramatist who brought grandeur, poetry, and social critique to the stage.