Shahid Nadeem

Shahid Mahmood Nadeem, born  is an award-winner Pakistani journalist, playwright, screen writer, theater and television director and a human rights activist. He served as General Manager, Director Programmes and Deputy Managing Director in Pakistan Television Corporation. He is currently serving the Ajoka Theater as Executive Director and also the Director of PTV Academy. 

Nadeem was born to a Muslim family in 1947 during the partitioning of British India in Kashmir. Later he moved to Lahore, Punjab and settled there.

Nadeem started his career as a human rights and social activist in Lahore. During the era of Gen. Zia-ul-Haq, Shahid imprisoned three times by Zia in 1969, 1970 and then in 1979 for his political activism.In 1980 he was forced to live out abroad so he went to London where he worked eight years for Amnesty International from 1980 to 1988 in London and 1991 to 1993 in Hong Kong and later in Los Angeles.
Nadeem has directed and written several plays for theatres, also directed and written television serials mostly for PTV.His mostly plays are originally written in Urdu and Punjabi languages while others are adaption of English plays.
He also worked for some newspapers like The Express Tribune.

In 1995 Nadeem directed and wrote two television serials for Pakistan Television Corporation, one is a political drama television serial Zard Dopehar which aired on PTV, starred Shujaat Hashmi and Samina Peerzada. The serial was about a corrupt political figure grown up in a middle family. The other television serial is Uraan which also aired in the same year on PTV and earned the great ratings and audiences. This serial was about the Pakistani Aviation which showed the culture and management of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). It was shot mostly at the Jinnah International Airport, Karachi and covered the flights went or came from different countries. Some of its parts also shot in Kathmandu, London, Nairobi, New York City and Paris. The serial was lead starred by Shakeel as a PIA aircraft Captain and Faryal Gohar as Senior Flight Purser.

Nadeem also wrote a hit comedy television series Janjaal Pura for PTV during 2000s. The serial was directed by Tariq Jamil and lead starred by Savera Nadeem, Mehmood Aslam and Naseem Vicky.

On August 23, 2008 Alhamra Arts Council hosted the launch of Selected Plays published by Oxford University Press (OUP) with the help of Ajoka.The book contains seven of his famous plays Teesri Dastak, Barri, Aik Thi Nani, Kala Meda Bhes, Dukhini, Bulha and Burqavaganza. The book again launched at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA), Islamabad on August 25, 2008 with the help of Pakistan Academy of Letters. His book Selected Plays, a collection of his six famous plays in English translation was again published by OUP in March 2009 in United States.Two collections of his Urdu and Punjabi plays has been published.

In 2012 Nadeem wrote a play Kaun Hai Yeh Gustakh,directed by Madeeha Gauhar and first played at Alhamra Arts Council, Lahore on December 14, 2012 by Ajoka Theater group. The play got great applause and is based on the life of Saadat Hassan Manto. Manto was played by Naseem Abbas. Later in January 2013 play was presented at the Akshara Theatre in New Delhi, India.[16] The play also had to be presented at the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi but later they cancelled it due to some security problems. In February 2013 play was held at Nishtar Hall, Peshawar by Ajoka.

In 2013 he started writing the script for the television serial Main Manto based on the real life of Saadat Hasan Manto, directed by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat,lead starred by Sarmad Khoosat, Mahira Khan and Saba Qamar. The serial is currently filming in Lahore.

Nadeem has a daughter Savera Nadeem from his first marriage with a stage and television actress, Savera is also a famous model and television actress.Later Nadeem married to Madeeha Gauhar and has a son Sarang. Nadeem and Gauhar first met in London when Shahid was working at Amnesty International and Gauhar was a study scholarship by British Council.

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