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How Muslims of the subcontinent built Bollywood..

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Mohammed Rafi
Name: Mohammed Rafi

Birth: December 24, 1924

Birthplace: Kotla Sultan Singh village, Punjab

Parents: Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai

Spouse: Bashira Bau, Bilquis Rafi

Children: Shaheed, Parveen, Hamid, Khalid, Nasreen

Occupation: Playback Singer, Recording Artist

Religion: Islam

Start of Playback Singing Career: 1944

Total number of songs (approx): 7,500

Death: July 32, 1980

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-1.jpg

Image Credit:
One of the greatest playback singers born in India, Mohammed Rafi is considered no less than a genius when it comes to varied styles of music. This great singer had the perfect blend of melody, emotions and energy, which resulted into thousands of soulful songs. Be it the classically inclined songs of Baiju Bawara or the foot tapping songs of Kashmir Ki Kali, Muhammad Rafi gave each song the treatment it deserved. His contribution to the Hindi film industry has been fabulous and perhaps no singer till date has managed to capture the hearts of fans the way Mohamed Rafi has. Rafi was well-known for his versatility as he gave his voice to songs ranging from classical numbers to patriotic ones, sad songs to romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. For almost twenty years, Rafi was the most sought after singer in the Hindi film industry. In his illustrious career, he received six Filmfare Awards and was honoured with the National Film Award once. Besides Hindi, he sang in several Indian languages including Konkani, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Marathi, Sindhi, Telugu, Kannada, Maithili, Gujarati, Magahi, and Urdu. Apart from Indian languages, he gave his melodious voice to songs in English, Arabic, Persian Sinhalese, Creole and Dutch languages.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-2.jpg

Image Credit:
Childhood & Personal Life

Mohammed Rafi was born in the village of Kotla Sultan Singh in United Punjab Province of British India on December 24, 1924. He was the fifth among the six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai. Rafi displayed his musical inclination from a very young age and his talent was recognized by his elder brother’s friend Abdul Hameed. He convinced Ravi’s family to nurture his musical talents. Mohammed Rafi started taking Hindustani Classical music from Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo who taught him the intricacies of Raag Shastra and Punjabi folk ragas Pahaadi, Bhairavi, Basant and Malhaar. He later trained under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Wahad Khan of the Kirana Gharana and also received lessons from and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. He was also trained by Feeroze Nizami, a producer in the All India Radio Lahore. K.L. Saigal and G.M. Durani were his idols and in the beginning he emulated Saigal’s style. Rafi performed his first stage show at 13 years of age in Lahore. He started singing for the All India Radio in Lahore from the year 1941. He also recorded his first song ‘Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee’, a duet with famous singer Zeenat Begam for the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, the same year. The film released in 1944.

Mohammed Rafi was married to his cousin Bashira Banu. But the marriage suffered due to the political tensions during the partition in 1947. Bashira Banu refused to accompany Rafi Saab to India after witnessing the horrors of the riots. She remained in Lahore, now in Pakistan and their marriage ended. The couple had a son Saheed with his first wife, Bashira. He later married Bilquis Banu and the couple had four children – Nasreen, Khalid, Parveen and Hamid.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-4.jpg

Image Credit:
Career

Mohammed Rafi moved to Bombay in 1944. He was introduced to several producers and directors through friend Tanvir Naqvi. He finally got his big break and recorded his first song ‘Ai Dil Ho Kaabu Mein’ for the film Gaon KI Gori in 1944, although the movie released a year later. Meanwhile, Mohammed Rafi started singing for top music directors like Naushad and Shyam Sunder. His work with Naushad continued through the 1950s and 1960s. Together they worked in films like Pehle Aap (1944), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Shahjahan (1946), Dulari (1949),Deedar (1951), Deewana (1952) and UranKhatola (1955).Rafi saab catapulted into stardom after his work in the film Baiju Bawra under the directon of Naushaad. The semi-classical bhajan ‘Man Tarpat Hain Hari Darshan Ko Aaj’ from the film showed the world Mohammed Rafi’s caliber as a singer. The two collaborated for another magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam in 1960.

