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{{infobox writer <!-- for more information see[[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] -->
| name = Ismat Chughtai<br />عصمت چُغتائی
| image = IsmatChughtaiPic.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| alt =
| caption =
| pseudonym =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1915|08|21}}
| birth_place = [[Badayun]], [[United Province]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1991|10|24|1915|08|15}}
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| resting_place =
| occupation = Writer, director
| language = [[Urdu]]
| nationality = Indian
| education =
| alma_mater = [[Aligarh Muslim University]]
| period =
| genre = Short stories and Novel
| subject =
| movement = [[Progressive Writers Movement]]
| children = Seema Sawhny<br/> Sabrina Lateef
| awards = [[Padma Shri]] (1976)<br/>Ghalib Award (1984)
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| website =
| portaldisp =
| imagesize =
| spouse = [[Shaheed Latif]] (1941–1967)
| notableworks = [[List of works by Ismat Chughtai|Works of Ismat Chughtai]]
| relative(s) =
| influenced =
}}

'''Ismat Chughtai''' (21 August 1915–24 October 1991) was an Indian Urdu language writer. Beginning in the 1930s, she wrote on themes like female sexuality and femininity, middle-class gentility, and class conflict, often from a Marxist perspective. With a style characterised by literary realism, Chughtai established herself as a significant voice in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and in 1976 was awarded the [[Padma Shri]] by the [[Government of India]].

== Biography ==
===Early life and career beginnings (1915–41`)===
Ismat Chughtai was born on 21 August 1915 in Badayun,[[Uttar Pradesh]] to Nusrat Khanam and Mirza Qaseem Baig Chughtai;<ref name="Gopal2012"/> she was ninth of ten children{{endash}}six brothers, four sisters. The family shifted homes frequently as Chughtai's father was a [[Indian Civil Services|civil servant]]; she spent her childhood in cities including [[Jodhpur]], [[Agra]], and [[Aligarh]], mostly in the company of her brothers as her sisters had gotten married while she was still very young. Chughtai described the influence of her brothers as an important factor which influenced her personality in her formative years. She thought of her second-eldest brother, Mirza Azim Beg Chughtai, a novelist, as a mentor. The family eventually settled in Agra, after Chughtai's father retired from the Indian Civil Services.<ref name="parekh">{{cite web|url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1203638|title=Essay: Ismat Chughtai: her life, thought and art|last=Parekh|first=Rauf|work=[[Dawn]]|accessdate=24 April 2018|date=30 August 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206005838/https://www.dawn.com/news/1203638|archivedate=6 December 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Chughtai attained primary education from the [[Women's College, Aligarh|Women's College]] at the [[Aligarh Muslim University]] and graduated from [[Isabella Thoburn College]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in 1940.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/9JgfILAahE0gybNT3KUYTM/The-fine-print-of-the-AMU-library-row.html|title=The fine print of the AMU Library row|last=Bhandare|first=Namita|work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Mint]]|accessdate=24 April 2018|date=11 November 2014|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012110602/http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/9JgfILAahE0gybNT3KUYTM/The-fine-print-of-the-AMU-library-row.html|archivedate=12 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Despite strong resistance from her family, she completed her [[Bachelor of Education]] degree from the Aligarh Muslim University the following year.<ref name="parekh"/> It was during this period that Chughtai became associated with the [[Progressive Writers' Association]], having attended her first meeting in 1936 where she met [[Rashid Jahan]], one of the leading women writers involved with the movement, who was later credited for inspiring Chughtai to write "realistic, challenging female characters".<ref name="bahuguna">{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/article/847158/born-on-indias-future-independence-day-ismat-chughtai-wrote-of-the-world-she-saw-not-aspired-to|title=Born on India’s future Independence Day, Ismat Chughtai wrote of the world she saw, not aspired to|last=Bahuguna|first=Urvashi|work=Scroll.in|accessdate=25 April 2017|date=15 August 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016041432/https://scroll.in/article/847158/born-on-indias-future-independence-day-ismat-chughtai-wrote-of-the-world-she-saw-not-aspired-to|archivedate=16 October 2017|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="mclain">{{cite web|title=The Fantastic as Frontier: Realism, the Fantastic and Transgression in Mid-Twentiet century Urdu fiction|url=http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/16/14_McLain.pdf|last=McLain|first=Karline|publisher=[[University of Texas, Austin]]|accessdate=11 January 2012|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204045727/http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/16/14_McLain.pdf|archivedate=4 December 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Chughtai began writing in private around the same time, but did not seek publication for her work until much later.<ref name="mclain"/>

