Lyricist, poet Gulzar selected for Jnanpith Award for his contributions

The official statement from the Jnanpith selection committee read, “It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar.”

The press release from the official selection commitee recognized Gulzar for the award, and said, “Along with his long film journey, Gulzar has been setting new milestones in the field of literature. In poetry, he invented a new genre ‘Triveni’ which is a non-mukaffa poem of three lines. Gulzar has always created something new through his poetry. For some time now he has also been paying serious attention to children's poetry.”

Gulzar is one of the most respected names not just in cinema but also in literary circles. He is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of his era. He has written poems and lyrics for countless films in a career spanning over six decades. Hehas earlier received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, an Oscar, a Grammy trophy and multiple National Film Awards. Gulzar has also directed cinematic gems such as Mere Apne, Parichay, Aandhi, Mausam and Lekin to name a few.