K. Asif (14 June 1922 – 9 March 1971) was a film director, film producer and screenwriter who is famous for his work on the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Born Asif Karim (' اصف کریم) in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India to parents Dr. Fazal Karim and Bibi Ghulam Fatima. He was the youngest of his siblings with Sikander Begum, wife of versatile actor, director and producer Nazir Ahmed Khan being the eldest; and Masood Karim, the first Muslim president of Sindh Club second in line. Asif went to Bombay to his brother-in-law Nazir Ahmed Khan and later took the name K. Asif. He became a successful director due to his perfectionism in weaving his imagination into an art form and gave birth to Mughal-e-Azam, a legendary film in the Indian Film Industry. He died at age 48.
His directorial debut, Phool (1945), did very well at the box-office due to the casting of and portrayals by famous actors and actresses of the time such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Durga Khote and Suraiya.