Rafi saab became the voice behind leading actor Dev Anand all through the 1950s. He did Dev Anandji’s playback for films like Kaala Paani (1958), Bambai Ka Babu (1960), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963) and Guide (1965). At the same time he worked on the musical creations of Sachin Dev Burman. The Dev-Rafi-Burman trio gave the Hindi film industry some truly unforgettable songs like ‘Diwana Hua Badal’, ‘Dilka Bhanwar Kare Pukar’, ‘Achhaji main hari’ with Asha Bhosle and ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’. Mohammed Rafi and S.D. Burman created magic over and over all through the 50s, 60s and 70s. Burman used Rafi saab’s voice for almost all of his leading men including Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Rafi Saab’s voice serenaded the country with romantic numbers like ‘Teri Bindiya Re’ and ‘Gun Guna Rahe Hai’.

Rafi worked with legendary music director O. P. Nayyar on several occasions and Mr. Nayyar went on record saying that without Mohammed Rafi he would not have reached the pinnacle of success. He paired the voices of Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle for multiple successful projects like NayaDaur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1964) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). Songs like ‘Ude Jab Jab Zulfein Teri’, ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ and ‘Deewana Hua Badal’ made permanent place in the hearts of Indian audience.

Another of super-successful collaboration Mohammed Rafi forged was with music director duo Shankar-Jaikishan. Three of Mohammed Rafi’s six Filmfare awards for Playback Singer came from their collaboration – ‘Teri Pyari Pyar iSurat Ho’ from the film Sasural (1961), ‘Baharo Phool Barsao’ from the film Sooraj (1966) and’ Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’ from the film Bhrahmachari (1968). Most of Shankar-Jaikishan songs voiced by Mohammed Rafi were penned by celebrated lyricist Shailendra and this musical team created unforgettable songs like ‘Laal Chhadi Maidan Khadi’ from Jaanwar (1965), and ‘Main Gaoon Tum So Jao’ from Brahmachari (1968). Shankar Jaikishan’s creations for ShammiKapoor films Junglee (1961), Professor (1962), An Evening in Paris (1967) and Brahmachari (1968) witnessed iconic genre breaking creations like ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’, where Rafi Saab let himself loose to be in congruency with Shammi Kapoor’s rakish and boisterous Playboy image or ‘Awaz Deke Humein Tum Bulao’ that appealed to the inner romantics of all classes. Together with Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi Saab recorded a whopping 341 songs, 216 out of which were solos.

Another successful music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal produced great work with Mohammed Rafi. Their association started with the film Parashmani in 1963, and continued through glorious projects like Dosti (1964), Mere Humdum Mere Dost (1968), Khilona (1970) and Anari (1975). Together they recorded 369 songs, which was the highest number of songs Rafi Saab recorded for a music director. They produced wonderful songs like ‘Na Ja Kahinab Na Ja’, ‘Patthar K Sanam’, ‘Yeh Reshmi Zulfein’, ‘Koi Nazrana Lekar Aya Hu’ and ‘Aye Din Bahar Ke’. Raafi Saab won the Filmfare Award in 1964 for the song ‘Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere’ from the film Dosti.

Having worked with S.D. Burman, Rafi Saab also worked for his son Rahul Dev Burman or R.D. Burman or Pancham. They worked together in films like Teesri Manzil (1966), Caravan (1971), and Shaan (1980). Rafi Saab belted out super popular songs like ‘O Haseena Zulfon wali’, ‘O mere Sona re Sona re Sona’, ‘Yamma Yamma’, ‘Chadti Jawani’ and ‘Maine Poocha Chand Se’. The songs ranged from uber energetic to mellow romantic and Rafi Saab seemed to be at ease with both genres at equal measures.