Chughtai wrote a drama entitled ''Fasādī'' فسادی (''The Troublemaker'') for the Urdu magazine ''Saqi'' ساقّی in 1939, which marked her first published work. Upon publication,
readers mistook it as a play by Chughtai's brother Azeem Beg, written using a [[pseudonym]].<ref name="naqvi">{{cite journal|last1=Naqvi|first1=Tahira|title=Ismat Chughtai–A Tribute|journal=Annual of Urdu Studies Vol. 8|date=1993|url=https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/11805/08Ismat.pdf?sequence=2|accessdate=25 April 2018|publisher=[[University of Wisconsin]]|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075657/https://minds.wisconsin.edu/bitstream/handle/1793/11805/08Ismat.pdf?sequence=2|archivedate=26 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Following that, she started writing for other publications and newspapers. Some of her early works included ''Bachpan'' بچپن (''Childhood''), an autobiographical piece, ''Kafir''کافر, her first short-story, and ''Dheet'' ڈھیٹ (''Stubborn''), her only [[soliloquy]], among others.<ref name="bano"/> In response to a story that she wrote for a magazine, Chughtai was told that her work was [[blasphemy|blasphemous]] and insulted the [[Quran]].<ref name="patel">{{cite web|url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/NTt7hWtC5yAWZx0cQCrYAM/Ismat-Chughtais-fearless-pen.html|title=Ismat Chughtai’s fearless pen|last=Patel|first=Aakar|work=[[Mint (newspaper)|Livemint]]|accessdate=25 April 2018|date=14 August 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426013313/https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/NTt7hWtC5yAWZx0cQCrYAM/Ismat-Chughtais-fearless-pen.html|archivedate=26 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She, nonetheless, continued writing about "things she would hear of".<ref name="patel"/> Her continued association with the Progressive Writers' Movement had significant bearings on her writing style; she was particularly intrigued by ''Angaray'' انگارے, a compilation of short-stories by the progressive writers. Other early influences included such writers as [[William Sydney Porter]], [[George Bernard Shaw]], and [[Anton Chekhov]].<ref name="patel"/> ''Kalyān'' (''Buds'') and ''Cōtēn'' (''Wounds''), two of Chughtai’s
earliest collections of short stories, were published in 1941 and 1942 respectively.<ref name="bano">{{cite web|url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/jspui/bitstream/10603/165149/11/11_chapter%25206.pdf|title=The emergence of feminist consciousness among Muslim women the case of Aligarh|last=Bano|first=Farhat|publisher=[[University of Calcutta]]|via=[[Shodhganga]]|accessdate=13 May 2018|date=2013}}</ref> Her first [[novella]] ''Ziddi'', which was first published in 1941 was later translated into English as ''Wild at Heart''.<ref name="Gopal2012"/>

