Screenwriter and director Syed Amir Haider Kamal Naqvi, better known as Kamal 'Amrohi', was born on 17 January 1918 in Amroha in the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. In 1938, Amrohi went to Lahore, now in Pakistan, to study. There, he was discovered by legendary singer KL Saigal, who brought him to Bombay to work for Sohrab Modi's Minerva Movietone Film Company. The young man began as a story writer for Modi's hit Jailor (1938) and went on to work on films like Pukar (1939), Bharosa (1940), and AR Kardar's Shahjehan (1946) as writer and dialogue writer. He was also one of four dialogue writers who worked on K Asif's magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam (1960) and won a Filmfare award for the film.

Amrohi's directorial debut was the superhit film Mahal (1949) for Bombay Talkies, starring the gorgeous Madhubala and the reigning star Ashok Kumar. The film was one of only four directed by Amrohi, the others being Daera (1953) starring his wife Meena Kumari and Nasir Khan, Pakeezah (1972), also starring Meena Kumari, and Razia Sultan (1983), starring Hema Malini.

Amrohi died on 11 February 1993 and was buried next to his third and last wife, Meena Kumari. He was survived by two sons Tajdar and Shandar from his second wife. However, the name ‘Kamal Amrohi’ lives on through his contribution to Indian cinema and Kamal Amrohi Studios (Kamalistan Studios), which is spread over 15 acres near Jogeshwari in Mumbai. Established in 1958, the studio was used to shoot such hit films as Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Kaalia (1981), Khal Nayak (1993), Koyla (1997), and also a part of Dabangg 2 (2012).