Saeed Akhtar Mirza, like many directors of New Cinema, started his career by making ad films and short films and then he joined the director`s course in at the FTII. His first feature films were "Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastan" (1978). It was produced by the Yukt Film Cooperative but his later films were either produced by NFDC or others. Saeed Mirza`s early films show him to be one of the most outstanding directors of New Cinema.

Career of Saeed Akhtar Mirza
Till date Saeed Akhtar Mirza has made 16 films: 5 feature films, 3 television series, 1 short film and 7 documentaries in English. The screenplay for his first film was penned by the director and the dialogues were written by Vijay Tendulkar. In this the director attempts to fashion an autonomous aesthetic language in order to be able to put forward a Marxist social analysis of the upper middle and the upper urban classes.

In 1980 he made "Albert Pinto ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hain" where the conflict between the individual and his environment is much more evolved and treated in a more alert and freer manner. The film also deals with the problems that plague the working classes of Mumbai. The film was also produced by Saeed Mirza, who also wrote the screenplay with Kundan Shah and had a cast of the best actors of New Cinema, Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil.

His next film was "Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho" (1984). According to the director the film is about struggle and fighting and the message is conveyed powerfully but also humorously. This movie celebrates the human tenacity almost to its extreme lengths.

It was in the film "Salim Langde pe Mat Ro" (1989) that Mirza confronted the problems of a minority community in India. In fact he was dealing with his own community. It was produced NFDC and according to the director on closest to his heart. A combination of monologue, drama and philosophy this film is the outcome of the director`s reflections and introspections on the Muslim minority community. "Naseem" (1995) is very different from Mirza`s earlier films with its silences, delicacies of sentiments and its nostalgia for an earlier age.

Filmography of Saeed Akhtar Mirza

Director
* Slum Eviction (1976)
* Murder (1976)
* Ghashiram Kotwal (1976)
* An Actor Prepares (1976)
* Urban Housing (1977)
* Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978)
* Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)
* Piparsod (1982)
* Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984)
* The Rickshaw Pullers of Jabalpur (1984) (V)
* Nukkad (1986) TV series
* Is Anybody Listening? (1987) (V)
* We Shall Overcome (1988) (V)
* Intezzar(1988) TV series
* Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989)
* Ajanta and Ellora (1992)
* Naseem (1995)
* Ek Tho Chance (2009)

Writer
* Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978) (story)
* Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)
* Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984) (screenplay and story)
* Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro (1989) (screenplay and story)
* Naseem (1995)
* Choo Lenge Akash (2001)

Producer
* Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)

Awards
* 1979 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie: Arvind Desai Ki Ajeeb Dastaan (1978)
* 1981 Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie: Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Ata Hai (1980)
* 1984 National Film Award for Best Film on Family Welfare: Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984)
* 1996 National Film Award for Best Directing: Naseem
* 1996 National Film Award for Best Screenplay: Naseem (1995)

Novels
* Ammi: Letter to a Democratic Mother (2008)