He worked not only in duets with female playback singers of the time lake Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle; he sang duets with other male playback singers of his time like Manna Dey, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar. He was one of the most courteous and professional singers of all time and his altruistic nature was revered by all his contemporaries. During the 1970s Rafi faced stiff competition from Kishore Kumar who emerged as a leading singer post Aradhana in 1971. He recorded fewer songs in early 70s but made a huge comeback winning both Filmfare Awards and National Award in 1977 for the song ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’ from the film Hum Kisi se Kum Nahin with R.D. Burman as the music director. He performed in numerous international concerts during the late 1970s including at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Conference Centre in London.

The last song he recorded was ‘Shaam Phir Kyun Udaas Hai Dost’ for music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal for the film Aas Paas.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-7.jpg

Image Credit:
Demise

Mohammed Rafi died of a massive heart attack on July 31, 1980 at 10:25 PM at his residence at Rafi Mansion, Bandra. His funeral procession was joined by 10,000 mourning fans who accompanied him till the Juhu Muslim Cemetery where his mortal remains were laid to rest. A two-day public holiday was announced by the Government of India in his honor.

Awards and Honors

Rafi Saab’s illustrious musical career was honored with numerous national and international awards throughout the years. He received 21 Filmfare Awards nominations for playback singing out of which he won 6 times. He also won a National Film Award in 1977. He also bagged the Bengali Film Journalists’ Awards thrice in 1957, 1965 and 1966. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India in 1967.

Controversy

Although a thorough gentleman throughout his career, Rafi got embroiled into a controversy with fellow singer Lata Mangeshkar not once, but twice. First, during 1962, the two had a confrontation regarding the demands for royalty for playback singers. Lataji claimed that the playback singers are entitled to half of the 5% royalty claimed by the producers from the songs recorded by them for a film. She wanted Rafi Saab’s support on the issue, but he differed from her by stating that a singer’s association with the song ended when they were paid by the producer. As the financial backer of the project, the financial gains are to be returned to the producer and not to the singers who were paid appropriately for their work. Lataji took offence to this and became hostile in her behavior towards Rafi finally declaring her unwillingness to work with him. However, music director Jaikishen negotiated a reconciliation between the two and they duo did work after that.

The second point of contention happened when the Guinness Book of World Record published Lata Mangeshkar’s name as the artist recording maximum number of songs. He sent the Guinness authorities a letter challenging the fact and stating that he was the one who had sung a greater number of songs in comparison. The Guinness authorities did not take down the listing, but they amended it with the mention of Mohammed Rafi’s name and his contention.

https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/rafi.html
 
Rather i would say Muslim artists are part of building process of Bollywood...But it is incorrect to say they are the only people who built bollywood...
 

Sahir Ludhianvi
Born Abdul Hayee
8 March 1921
Ludhiana, Punjab, British India
Died 25 October 1980 (aged 59)
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation Poet, Lyricist and Writter
Nationality Indian
Sahir Ludhianvi is the pen name of Abdul Hayee (8 March 1921 – 25 October 1980) who is popularly known as Sahir, was an Indian poet and film lyricist who wrote in the Hindi and Urdu languages. His work influenced Indian cinema, in particular Bollywood film.[1] Sahir won a Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for Taj Mahal (1963). He won a second Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist for his work on Kabhie Kabhie (1976). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1971.[2][3] On 8 March 2013, the ninety-second anniversary of Sahir's birth, a commemorative stamp was issued in his honour.[4]


Early life and education[edit]
On 8 March 1921, in a red sandstone haveli in Karimpura, Ludhiana, Punjab, India, Sahir was born to a Punjabi Muslim family.[5] His mother, Sardar Begum, left her husband thus forfeiting any claim to financial assets from the marriage. In 1934, Sahir's father remarried and sued (acrimoniously and unsuccessfully) for custody of his son.[6] Sardar Begum required protection from Sahir's father and suffered financial deprivation.[7] Sahir's place of birth is marked with a small plaque on the building's arched entrance.

