Films

  • 1942: BFJA Awards: Best Screenplay: Naya Sansar (1941)
  • 1946: Wrote screenplay, for Neecha Nagar, which became the only Indian film to win a Palme d’Or (Golden Palm) at the Cannes Film Festival.
  • 1956: Awards for Best Dialogue for Shri 420 from Film Writers Association
  • 1957 Cannes Film Festival: Golden Palm: Pardesi: Nominated
  • 1960: All India Certificate of Merit for the Second Best Children’s Film – Idd Mubarak
  • 1963: President of India’s Gold Medal for his film Shehar Aur Sapna
  • 1964: National Film Award for Best Feature Film: Shehar Aur Sapna
  • 1964: Maharashtra State Award: Fakira
  • 1965: 3 International Film Festival Awards – Santa Barbara, (USA), Gijon (Spain), Gottwaldov (Czechoslovakia) for his film Hamara Ghar
  • 1966: Jury Member: 16th Berlin International Film Festival
  • 1970: Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Saat Hindustani
  • 1972: Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration: Do Boond Paani
  • 1980: Gold Award for direction: The Naxalites. Avellino (Italy) International Film Festival for Neo Realistic Films.

Literary

  • 1969: Haryana State Robe of Honour for literary achievements
  • 1983: The prestigious Ghalib Award for his contribution to Urdu prose literature
  • 1984: Vorosky Literary Award of the Soviet Union
  • 1984: Urdu Akademi Delhi Special Award
  • 1985: Maharashtra State Urdu Akademi Award for life-long contribution to Urdu Literature and Journalism
  • 1985: The Soviet Award for his contribution to the cause of Indo-Soviet Friendship.
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