Saif Hyder
Online
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About :
Saif Hyder Hasan isan Indian storyteller whose work spans theatre, literature, cinema, journalismand education. For more than three decades, he has dedicated his life toexploring t…
Saif Hyder Hasan isan Indian storyteller whose work spans theatre, literature, cinema, journalismand education. For more than three decades, he has dedicated his life toexploring the transformative power of stories—creating them, interpreting them,preserving them and passing them on to new generations. His work transcendsartistic boundaries, bringing together literature, performance, visual design,music, cinema and public discourse into a single creative practice.
Guided by the beliefthat stories are humanity's greatest cultural inheritance, Hasan hasconsistently reimagined how they can be experienced, ensuring that they remainrelevant to contemporary audiences while preserving their emotional andliterary depth.
Reimagining the Stage
As a playwright andtheatre director, Hasan has created a distinguished body of original workincluding Ek Mulaqat, Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Aaine Ke Sau Tukde, GardishMein Taare, Mr. and Mrs. Murarilal, Dearest Bapu, Love Kasturba, The LastSupper, Iblis ka Beta, Ishq Kar Baitha, Kal Tumhari Baari Hai, Aastha, Mirzaand Yaad Piya Ki Aaye. His productions have travelled extensively across Indiaand internationally, engaging audiences in Dubai, Singapore, Canada andAustralia.
His theatre is rootedin literature but speaks in a contemporary voice, transforming historicalfigures and literary classics into deeply human stories that resonate acrosscultures.
WhereLiterature Meets Performance
Hasan's artisticphilosophy is founded on the conviction that literature should not merely bepreserved—it should be rediscovered.
His theatricaltranscreation of Gulzar's Addha into the English play Neither Full NorThree-Quarters and his stage adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdasexemplify his approach to adaptation as an act of creative authorship. Hisoriginal works revisit the lives of Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam, GuruDutt and Geeta Dutt, and Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi, revealing theintimate human stories behind iconic public lives.
Innovation asArtistic Practice
Innovation has been adefining feature of Hasan's work throughout his career.
Among the earlypractitioners in commercial Indian theatre to consistently commission originalmusic for every production, he has treated music as an integral narrative voicerather than accompaniment. His productions employ lighting, scenography and visualcomposition as storytelling languages, allowing every artistic element toparticipate in the dramatic experience.
Continuing thisspirit of experimentation, Hasan later incorporated Artificial Intelligenceinto a new interpretation of Ek Mulaqat, reflecting his belief that emergingtechnologies should enrich—not replace—the emotional immediacy of live theatre.
Stories Beyond theStage
Hasan's engagementwith storytelling extends beyond performance.
His book OneYesterday, published by Rupa & Company, presents conversations with AmitabhBachchan, Shabana Azmi, Salima Hashmi, Abrar Alvi and Shaleen Rakesh,preserving the voices and creative philosophies of some of the Indiansubcontinent's most influential cultural figures. His interviews with Gulzar,Nirmal Verma, Khushwant Singh and Habib Tanvir, together with essays on AliSardar Jafri and other literary personalities, reflect a lifelong commitment todocumenting the ideas that shape artistic practice.
His novel, Ashes ofDesire: A Story of Cinema, continues this journey through fiction, exploringlove, memory, artistic ambition and the emotional landscape of cinema.Together, One Yesterday and Ashes of Desire represent two complementarydimensions of his literary work: one preserving the voices of artists, theother creating an original world of its own.
Cinema with aConscience
In 2024, Hasan wroteand directed the feature film Yes Papa, a sensitive exploration of child sexualabuse within the family. The film received appreciation from the DelhiCommission for Women and travelled internationally through screenings in HongKong and Vietnam, demonstrating his commitment to socially engagedstorytelling.
Collaborationsthat Shaped a Career
Hasan's productionshave brought together many of India's distinguished performers, includingShekhar Suman, Deepti Naval, Zeenat Aman, Arif Zakaria, Sonali Kulkarni,Minissha Lamba, Supriya Pathak, Padmini Kolhapure and Talat Aziz. He is amongthe few contemporary theatre directors to have worked with both Zeenat Aman andPadmini Kolhapure, two actors closely associated with the cinematic legacy ofRaj Kapoor. Following their collaboration, Zeenat Aman remarked in a privateconversation that Hasan's working style reminded her of Raj Kapoor—anobservation that reflected a rehearsal process built upon trust, artisticfreedom and collaborative creativity.