Sahir was educated at the Khalsa High School in Ludhiana. He then enrolled at the Government College, Ludhiana.[8] The auditorium there is named after him.[9] As a college student, Sahir was popular for his ghazals and nazms (poetry in Urdu) and empassioned speeches.[citation needed]

Partition[edit]
In 1943, Sahir settled in Lahore. There, he completed Talkhiyaan (Bitterness) (1945), his first published work in Urdu. Sahir edited Urdu magazines such as Adab-e-Lateef, Shahkaar, Prithlari, and Savera [10] and became a member of the Progressive Writers' Association. However, when he made controversial statements promoting communism, a warrant for his arrest was issued by the Government of Pakistan. In 1949, after partition, Sahir fled from Lahore to Delhi.[11] After eight weeks, Sahir moved to Bombay.[10] He later lived in Andheri, a suburb of Mumbai. There, his neighbours included Gulzar, a poet and lyricist and Krishan Chander, an Urdu litterateur. In the 1970s, Sahir built a bungalow which he called Parchaiyaan (Shadows), after one of his works, and lived there till his death.

Sahir's work as a lyricist in the film industry gave him financial stability beyond his earnings as a poet. He made his debut with four songs performed in the film Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949). One of the songs was Badal Rahi Hai Zindagi. Both the film and its songs went unnoticed. However, after Naujawaan (1951), with music by S.D. Burman, Sahir gained recognition. Sahir's major success was Baazi (1951). Again, the composer was Burman. Sahir was then considered part of Guru Dutt's team. The last film Sahir made with Burman was Pyaasa. In Pyaasa, Guru Dutt played a poet named Vijay. After Pyaasa, Sahir and Burman went separate ways due to artistic and contractual differences.[15]

Sahir did work with other composers including Ravi, Roshan, Khayyam and Datta Naik. Datta Naik also credited as N. Datta, a Goan, admired Sahir's poetry and their collaboration produced the score for Milaap (1955), Chandrakanta (1956), Saadhna (1958), Dhool Ka Phool (1959). Sahir also worked with music director Laxmikant-Pyarelal in the films like "Man Ki Aankhe", "Izzat", "Dustan" and Yash Chopra's "Daag" all have fabulous songs. From about 1950 until his death, Sahir collaborated with Baldev Raj Chopra (1914 - 2008), a film producer and director. Sahir's last work for Chopra was for Insaaf Ka Tarazu. Yash Chopra, an independent director and producer, also engaged Sahir.

In 1958, Sahir wrote the lyrics for Ramesh Saigal's film Phir Subah Hogi, which was based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment. The male lead was played by Raj Kapoor. It was presumed that Shankar-Jaikishan would be the composer but Sahir demanded a composer with a more intimate knowledge of the novel. Khayyam composed the film score. The song Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi with its minimal background music remains popular. Khayyam collaborated with Sahir in many films including Kabhie Kabhie and Trishul.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sahir_Ludhianvi
 
Rather i would say Muslim artists are part of building process of Bollywood...But it is incorrect to say they are the only people who built bollywood...

muslim contribution is immense in modern india .bollywood is a small segment .

Mohammed Rafi
Name: Mohammed Rafi

Birth: December 24, 1924

Birthplace: Kotla Sultan Singh village, Punjab

Parents: Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai

Spouse: Bashira Bau, Bilquis Rafi

Children: Shaheed, Parveen, Hamid, Khalid, Nasreen

Occupation: Playback Singer, Recording Artist

Religion: Islam

Start of Playback Singing Career: 1944

Total number of songs (approx): 7,500

Death: July 32, 1980

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-1.jpg

Image Credit:
One of the greatest playback singers born in India, Mohammed Rafi is considered no less than a genius when it comes to varied styles of music. This great singer had the perfect blend of melody, emotions and energy, which resulted into thousands of soulful songs. Be it the classically inclined songs of Baiju Bawara or the foot tapping songs of Kashmir Ki Kali, Muhammad Rafi gave each song the treatment it deserved. His contribution to the Hindi film industry has been fabulous and perhaps no singer till date has managed to capture the hearts of fans the way Mohamed Rafi has. Rafi was well-known for his versatility as he gave his voice to songs ranging from classical numbers to patriotic ones, sad songs to romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. For almost twenty years, Rafi was the most sought after singer in the Hindi film industry. In his illustrious career, he received six Filmfare Awards and was honoured with the National Film Award once. Besides Hindi, he sang in several Indian languages including Konkani, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Marathi, Sindhi, Telugu, Kannada, Maithili, Gujarati, Magahi, and Urdu. Apart from Indian languages, he gave his melodious voice to songs in English, Arabic, Persian Sinhalese, Creole and Dutch languages.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-2.jpg

