Legendary writer and poet Gulzar believes it was fate that led him to make his famous 1988 TV show ‘Mirza Ghalib’ with Naseeruddin Shah, who, while still a student, wrote to him saying he was the best person for the role. Gulzar, who is known for his love of Ghalib, Urdu, and Bengali, said he had long wanted to make a screen project about the 19th-century poet and first thought of making a film with his friend and frequent collaborator, Sanjeev Kumar.

Speaking at the opening session of the 10th Jashn-e-Rekhta Festival, Gulzar shared how destiny brought him to Shah and television. ‘Sanjeev Kumar used to say, I don’t need to hear the script because I know you won’t waste my talent. But the producer changed his mind and it didn’t happen,’ Gulzar recalled at the session hosted by Divya Dutta.

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