CriticalRecognition
Hasan's work hasconsistently received critical appreciation for its originality, literaryambition and theatrical vision.
Reviewing Ek Mulaqat,The Times of India described the production as "a classic in themaking." In the same publication, filmmaker Prakash Jha observed: "EkMulaqat will run forever."
His productions havealso been featured and reviewed in The Times of India, The Indian Express, TheDaily Eye, Mumbai Theatre Guide, The Smiling Bear and other leadingpublications, where critics have recognised the courage, conviction andoriginality that define his work.
Teacher, Mentorand Cultural Thinker
Alongside hiscreative practice, Hasan has remained deeply committed to education. He hasdelivered lectures and workshops for Aligarh Muslim University, IIM Kashipurand programmes organised by the Delhi Government, encouraging students toexplore the rich intersections of literature, theatre, cinema and emergingtechnologies.
His inclusion amongAligarh Muslim University's distinguished alumni during its Centenarycelebrations recognised not only his artistic achievements but also hiscontribution to India's cultural and intellectual life.
The JourneyContinues
Before dedicatinghimself fully to the arts, Hasan spent eighteen years in corporatecommunications with the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), RashtraAdvertising, First City magazine and MouthShut.com. That experience deepenedhis understanding of communication, audiences and narrative—skills thatcontinue to inform his artistic practice.
Today, whetherdirecting a play, writing a novel, making a film, documenting the lives ofartists or mentoring emerging storytellers, Saif Hyder Hasan remains guided byone enduring belief:
Stories are notmerely told. They are built. They become the architecture of memory, thelanguage of empathy and the bridge between generations.
Saif Hyder
Online
Skills :
Saif Hyder Hasan isan Indian storyteller whose work spans theatre, literature, cinema, journalismand education. For more than three decades, he has dedicated his life toexploring t...
Saif Hyder Hasan isan Indian storyteller whose work spans theatre, literature, cinema, journalismand education. For more than three decades, he has dedicated his life toexploring the transformative power of stories—creating them, interpreting them,preserving them and passing them on to new generations. His work transcendsartistic boundaries, bringing together literature, performance, visual design,music, cinema and public discourse into a single creative practice.
Guided by the beliefthat stories are humanity's greatest cultural inheritance, Hasan hasconsistently reimagined how they can be experienced, ensuring that they remainrelevant to contemporary audiences while preserving their emotional andliterary depth.
Reimagining the Stage
As a playwright andtheatre director, Hasan has created a distinguished body of original workincluding Ek Mulaqat, Mirror Mirror on the Wall, Aaine Ke Sau Tukde, GardishMein Taare, Mr. and Mrs. Murarilal, Dearest Bapu, Love Kasturba, The LastSupper, Iblis ka Beta, Ishq Kar Baitha, Kal Tumhari Baari Hai, Aastha, Mirzaand Yaad Piya Ki Aaye. His productions have travelled extensively across Indiaand internationally, engaging audiences in Dubai, Singapore, Canada andAustralia.
His theatre is rootedin literature but speaks in a contemporary voice, transforming historicalfigures and literary classics into deeply human stories that resonate acrosscultures.
WhereLiterature Meets Performance
Hasan's artisticphilosophy is founded on the conviction that literature should not merely bepreserved—it should be rediscovered.
His theatricaltranscreation of Gulzar's Addha into the English play Neither Full NorThree-Quarters and his stage adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's Devdasexemplify his approach to adaptation as an act of creative authorship. Hisoriginal works revisit the lives of Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam, GuruDutt and Geeta Dutt, and Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi, revealing theintimate human stories behind iconic public lives.
Innovation asArtistic Practice
Innovation has been adefining feature of Hasan's work throughout his career.
Among the earlypractitioners in commercial Indian theatre to consistently commission originalmusic for every production, he has treated music as an integral narrative voicerather than accompaniment. His productions employ lighting, scenography and visualcomposition as storytelling languages, allowing every artistic element toparticipate in the dramatic experience.
Continuing thisspirit of experimentation, Hasan later incorporated Artificial Intelligenceinto a new interpretation of Ek Mulaqat, reflecting his belief that emergingtechnologies should enrich—not replace—the emotional immediacy of live theatre.
Stories Beyond theStage
Hasan's engagementwith storytelling extends beyond performance.