Image Credit:
Childhood & Personal Life

Mohammed Rafi was born in the village of Kotla Sultan Singh in United Punjab Province of British India on December 24, 1924. He was the fifth among the six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai. Rafi displayed his musical inclination from a very young age and his talent was recognized by his elder brother’s friend Abdul Hameed. He convinced Ravi’s family to nurture his musical talents. Mohammed Rafi started taking Hindustani Classical music from Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo who taught him the intricacies of Raag Shastra and Punjabi folk ragas Pahaadi, Bhairavi, Basant and Malhaar. He later trained under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Wahad Khan of the Kirana Gharana and also received lessons from and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. He was also trained by Feeroze Nizami, a producer in the All India Radio Lahore. K.L. Saigal and G.M. Durani were his idols and in the beginning he emulated Saigal’s style. Rafi performed his first stage show at 13 years of age in Lahore. He started singing for the All India Radio in Lahore from the year 1941. He also recorded his first song ‘Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee’, a duet with famous singer Zeenat Begam for the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, the same year. The film released in 1944.

Mohammed Rafi was married to his cousin Bashira Banu. But the marriage suffered due to the political tensions during the partition in 1947. Bashira Banu refused to accompany Rafi Saab to India after witnessing the horrors of the riots. She remained in Lahore, now in Pakistan and their marriage ended. The couple had a son Saheed with his first wife, Bashira. He later married Bilquis Banu and the couple had four children – Nasreen, Khalid, Parveen and Hamid.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-4.jpg

Image Credit:
Career

Mohammed Rafi moved to Bombay in 1944. He was introduced to several producers and directors through friend Tanvir Naqvi. He finally got his big break and recorded his first song ‘Ai Dil Ho Kaabu Mein’ for the film Gaon KI Gori in 1944, although the movie released a year later. Meanwhile, Mohammed Rafi started singing for top music directors like Naushad and Shyam Sunder. His work with Naushad continued through the 1950s and 1960s. Together they worked in films like Pehle Aap (1944), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Shahjahan (1946), Dulari (1949),Deedar (1951), Deewana (1952) and UranKhatola (1955).Rafi saab catapulted into stardom after his work in the film Baiju Bawra under the directon of Naushaad. The semi-classical bhajan ‘Man Tarpat Hain Hari Darshan Ko Aaj’ from the film showed the world Mohammed Rafi’s caliber as a singer. The two collaborated for another magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam in 1960.

Rafi saab became the voice behind leading actor Dev Anand all through the 1950s. He did Dev Anandji’s playback for films like Kaala Paani (1958), Bambai Ka Babu (1960), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963) and Guide (1965). At the same time he worked on the musical creations of Sachin Dev Burman. The Dev-Rafi-Burman trio gave the Hindi film industry some truly unforgettable songs like ‘Diwana Hua Badal’, ‘Dilka Bhanwar Kare Pukar’, ‘Achhaji main hari’ with Asha Bhosle and ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’. Mohammed Rafi and S.D. Burman created magic over and over all through the 50s, 60s and 70s. Burman used Rafi saab’s voice for almost all of his leading men including Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Rafi Saab’s voice serenaded the country with romantic numbers like ‘Teri Bindiya Re’ and ‘Gun Guna Rahe Hai’.

Rafi worked with legendary music director O. P. Nayyar on several occasions and Mr. Nayyar went on record saying that without Mohammed Rafi he would not have reached the pinnacle of success. He paired the voices of Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle for multiple successful projects like NayaDaur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1964) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). Songs like ‘Ude Jab Jab Zulfein Teri’, ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ and ‘Deewana Hua Badal’ made permanent place in the hearts of Indian audience.