===Niche appreciation and transitions to film (1942–60)===
After completing her Bachelor's of Education degree, Chughtai successfully applied for the post of headmistress of an Aligarh-based Girls school. She met [[Shahid Latif]], who was pursuing his Master's degree at the time and the two developed a close friendship.<ref name="naqvi"/> Chughtai continued to write for varying publications during her stay at Aligarh; she garnered widespread attention for her short-story ''[[Lihaaf]]'' (''The Quilt''), which appeared in a 1942 issue of ''Adab-i-Latif'', a [[Lahore]]-based literary journal.<ref name="parekh"/> Inspired from the rumoured affair of a ''begum'' and her masseuse in Aligarh, the story chronicles the sexual awakening of Begum Jan following her unhappy marriage with a ''nawab''.<ref name="bahuguna"/> Upon release, ''Lihaaf'' attracted criticism for its suggestion of [[female homosexuality]] and a subsequent [[trial]], with Chughtai being summoned to the court to defend herself against the charges of "obscenity". In the intervening years, ''Lihaaf'' has attached a greater significance; it was noted for its portrayal of the insulated life of a neglected wife in the [[Indian feudalism|feudal society]] and became a landmark for its early depiction of sex, still a taboo in modern [[Indian literature]].<ref name="Das1995">{{cite book|first=Sisir|last=
Kumar Das|title=History of Indian Literature: 1911-1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC&pg=PA348|date=1 January 1995|publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]]|isbn=978-81-7201-798-9|pages=348}}</ref> ''Lihaaf'' has been widely anthologised over the years, and following the critical reappraisals, has become one of Chughtai's best known works.<ref name="Gopal2012">{{cite book|first=Priyamvada|last=Gopal|title=Literary Radicalism in India: Gender, Nation and the Transition to Independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lf8wfOR1058C&pg=PT83|date=2012|publisher=[[Routledge Press]]|isbn=978-1-134-33253-3|pages=83–84}}</ref>

Chughtai moved to Bombay in 1942 and began working as an Inspectress of schools.<ref name="naqvi"/> She married Latif later that year in a private ceremony with [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]] serving as a witness.<ref name="Gopal2012"/> She became increasingly involved in writing and found success with such short-stories as ''Gainda'' and ''Khidmatgaar'' and the play ''Intikhab'', all of which were published during the period. Latif, who himself worked as dialogue writer in [[Bollywood]] introduced Chughtai to the Hindi film industry.<ref name="gupta">{{cite web|url=https://sol.du.ac.in/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=855|title=The Short Stories|last=Gupta|first=Neeta|publisher=[[School of Open Learning]]|accessdate=27 April 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506035620/https://sol.du.ac.in/mod/book/tool/print/index.php?id=855|archivedate=6 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Chughtai's quasi-autobiographical novel ''Terhi Lakeer'' (''The Crooked Line'') was released in 1943; the book chronicles the lives of marginalised women in the backdrop of the waning [[British Raj]].<ref name="bano"/> Chughtai's exploration of the "inner realms of women’s lives" was well received by critics who variously described her work in ''Terhi Lakeer'' as "probing and pertinent"<ref name="zakaria">{{cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1051981|title=Ismat Chughtai: The inner worlds of educated women|last=Zakaria|first=Rafia|work=[[Dawn]]|accessdate=5 May 2018|date=26 October 2013|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180420014416/https://www.dawn.com/news/1051981|archivedate=20 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and "empowering"<ref name="gautam">{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyo.in/arts/ismat-chugtai-indian-literature-obscenity-laws-twitter-tedhi-lakeer-lihaaf-progressive-writers-movement-india-translation-postcolonialism/story/1/5822.html|title=Ismat Chughtai, thank you for being our Tedhi Lakeer|last=Gautam|first=Nishtha|work=DailyO|accessdate=5 May 2018|date=22 August 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180506103935/https://www.dailyo.in/arts/ismat-chugtai-indian-literature-obscenity-laws-twitter-tedhi-lakeer-lihaaf-progressive-writers-movement-india-translation-postcolonialism/story/1/5822.html|archivedate=6 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>. The novel was translated into English by Tahira Naqvi, who compared Chughtai's writing style to that of French writer and intellectual [[Simone de Beauvoir]], based on the duo's [[existentialism|existentialist]] and [[humanism|humanist]] affiliations.<ref name="bano"/>

