Sarmad Khoosat

Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (, born May 7, 1979) 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 to be 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'. However, the film release in the Pakistani cinemas was delayed multiple times and Khoosat finally released it on the platform of Youtube on his official channel Khoosat Films on 4 August,2023.  

He also portrayed the role of Saadat Hasan Manto in his film Manto (2015).

Family
He is the son of veteran TV and film actor, producer and comedian Irfan Khoosat, while his sister Kanwal Khoosat is also a director, screenwriter and actress.

Early life 
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 Society of GCU.

Career 

He rose to prominence in 2001, when he created the sitcom Shashlik which ran for over three years on PTV, not only directing but also writing it as well acting in it. 

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 (inspired by the Freudian school of psychology). 

His 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 Busan Film Festival 2019 as well as the Best Film and Best Actor at the Asian 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. Although the film was cleared for release by Pakistani authorities, Khoosat continued to receive death threats calling for the film to be banned. He took to social media to pen a letter to the government of Pakistan and Imran Khan, the Prime Minister-calling for  protection against the threats. However, the government halted the release and instead invited TLP members to review the film. COVID-19 and the eventual lockdown further halted cinematic releases. Although the film was selected to represent Pakistan at the Oscars, its release remains a mystery.

Filmography

Television

Webseries

Telefilms

Films

Awards and recognition
 Pride of Performance Award in 2017 by the President of Pakistan

See also 
 List of Lollywood actors

References 
Sarmad Khoosat Film .

External links
 

1979 births
Living people
Punjabi people
Pakistani television directors
Urdu film producers
Pakistani male television actors
Pakistani film directors
Pakistani male film actors
Pakistani screenwriters
Pakistani dramatists and playwrights
Male actors from Lahore
Recipients of the Pride of Performance