Sarmad Khoosat


Sarmad Sultan Khoosat is a Pakistani actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Mainly known for his work as a director and actor in both cinema and television, Khoosat has directed the super-hit TV dramas Humsafar and Shehr-e-Zaat.
The son of Irfan Khoosat, he is considered one of the best South Asian filmmakers with his 2019 film Zindagi Tamasha being selected as Pakistan's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. The film also premiered at the 24th Busan International Film Festival under the section 'A Window on Asian Cinema' where it won the Kim Ji-Seok Award. The film also won multiple awards at the 6th Asian World Film Festival.
He has also been associated with several critically acclaimed Pakistani films, including Joyland, Kamli and Motorcycle Girl, further cementing his reputation as a prominent figure in contemporary Pakistani cinema.
He also portrayed the role of Saadat Hasan Manto in his film Manto.

Early life and education

He is the son of veteran TV and film actor, producer and comedian Irfan Khoosat and Zahida Butt a PTV newscaster, while his sister Kanwal Khoosat is also a director, screenwriter and actress.
Academically, he graduated from Government College University (Lahore) and earned a master's degree in psychology and a gold medal. He also was a member of the Debating Kutta Society of GCU.

Career

He rose to prominence in 2001 when he wrote, directed, and acted in the sitcom Shashlik, which ran for over three years on PTV. It was followed by another sitcom on Indus TV, Two Aur Two Chaar, with almost the same cast members, including Nadia Afgan, Khossat's father Irfan Khoosat, and Khoosat himself.
Sarmad then directed a series of tele-films for Geo TV, Tamasha Ghar, in 2003, the screenwriter Saji Gul basing the work on themes dealing with subconscious desires and fears.
He later directed Piya Naam Ka Diya in 2007, in which he acted opposite filmstar Saima Noor and Erum Akhtar. Sarmad then served as executive director for a soap serial named Mujhe Apna Naam-o-Nishan Milay, directed by his sister Kanwal Khoosat. Khoosat the directed Kalmoohi that was an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's Chokher Bali, began airing on PTV in early 2010, also got good reviews. In 2011, he gained significant prominence and acclaim with the TV drama Pani Jaisa Piyar that aired on Hum TV. It won him the best director award for it on LUX Style Awards. He directed Jal Pari, which was aired on Geo TV. He went on to direct Humsafar for Hum TV, which became an overnight success. His serial Shehr-e-Zaat was especially popular with women.
He conducted a workshop at the Lahore University of Management Sciences's annual amateur film festival in June 2011.
Khoosat directed episodes for Faseele Jaan Se Aagay and Ashk. He also directed the remake of the original Pakistani film, Aina, as a telefilm. In 2015, he completed shooting Mein Manto.
In October 2018, he delivered a 24-hour-long live act, No Time To Sleep, enacting the last 24 hours of a death row prisoner's life, a performance which earned him critical appreciation. As of October 2018, he wrote the script for Saqib Malik's upcoming production Ajnabee Sheher Main, while he has two upcoming feature films as director, writing one as well.
His 2019 feature film Zindagi Tamasha won the Kim Jin Seok award at the 24th Busan International Film Festival as well as the Best Film and Best Actor at the Asian World Film Festival 2021. Despite its critical acclaim, the film release was halted in 2020 by the notorious party, TLP, which called for it to be censored. Despite cleared for release by the authorities, Khoosat continued to receive death threats calling for the film to be banned. It was selected as Pakistan's entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but was not nominated. The film was then eventually released on YouTube on 4 August 2023.

Influence

Khoosat is influenced by Satyajit Ray and Ingmar Bergman in direction.

Awards and recognition

YearAwardCategoryWorkResult
2012Lux Style AwardsBest TV DirectorPani Jaisa Pyarrowspan="2" Won
2013Lux Style AwardsBest TV DirectorHumsafar-
2016Lux Style AwardsBest Film DirectorMantorowspan="3" Nomitated
2016Lux Style AwardsBest Film ActorManto-
2022Lux Style AwardsBest TV Actor Pardes-
2023Lux Style AwardsBest Film DirectorKamliWon