His book OneYesterday, published by Rupa & Company, presents conversations with AmitabhBachchan, Shabana Azmi, Salima Hashmi, Abrar Alvi and Shaleen Rakesh,preserving the voices and creative philosophies of some of the Indiansubcontinent's most influential cultural figures. His interviews with Gulzar,Nirmal Verma, Khushwant Singh and Habib Tanvir, together with essays on AliSardar Jafri and other literary personalities, reflect a lifelong commitment todocumenting the ideas that shape artistic practice.
His novel, Ashes ofDesire: A Story of Cinema, continues this journey through fiction, exploringlove, memory, artistic ambition and the emotional landscape of cinema.Together, One Yesterday and Ashes of Desire represent two complementarydimensions of his literary work: one preserving the voices of artists, theother creating an original world of its own.
Cinema with aConscience
In 2024, Hasan wroteand directed the feature film Yes Papa, a sensitive exploration of child sexualabuse within the family. The film received appreciation from the DelhiCommission for Women and travelled internationally through screenings in HongKong and Vietnam, demonstrating his commitment to socially engagedstorytelling.
Collaborationsthat Shaped a Career
Hasan's productionshave brought together many of India's distinguished performers, includingShekhar Suman, Deepti Naval, Zeenat Aman, Arif Zakaria, Sonali Kulkarni,Minissha Lamba, Supriya Pathak, Padmini Kolhapure and Talat Aziz. He is amongthe few contemporary theatre directors to have worked with both Zeenat Aman andPadmini Kolhapure, two actors closely associated with the cinematic legacy ofRaj Kapoor. Following their collaboration, Zeenat Aman remarked in a privateconversation that Hasan's working style reminded her of Raj Kapoor—anobservation that reflected a rehearsal process built upon trust, artisticfreedom and collaborative creativity.
CriticalRecognition
Hasan's work hasconsistently received critical appreciation for its originality, literaryambition and theatrical vision.
Reviewing Ek Mulaqat,The Times of India described the production as "a classic in themaking." In the same publication, filmmaker Prakash Jha observed: "EkMulaqat will run forever."
His productions havealso been featured and reviewed in The Times of India, The Indian Express, TheDaily Eye, Mumbai Theatre Guide, The Smiling Bear and other leadingpublications, where critics have recognised the courage, conviction andoriginality that define his work.
Teacher, Mentorand Cultural Thinker
Alongside hiscreative practice, Hasan has remained deeply committed to education. He hasdelivered lectures and workshops for Aligarh Muslim University, IIM Kashipurand programmes organised by the Delhi Government, encouraging students toexplore the rich intersections of literature, theatre, cinema and emergingtechnologies.
His inclusion amongAligarh Muslim University's distinguished alumni during its Centenarycelebrations recognised not only his artistic achievements but also hiscontribution to India's cultural and intellectual life.
The JourneyContinues
Before dedicatinghimself fully to the arts, Hasan spent eighteen years in corporatecommunications with the Tata Energy Research Institute (TERI), RashtraAdvertising, First City magazine and MouthShut.com. That experience deepenedhis understanding of communication, audiences and narrative—skills thatcontinue to inform his artistic practice.
Today, whetherdirecting a play, writing a novel, making a film, documenting the lives ofartists or mentoring emerging storytellers, Saif Hyder Hasan remains guided byone enduring belief:
Stories are notmerely told. They are built. They become the architecture of memory, thelanguage of empathy and the bridge between generations.
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Courses by Saif Hyder
Online
2 Hour
English
Mumbai, Bandra West, mumbai
On Call
Week Days / Weekends
Creative Writing, Screenwriting and Professional Writing Course
Writing is more than putting words on a page. It is about finding your voice, developing ideas, creating believable characters, building stories, and communicating clearly with readers. This course takes students through different forms of writing, from creative writing and novel development to screenwriting, essays, professional communication, dialogue, editing, and individual story development.
The course is structured into 10 sessions, with each session focusing on a specific aspect of writing and helping students develop their own writing skills and projects.
Session 1 — What Makes Writing Work
The first session introduces the foundations of effective writing and helps students understand what makes a piece of writing engaging.
Topics covered include:
Finding your voice
Idea vs. story
Observation, imagination and experience
What makes a reader continue
Exercise: turn an incident into a story
The session helps students look at everyday incidents, ideas, observations, imagination and experiences from a storytelling perspective.