Chughtai faced a court trial for alleged obscenity in her writings, ''Lihaaf'' in particular and was summoned by the Lahore court in 1944.<ref name="mitra">{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.com/life-style/books/features/The-same-sex-appeal-in-literature/amp_articleshow/10569100.cms|title=The same-sex appeal in literature|last=Mitra|first=Ipshita|work=[[The Times of India]]|accessdate=7 May 2018|date=28 September 2012}}</ref> Fellow writer and member of the Progressive Writers' Movement [[Sadat Hassan Manto]] was also charged with similar allegations for his short-story ''Bu'' (''Odour'') and accompanied Chughtai to Lahore.<ref name="asaduddin">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/1120401/jsp/7days/story_15319777.jsp|title=Dude, it’s not lewd|last=Asaduddin|first=M|work=[[The Telegraph (Calcutta)|The Telegraph]]|accessdate=7 May 2018|date=1 April 2012|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507090721/https://www.telegraphindia.com/1120401/jsp/7days/story_15319777.jsp|archivedate=7 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The charges notwithstanding, both Chughtai and Manto were exonerated.<ref name="shamsie">{{cite web|url=https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=27_11_2016_461_001|title=The feminist voice of Ismat Chughtai|last=Shamsie|first=Muneeza|work=[[Dawn (newspaper)|Dawn]]|accessdate=7 May 2018|date=27 November 2016|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507085638/https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php?StoryImage=27_11_2016_461_001|archivedate=7 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The trial itself drew much media and public attention and brought notoriety to the duo. Although Chughtai fared better in the public eye, having garnered support from fellow members of the Progressive Writers' Movement, she detested the media attention, which in her view weighted heavily upon her subsequent work: "[''Lihaaf''] brought me so much notoriety that I got sick of life. It became the proverbial stick to beat me with and whatever I wrote afterwards got crushed under its weight."<ref name="asaduddin"/> Critical reappraisals for her works have noted otherwise; in a 1993 retrospective piece, Naqvi remarked that Chughtai's writing was "neither confined to nor exhausted" by the themes central to ''Lihaaf'': "she had much, much more to offer".<ref name="naqvi"/>