Another of super-successful collaboration Mohammed Rafi forged was with music director duo Shankar-Jaikishan. Three of Mohammed Rafi’s six Filmfare awards for Playback Singer came from their collaboration – ‘Teri Pyari Pyar iSurat Ho’ from the film Sasural (1961), ‘Baharo Phool Barsao’ from the film Sooraj (1966) and’ Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’ from the film Bhrahmachari (1968). Most of Shankar-Jaikishan songs voiced by Mohammed Rafi were penned by celebrated lyricist Shailendra and this musical team created unforgettable songs like ‘Laal Chhadi Maidan Khadi’ from Jaanwar (1965), and ‘Main Gaoon Tum So Jao’ from Brahmachari (1968). Shankar Jaikishan’s creations for ShammiKapoor films Junglee (1961), Professor (1962), An Evening in Paris (1967) and Brahmachari (1968) witnessed iconic genre breaking creations like ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’, where Rafi Saab let himself loose to be in congruency with Shammi Kapoor’s rakish and boisterous Playboy image or ‘Awaz Deke Humein Tum Bulao’ that appealed to the inner romantics of all classes. Together with Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi Saab recorded a whopping 341 songs, 216 out of which were solos.

Another successful music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal produced great work with Mohammed Rafi. Their association started with the film Parashmani in 1963, and continued through glorious projects like Dosti (1964), Mere Humdum Mere Dost (1968), Khilona (1970) and Anari (1975). Together they recorded 369 songs, which was the highest number of songs Rafi Saab recorded for a music director. They produced wonderful songs like ‘Na Ja Kahinab Na Ja’, ‘Patthar K Sanam’, ‘Yeh Reshmi Zulfein’, ‘Koi Nazrana Lekar Aya Hu’ and ‘Aye Din Bahar Ke’. Raafi Saab won the Filmfare Award in 1964 for the song ‘Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere’ from the film Dosti.

Having worked with S.D. Burman, Rafi Saab also worked for his son Rahul Dev Burman or R.D. Burman or Pancham. They worked together in films like Teesri Manzil (1966), Caravan (1971), and Shaan (1980). Rafi Saab belted out super popular songs like ‘O Haseena Zulfon wali’, ‘O mere Sona re Sona re Sona’, ‘Yamma Yamma’, ‘Chadti Jawani’ and ‘Maine Poocha Chand Se’. The songs ranged from uber energetic to mellow romantic and Rafi Saab seemed to be at ease with both genres at equal measures.

He worked not only in duets with female playback singers of the time lake Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle; he sang duets with other male playback singers of his time like Manna Dey, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar. He was one of the most courteous and professional singers of all time and his altruistic nature was revered by all his contemporaries. During the 1970s Rafi faced stiff competition from Kishore Kumar who emerged as a leading singer post Aradhana in 1971. He recorded fewer songs in early 70s but made a huge comeback winning both Filmfare Awards and National Award in 1977 for the song ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’ from the film Hum Kisi se Kum Nahin with R.D. Burman as the music director. He performed in numerous international concerts during the late 1970s including at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Conference Centre in London.

The last song he recorded was ‘Shaam Phir Kyun Udaas Hai Dost’ for music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal for the film Aas Paas.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-7.jpg

Image Credit:
Demise

Mohammed Rafi died of a massive heart attack on July 31, 1980 at 10:25 PM at his residence at Rafi Mansion, Bandra. His funeral procession was joined by 10,000 mourning fans who accompanied him till the Juhu Muslim Cemetery where his mortal remains were laid to rest. A two-day public holiday was announced by the Government of India in his honor.

Awards and Honors

Rafi Saab’s illustrious musical career was honored with numerous national and international awards throughout the years. He received 21 Filmfare Awards nominations for playback singing out of which he won 6 times. He also won a National Film Award in 1977. He also bagged the Bengali Film Journalists’ Awards thrice in 1957, 1965 and 1966. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India in 1967.

