Zeeshan Mumtaz
ISLAMABAD: A well-known Pakistani filmmaker and director, A.J. Kardar, is remembered today, November 25, 1926, for his birth anniversary.
A.J. Kardar, also known as Akhtar J., was the brother of filmmaker Abdur Rashid Kardar. He was the cousin of the international cricketer, former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Abdul Hafeez Kardar and Indian filmmaker and producer A.R. Kardar.
A.J. Kardar has collaborated with Faiz Ahmed Faiz in multiple films and documentaries. Kardar is attributed specifically for directing the film ‘Jago Hua Savera,’ which received international recognition and multiple awards.
First Pakistani film nominated for Oscar
‘Jago Hua Savera’ was the first Pakistani film nominated for an Oscar in the Best Foreign Film Category domain. The movie was also made into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival and received a Gold Medal.
Kardar also directed numerous documentaries, including one on the Great and National Poet Allam Iqbal.
Received recognition for works, services
In the year 1959, Kardar started making films and confined, produced, and directed three feature films and 59 documentaries.
Some of the awards, A.K Kardar received in recognition for his work and services include Boston Film Festival Award (1961), Moscow Gold Medal Award (1959), Iran’s Golden Dolphin Award, and the Nigar Award from Pakistan (1969).
During the 1970s, Kardar worked with the National Film Development Corporation (NAFDAC) Pakistan. Kardar died in London on February 14, 2002, after facing a prolonged illness.