Chughtai made her debut as a screenwriter for Latif's 1948 commercially successful drama film ''[[Ziddi (1948 film)|Ziddi]]''. Starting [[Kamini Kaushal]], [[Pran (actor)|Pran]], and [[Dev Anand]] in his first major film role, ''Ziddi'' was based on a short-story by Chughtai; she has rewritten the narrative in form of a screenplay for the production.<ref name="trailblazer">{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/Remembering-a-trailblazer/article17069451.ece|title=Remembering a trailblazer|last=Kumar|first=Kuldeep|work=[[The Hindu]]|accessdate=8 May 2018|date=20 January 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514182254/http://www.thehindu.com/books/Remembering-a-trailblazer/article17069451.ece|archivedate=14 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="willemen">{{cite book|last1=Rajadhyaksha|first1=Ashish|last2=Willemen|first2=Paul|title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema|date=2014|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781135943189|url=https://books.google.com/?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=ziddi+1948+reviews#v=onepage&q=ziddi%201948%20reviews&f=false|language=en|pages=80|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507154108/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&pg=PA80&lpg=PA80&dq=ziddi+1948+reviews&source=bl&ots=VCZvPExybk&sig=j97JE2LF6X9bLFETFP28LXyZdyM&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir_If1ofPaAhVBuI8KHYKcDp84ChDoATANegQIBhAB#v=onepage&q=ziddi%201948%20reviews&f=false|archivedate=7 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> She wrote the dialogue and screenplay for the 1950 romance drama film ''[[Arzoo (1950 film)|Arzoo]]'', starring Kaushal and [[Dilip Kumar]]. Chughtai expanded her career into [[film direction|directing]] with the 1953 film ''Faraib'', which featured an [[ensemble cast]] of Amar, Maya Daas, [[Kishore Kumar]], [[Lalita Pawar]], and [[Zohra Sehgal]]. Having written the screenplay based on one of her short stories, Chughtai co-directed the film with Latif.<ref name="willemen"/> Upon release, both ''Arzoo'' and ''Faraib'' garnered positive response from the audience and performed well at the box-office.<ref name="hyder">{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyo.in/arts/ismat-chughtai-urdu-literature-short-stories-lihaaf/story/1/18952.html|title=Ismat Chughtai dared to raise the veil of hypocrisies in Indian society|last=Hyder|first=Qurratulain|work=DailyO|accessdate=11 May 2018|date=25 August 2017|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512043621/https://www.dailyo.in/arts/ismat-chughtai-urdu-literature-short-stories-lihaaf/story/1/18952.html|archivedate=12 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Chughtai's association with film solidified when she and Latif co-founded the production company Filmina.<ref name="bano"/> Her first project as a filmmaker was the 1958 drama film ''Sone Ki Chidiya'', which she wrote and co-produced. Starring [[Nutan]] and [[Talat Mahmood]] in lead roles, it tells the story of a [[child actor]], who is abused and exploited over the course of her career. The film was well received by audiences and the success translated directly into a rise in Chughtai's popularity, as noted by writer and critic Shams Kanwal.<ref name="sadique">{{cite book|last1=Sadique|first1=Daktar|last2=Paul Kumar|first2=Sukrita|title=Ismat: Her Life, Her Times|date=2000|publisher=Katha Books|isbn=9788185586977|url=https://books.google.com/?id=fcJjAAAAMAAJ&q=celluloid+masterpiece+was+Garam+Hawa&dq=celluloid+masterpiece+was+Garam+Hawa|accessdate=11 May 2018|page=92|language=en|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512043856/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=fcJjAAAAMAAJ&q=celluloid+masterpiece+was+Garam+Hawa&dq=celluloid+masterpiece+was+Garam+Hawa&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjk3-m-yv7aAhUMwLwKHftRAegQ6AEIJDAA|archivedate=12 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> ''Sone Ki Chidiya'' has been described as a significant production for "[chronicling] a heady time in Indian cinema" and showcasing the "grime behind the glamour" of the film industry.<ref name="gahlot">{{cite book|last1=Gahlot|first1=Deepa|title=Take-2: 50 Films That Deserve a New Audience|date=2015|publisher=Hay House, Inc|isbn=9789384544850|url=https://books.google.com/?id=JEqwDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT128&lpg=PT128&dq=sone+ki+chidiya+ismat+chughtai#v=onepage&q=sone%20ki%20chidiya%20ismat%20chughtai&f=false|accessdate=11 May 2018|language=en|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512043858/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=JEqwDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT128&lpg=PT128&dq=sone+ki+chidiya+ismat+chughtai&source=bl&ots=kmaGJ77RtA&sig=8UrcqCQzIys02BpibE6moOi9Js8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMj5fJxv7aAhXIw7wKHTzZDRw4ChDoATAFegQIBRAB#v=onepage&q=sone%20ki%20chidiya%20ismat%20chughtai&f=false|archivedate=12 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Nutan, who garnered a good response for her performance in the film, herself described it as one of her favorite projects.<ref name="nutan">{{cite web|url=https://m.rediff.com/movies/2002/feb/05din.htm|title=Forever Nutan|publisher=[[Rediff.com]]|accessdate=11 May 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512044108/https://m.rediff.com/movies/2002/feb/05din.htm|archivedate=12 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Also in 1958, Chughtai produced the Mahmood-[[Shyama]] starrer romance drama ''Lala Rukh''.<ref name="rukh">{{cite book|last1=Somaaya|first1=Bhawana|title=Once Upon a Time in India: A Century of Indian Cinema|date=2016|publisher=Random House India|isbn=9789385990403|url=https://books.google.com/?id=V4PZDQAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PT120&lpg=RA2-PT120&dq=lala+rukh+ismat+chughtai#v=onepage&q&f=false|language=en|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512181629/https://books.google.co.in/books?id=V4PZDQAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PT120&lpg=RA2-PT120&dq=lala+rukh+ismat+chughtai&source=bl&ots=cIYjlbmLlu&sig=iv5_gi6I93GRM3_xMSzZdRyyTgU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVsdr8z__aAhUOSY8KHaX8DR4Q6AEwGHoECAEQAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false|archivedate=12 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Chughtai continued writing short-stories during the time despite her commitment to film projects. Her fourth collection of short-stories ''Chui Mui'' (''Touch-me-not'') was released in 1952 to an enthusiastic response.<ref name="tharu">{{cite book|last1=Tharu|first1=Susie J.|last2=Lalita|first2=Ke|title=Women Writing in India: The twentieth century|date=1991|publisher=[[The Feminist Press]]|page=128|isbn=9781558610293|url=https://books.google.com/?id=OjZYf9Xf9bcC&pg=PA128&dq=chui+mui+ismat#v=onepage&q=chui%20mui%20ismat&f=false|language=en}}</ref> The [[eponymous]] short-story has been noted for its "pertinent dissection of our society"<ref name="rafay">{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/679632/ismat-apa-kay-naam-the-shahs-take-the-stage/|title=Ismat Apa Kay Naam: The Shahs take the stage|last=Mahmood|first=Rafay|work=[[The Express Tribune]]|accessdate=14 May 2018|date=6 March 2014|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150909223936/http://tribune.com.pk/story/679632/ismat-apa-kay-naam-the-shahs-take-the-stage/|archivedate=9 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and contesting the venerated tradition of [[motherhood]], especially its
equation of [[Ideal womanhood|womanhood]].<ref name="bano"/> Rafay Mahmood highlighted, in a 2014 editorial, the relevance of the story in the twenty-first century. ''Chui Mui'' was adapted for stage by [[Naseeruddin Shah]] as a part of a commemorative series ''Ismat Apa Kay Naam'', with his daughter Heeba Shah playing the central character in the production.<ref name="rafay"/>refary is good writer

