25+
Year of experience
2
Art Listed
Muzaffar Ali (b. 1946) is the Raja of Kotwara and a multifaceted Indian filmmaker, artist, designer, poet, and cultural revivalist. A graduate in Geology, Botany, and Chemistry from Aligarh Muslim University, Ali began his career in advertising before transitioning to filmmaking, creating socially resonant works like Gaman (1978) and Umrao Jaan (1981). Though self-taught, he embraced painting and collage as a more personal form of expression, often incorporating nostalgic imagery and themes of Sufism.
In 1991, he returned to Kotwara and launched Dwar Pe Rozi, a craft-based employment initiative, alongside the couture label Kotwara, co-founded with his wife, Meera. In 2004, he established the Rumi Foundation to promote Sufi philosophy through festivals and publications. He also founded the Wajid Ali Shah Festival to revive Lucknow’s cultural legacy. Ali’s contributions have earned him the Padma Shri (2005) and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award (2014).