Session 2 — Creative Writing
This session focuses on the key elements that bring creative writing to life. Students explore how characters, settings, conflict and emotions work together to create an engaging piece of writing.
Topics covered include:
Character
Setting
Point of view
Conflict
Emotion and subtext
Writing an opening that creates curiosity
Students learn how the choices they make about characters, perspective, conflict and openings can shape the reader's experience.
Session 3 — Writing the Novel
Writing a novel requires more than having a good idea. This session focuses on developing that idea into a structured and complete story.
Topics covered include:
From idea to premise
Building characters
Plot and structure
Chapters and pacing
Dialogue
Beginning, middle and ending
The session takes students through the major elements involved in developing a novel, from its initial premise to its overall structure and progression.
Session 4 — Screenwriting
Screenwriting requires a different approach to storytelling because the story must ultimately work through scenes, visuals, characters and dialogue.
Topics covered include:
Story vs. screenplay
Scene construction
Visual storytelling
Character and conflict
Dialogue
Screenplay structure
Writing a scene
Students explore how a story translates into screenplay form and how scenes can communicate character, conflict and story through visual storytelling.
Session 5 — Writing Essays
This session focuses on developing clear and structured essays. Students learn how to establish an argument and build their ideas in a logical progression.
Topics covered include:
Finding an argument
Personal vs. analytical essay
Structure and progression
Voice
Opening and ending
Editing an essay
The focus is on developing an essay with a clear direction while maintaining an appropriate voice and structure.
Session 6 — Writing Emails & Professional Communication
Professional writing requires clarity, purpose and an understanding of the audience. This session focuses on communicating ideas effectively without unnecessary verbosity.
Topics covered include:
Writing clearly and economically
Persuasion without verbosity
Tone and audience
Difficult emails
Proposals and pitches
Turning an idea into a compelling professional message
Students learn how to adapt their writing to professional situations while keeping their communication clear, purposeful and engaging.
Session 7 — Dialogue
Good dialogue should reveal more than just information. This session explores how characters can communicate differently and how meaning can exist beneath the words they say.
Topics covered include:
Making characters sound different
What people say vs. what they mean
Subtext
Rhythm
Cutting unnecessary dialogue
Theatre vs. cinema dialogue
Students explore the role of voice, rhythm and subtext in creating effective dialogue for different forms of writing.
Session 8 — Story Development
This session focuses on taking a raw idea and developing it into a more complete story. Students work through the elements needed to give their idea direction and structure.
Topics covered include:
Taking a raw idea and developing it
Premise → characters → conflict → structure
Finding the central question
Identifying what is missing
Developing the student's own project
The session provides an opportunity to examine an individual project and identify the elements that can help move the story forward.
Session 9 — Editing
Writing does not end with the first draft. Editing helps writers strengthen their work, improve clarity and sharpen the way ideas are communicated.
Topics covered include:
Cutting
Rewriting
Structure
Language
Rhythm
Making writing sharper without losing voice
Students work on refining their writing while retaining the individual voice and qualities that make their work their own.
Session 10 — Your Story
The final session is a one-to-one workshop on the student's own work. This provides an opportunity to apply the learning from the earlier sessions directly to an individual writing project.
The workshop can focus on:
Novel
Screenplay
Play
Short story
Essay
Long-form piece
This last session is where your three decades as a writer/director become particularly valuable. The focus is on the student's own work and on developing the project through individual guidance and workshop-based discussion.
Who This Course Is For
This course can be useful for students and aspiring writers who want to explore different forms of writing and develop their own projects. It covers creative writing, novel writing, screenwriting, essays, professional communication, dialogue, story development and editing within a structured 10-session format.
From finding an initial idea to developing characters, constructing stories, writing scenes, editing drafts and working directly on an individual project, the course provides a broad introduction to the craft and practice of writing.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What types of writing are covered in Saif Hyder's course?
The course covers creative writing, novel writing, screenwriting, essays, professional communication, dialogue, story development, editing, and individual writing projects.
2. Is the course suitable for someone developing their own novel or screenplay?
Yes. The course includes dedicated sessions on novel development, screenwriting, story development, and a final one-to-one workshop where students can work directly on their own project.
3. How many sessions are included in the writing course?
The course is structured into 10 sessions. It progresses from writing foundations and creative writing to novels, screenwriting, essays, professional communication, dialogue, story development, editing, and individual project development.