===Critical reappraisals and subsequent acclaim (1961–91)===
Following the translation of numerous of her works into English language, a renewed interest in the Urdu literature of the twentieth century, and subsequent critical reappraisals, Chughtai's status as a writer rose.<ref name="kindle">{{cite web|url=http://kindlemag.in/crooked-line/|title=The Crooked Line|last=Jalil|first=Rakhshanda|work=[[Kindle Magazine ]]|accessdate=8 May 2018|date=4 August 2015|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180507222310/http://kindlemag.in/crooked-line/|archivedate=7 May 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Influences and writing style==
Chughtai was a [[liberal islam|liberal Muslim]] whose daughter, nephew & niece were married to Hindus. In her own words, Chughtai came from a family of "[[Hindus]], [[Muslims]] and Christians who all live peacefully".<ref name="milligazette.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2005/01-15Feb05-Print-Edition/011502200561.htm |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2007-09-27 |deadurl=no |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080117111530/http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2005/01-15Feb05-Print-Edition/011502200561.htm |archivedate=17 January 2008 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> She said she read not only the [[Qur’an]], but also the [[Gita]] and the [[Bible]] with openness.<ref name="milligazette.com" />

Chughtai's short stories reflect the cultural legacy of the region in which she lived. This is especially notable in her story "Sacred Duty", where she deals with social pressures in India, alluding to specific national, religious and cultural traditions.<ref>{{citeweb|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/231856.Ismat_Chughtai|title=Ismat Chughtai|publisher=[[Goodreads]]|4=|accessdate=24 March 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425114526/https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/231856.Ismat_Chughtai|archivedate=25 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thewire.in/books/how-ismat-chughtai-stood-up-for-freedom-of-speech|title=How Ismat Chughtai Stood Up for Freedom of Speech|work=[[The Wire]]|accessdate=24 April 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425032038/https://thewire.in/books/how-ismat-chughtai-stood-up-for-freedom-of-speech|archivedate=25 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In Chughtai's formative years, Nazar Sajjad Hyder had established herself an independent feminist voice, and the short stories of two very different women, Hijab Imtiaz Ali and Rashid Jehan, were also a significant early influence.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ismat Chughtai|url=http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Chughtai+Ismat|publisher=SAWNET.org|accessdate=11 January 2012|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120107042713/http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Chughtai+Ismat|archivedate=7 January 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Many of her writings, including ''Angarey'' and ''Lihaaf'', were [[banned]] in South Asia because their [[reformist]] and [[feminist]] content offended conservatives (for example, her view that the [[Niqab]], the veil worn by women in Muslim societies, should be discouraged for Muslim women because it is [[oppressive]] and [[feudal]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/6516861/Lihaf-the-Quilt-Ismat-Chughtai |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2017-09-09 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820193515/http://www.scribd.com/doc/6516861/Lihaf-the-Quilt-Ismat-Chughtai |archivedate=20 August 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>). Many of her books have been banned at various times.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}

