Huma Khalil
Creative Director
hamne khud apne aap zamaane ki sair kii
hamne qubuul kii na kisi rahnuma ki shart
I explored the world myself, far and wide
I didn’t accept conditions, set by any guide!
Khalil Ur Rahman Azmi
Huma Khalil is an author, filmmaker, and cultural curator whose work bridges English and Urdu literature. Educated in English Literature at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), with Urdu deeply rooted in her cultural inheritance, she brings the richness of both languages to all her creative pursuits.
She is the author of The Allure of Aligarh: A Poetic Journey into the University City, published to mark AMU’s centenary in 2020. The book offers a rare perspective on the university’s history, tracing how Urdu poetry first critiqued and later celebrated AMU—making it the only university in the world whose history is preserved in Urdu poetry.
Huma has also translated contemporary Urdu literature into English, with works published by Oxford University Press, Routledge, and Hay House. Her major translation, Many Summers Apart: Gems from Contemporary Urdu Literature, is a 400-page English rendering of her father Khalil Ur Rahman Azmi’s seminal work on the Progressive Writers’ Movement, which played a key role in India’s freedom struggle.
Continuing her mother Rashida Khalil’s literary legacy, she edits Bazm-e-Adab, a pioneering Urdu magazine with a 30-year history dedicated to women’s writing worldwide.
She is actively involved in national educational and cultural initiatives, serving on leading councils and representing key platforms in these sectors.
As Trustee and Creative Director of the Rekhta Foundation—the world’s largest platform devoted to Urdu language and literature—Huma leads initiatives that preserve and reimagine Urdu across literary, digital, live- events, stage shows and audio-visual mediums.
A filmmaker, she has written and directed several documentaries and made her feature film debut with Majaz: A Life in Poetry (2022), which premiered at the UK Asian Film Festival, screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film, and won her the Best Director Award at the New York City Infest Film Festival.
She is currently creating audio-visual content for the Rekhta Foundation, developing projects that highlight Urdu’s beauty, relevance, and cultural resonance in the contemporary world.
Books by Huma Khalil
Books by Huma Khalil
The Allure of Aligarh
An illustrated coffee table book as tribute to Aligarh’s poetic spirit, this volume gathers celebrated Urdu verses that praise, question, and remember the city through generations. From its storied lanes and enduring cultural character to the intellectual legacy of Aligarh Muslim University, the book features evocative imagery and selections from distinguished poets. It reveals Aligarh not merely as a location but as an emotional landscape, inviting readers to experience its nostalgia, contradictions, charm, and timeless literary inheritance in full measure.
Books by Huma Khalil
Many Summers Apart: Gems from Contemporary Urdu Literature
An illuminating anthology and critical history of the Progressive Writers’ Movement, this volume traces the ideas, debates, and literary achievements that transformed modern Indian literature. Originally authored by noted poet & literary critic Dr. Khalil Ur Rahman Azmi and thoughtfully transcreated for contemporary readers by Huma Khalil, it chronicles the writers and poets who shaped a new social and cultural consciousness. Featuring voices such as Premchand, Ismat Chughtai, Manto, Faiz, Kaifi Azmi, and Sahir Ludhianvi, the book offers a compelling exploration of Urdu’s progressive tradition, revealing how literature challenged conventions, inspired change, and helped define a nation enduringly.
Gallery
Majaz: A Romantic Revolutionary | Official Trailer | Film by Huma Khalil
Anjuman-e-Aligarh I A Film By Huma Khalil
Majaz: A Romantic Revolutionary | Official Trailer | Film by Huma Khalil
Anjuman-e-Aligarh I A Film By Huma Khalil
Preserving Legacy.
Powering Future.
Your support helps us digitize rare literature, create learning tools,
and keep the Indian languages alive for generations to come.