Zulficar was born in Cairo, Egypt. As a child, Zulficar was a prodigy. He received a scholarship and studied astronomy. He loved reading, which is what had helped him succeed. He graduated from the military faculty and later became a lieutenant. Although he was doing well in his military career, he decided to start directing. He was influenced by his brother, who was a screenwriter. He started as director Mohamed Abdel Jawad's assistant, but in 1947, he directed his first movie, Aseer al-Zalam (أسير الظلام, "Prisoner of Darkness"). One of his most successful movies as a director was Rud Qalby (رُدّ قلبي, "Return My Heart") which was featured for six weeks in Cairo's cinemas.
In 1947, Zulficar started a production company with the legendary Egyptian actress, Faten Hamama, who was his wife then. He also acted in Khulud (خُلود, "Immortality") along with Hamama. As a writer he was quite successful. He wrote scripts and stories for almost 30 movies. His last work was the direction and scriptwriting for the movie Maw'ed Fi al-Borj (موعد في البُرج, "Meeting at the Tower", 1963).
Zulficar met Faten Hamama while filming the Abu Zayd al-Hilali movie in 1947, which he directed. The two fell in love and married each other. The couple had a daughter, Nadia Zulficar. Their marriage would only last for seven years, as the couple divorced in 1954. The two remained friends, and Hamama even acted in his movies after the divorce.