=In popular culture=
===Publications on Ismat Chughtai===

* ''Ismat: Her Life, Her Times''. Sukrita Paul Kumar, Katha, New Delhi,2000. {{ISBN|81-85586-97-7}}.
* ''Ismat Chughtai, A Fearless Voice''. Manjulaa Negi, Rupa and Co, 2003.81-29101-53-X.
* "Torchbearer of a literary revolution". The Hindu, Sunday, 21 May 2000.<sup>[http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/05/21/stories/1321017u.htm]</sup>
* Kashmir Uzma Urdu weekly, Srinagar, 27 December 2004, 2 January 2005.<sup>[http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2005/01-15Feb05-Print-Edition/011502200561.htm]</sup>
* "Ismat Chughtai – Pakistan-India (1915–1991)", World People, 5 May 2006.<sup>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071024221325/http://word.world-citizenship.org/word/index.php/wp-archive/473]</sup>
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110608071043/http://www.yementimes.com/defaultdet.aspx?SUB_ID=29684 Eyad N. Al-Samman, "Ismat Chughtai: An Iconoclast Muslim Dame of Urdu Fiction", ''Yemem Times'', 13 April 2009]

===Stage productions===

Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah have presented 'Ismat Aapa Ke Naam'عصمت آپا کے نام for the past nearly twelve years.{{Citation needed|date= January 2018}} Her story 'Chouthi Ka Joda' چوتھی کا جوڑا is presented frequently by many theatre groupes. A Bengali adaptation by Pushpal Mukherjee was staged in Kolkata in 2017 by the theatre group Bohuswar under the direction of Tulika Das.{{Citation needed|date= January 2018}} [[Danish Iqbal]] adapted her story 'Mughal Bachcha'مغل بچہ for stage which was presented at the Theatre Festival organised by Government of Delhi to commemorate her birth centenary.{{Citation needed|date= January 2018}} This play also contained biographical references about her works and early influences.{{Citation needed|date= January 2018}} Danish Iqbal also wrote a play, عصمت اور منٹو, highlighting the love-hate relationship between Ismat Chughtai and Saadat Hasan Manto.{{Citation needed|date= January 2018}}

==Bibliography==
{{main|List of works by Ismat Chughtai}}

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|+Film
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Title
!scope="col"| Role
!scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1948
!scope="row"| ''Shikayat'' شکایت
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Dialogue writer
|-
| 1948
!scope="row"|''[[Ziddi (1948 film)|Ziddi]]'' ضدی
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1950
!scope="row"|''[[Arzoo (1950 film)|Arzoo]]'' آرزو
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1951
!scope="row"|''Buzdil'' بُزدل
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1952
!scope="row"|''Sheesha'' شیشہ
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1953
!scope="row"|''Fareb'' فریب
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Also co-director
|-
|1954
!scope="row"|''Darwaza'' دروازہ
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1955
!scope="row"|''Society'' سوسائٹی
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1958
!scope="row"| ''Sone Ki Chidiya'' سونے کی چڑیا
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Also producer
|-
|1958
!scope="row"|''Lala Rukh'' لالہ رُخ
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Also co-director and producer
|-
|1966
!scope="row"|''Baharen Phir Bhi Ayengi'' بہاریں پھر بھی آئیں گی
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|
|-
|1973
!scope="row"|''[[Garam Hawa]]'' گرم ھوا
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|[[Filmfare Best Story Award]] (shared with Kaifi Azmi)
|-
|1978
!scope="row"|''[[Junoon (1978 film)|Junoon]]'' جنون
|Miriam Labadoor
|Cameo appearance
|}

==Awards and honours==
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
|-
!scope="col"| Year
!scope="col"| Work
!scope="col"| Award
!scope="col"| Category
!scope="col"| Result
!scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
| scope="row" |1974
| ''Terhi Lakeer''
| Ghalib Award
| Best Urdu Drama
| {{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="firstghalib">{{cite web |url= http://www.ghalibinstitute.com/awards.htm |title= List of winners of Ghalib Award in Urdu, 1976 onwards |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20131020122828/http://www.ghalibinstitute.com/awards.htm |archive-date= 20 October 2013 |publisher= Ghalib Institute |accessdate= 15 May 2018}}</ref>
|-
| scope="row" rowspan="2"|1975
|''[[Garam Hawa]]''
|[[Filmfare Award]]
|[[Filmfare Best Story Award|Best Story]]
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Government of India State Award
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|{{won}}
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| scope="row" |1976
| style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
| [[Indian honours system#civilian award|Indian civilian awards]]
|[[Padma Shri]]
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Padma">{{cite web|url=http://www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in/?Year=1976-1976&Award=Padma%20Shri&Field=Literature%20and%20Education|title=Previous Awardees|publisher=[[Padma Awards]]|accessdate=23 April 2018|deadurl=no|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180423232512/http://www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in/?Year=1976-1976&Award=Padma%20Shri&Field=Literature%20and%20Education|archivedate=23 April 2018|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
|-
|1979
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
| Andhra Pradesh Urdu Akademi Award
|Makhdoom Literary Award
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|1982
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Soviet Land Nehru Award
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Khan-2008">{{Cite book|author=Khan, Hafiza Nilofar|year=2008|title=Treatment of a Wife's Body in the Fiction of Indian Sub-Continental Muslim Women Writers|series=(The University of Southern Mississippi, PhD dissertation)|page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=-9P0nxHaq54C&pg=PA11 11]|oclc=420600128}}</ref>
|-
|1990
|style="text-align:center;"|{{endash}}
|Rajasthan Urdu Akademi
|Iqbal Samman
|{{won}}
|style="text-align:center;"|<ref name="Khan-2008" />
|}

==References==
{{reflist|3}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|161032}}
* [http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00urdu/ismat/index.html Ismat Chughtai (1915–1991), resource page] [[Columbia University]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120107042713/http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Chughtai+Ismat Biography and bibliography]
* [http://www.lehigh.edu/~amsp/2006/07/ismat-chughtais-short-stories.html Ismat Chughtai's Short Stories]
* [http://www.urdustudies.com/pdf/15/28naqviExerpt.pdf Ismat Chughtai's account of the Lihaaf Trial] Journal of Urdu Studies

{{National Film Award Best Story}}
{{FilmfareAwardBestStory}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chughtai, Ismat}}
[[Category:1915 births]]
[[Category:1991 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Filmfare Awards winners]]
[[Category:Indian Muslims]]
[[Category:People from Budaun]]
[[Category:Urdu short story writers]]
[[Category:Urdu writers from India]]
[[Category:Indian memoirists]]
[[Category:Women memoirists]]
[[Category:Indian feminist writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights]]
[[Category:Aligarh Muslim University alumni]]
[[Category:Urdu women writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Urdu writers]]
[[Category:Urdu-language novelists]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education]]
[[Category:Women writers from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:People from Jodhpur]]
[[Category:Novelists from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian short story writers]]
[[Category:Indian women novelists]]
[[Category:Indian women short story writers]]
[[Category:Indian women essayists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian essayists]]
[[Category:Best Story National Film Award winners]]

Revision as of 10:26, 21 August 2018

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