Controversy

Although a thorough gentleman throughout his career, Rafi got embroiled into a controversy with fellow singer Lata Mangeshkar not once, but twice. First, during 1962, the two had a confrontation regarding the demands for royalty for playback singers. Lataji claimed that the playback singers are entitled to half of the 5% royalty claimed by the producers from the songs recorded by them for a film. She wanted Rafi Saab’s support on the issue, but he differed from her by stating that a singer’s association with the song ended when they were paid by the producer. As the financial backer of the project, the financial gains are to be returned to the producer and not to the singers who were paid appropriately for their work. Lataji took offence to this and became hostile in her behavior towards Rafi finally declaring her unwillingness to work with him. However, music director Jaikishen negotiated a reconciliation between the two and they duo did work after that.

The second point of contention happened when the Guinness Book of World Record published Lata Mangeshkar’s name as the artist recording maximum number of songs. He sent the Guinness authorities a letter challenging the fact and stating that he was the one who had sung a greater number of songs in comparison. The Guinness authorities did not take down the listing, but they amended it with the mention of Mohammed Rafi’s name and his contention.

https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/rafi.html

he lives in our heart .
 
Bollywood like the Indian Army is one of India's enduring secular institutions.

However, Bollywood in not immune to radical elements, especially Muslim ones in the past.

We also see some Sanghi elements airing Hindutva pretty openly off late.

A sign of our times I guess.

Cheers, Doc
 
Mohammed Rafi
Name: Mohammed Rafi

Birth: December 24, 1924

Birthplace: Kotla Sultan Singh village, Punjab

Parents: Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai

Spouse: Bashira Bau, Bilquis Rafi

Children: Shaheed, Parveen, Hamid, Khalid, Nasreen

Occupation: Playback Singer, Recording Artist

Religion: Islam

Start of Playback Singing Career: 1944

Total number of songs (approx): 7,500

Death: July 32, 1980

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-1.jpg

Image Credit:
One of the greatest playback singers born in India, Mohammed Rafi is considered no less than a genius when it comes to varied styles of music. This great singer had the perfect blend of melody, emotions and energy, which resulted into thousands of soulful songs. Be it the classically inclined songs of Baiju Bawara or the foot tapping songs of Kashmir Ki Kali, Muhammad Rafi gave each song the treatment it deserved. His contribution to the Hindi film industry has been fabulous and perhaps no singer till date has managed to capture the hearts of fans the way Mohamed Rafi has. Rafi was well-known for his versatility as he gave his voice to songs ranging from classical numbers to patriotic ones, sad songs to romantic numbers, qawwalis to ghazals and bhajans. For almost twenty years, Rafi was the most sought after singer in the Hindi film industry. In his illustrious career, he received six Filmfare Awards and was honoured with the National Film Award once. Besides Hindi, he sang in several Indian languages including Konkani, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Odia, Punjabi, Marathi, Sindhi, Telugu, Kannada, Maithili, Gujarati, Magahi, and Urdu. Apart from Indian languages, he gave his melodious voice to songs in English, Arabic, Persian Sinhalese, Creole and Dutch languages.

Mohammed-Rafi-ili-111-img-2.jpg

Image Credit:
Childhood & Personal Life

Mohammed Rafi was born in the village of Kotla Sultan Singh in United Punjab Province of British India on December 24, 1924. He was the fifth among the six sons of Hajji Ali Mohammad and Allahrakhi Bai. Rafi displayed his musical inclination from a very young age and his talent was recognized by his elder brother’s friend Abdul Hameed. He convinced Ravi’s family to nurture his musical talents. Mohammed Rafi started taking Hindustani Classical music from Pandit Jiwan Lal Mattoo who taught him the intricacies of Raag Shastra and Punjabi folk ragas Pahaadi, Bhairavi, Basant and Malhaar. He later trained under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Wahad Khan of the Kirana Gharana and also received lessons from and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan of the Patiala Gharana. He was also trained by Feeroze Nizami, a producer in the All India Radio Lahore. K.L. Saigal and G.M. Durani were his idols and in the beginning he emulated Saigal’s style. Rafi performed his first stage show at 13 years of age in Lahore. He started singing for the All India Radio in Lahore from the year 1941. He also recorded his first song ‘Soniye Nee, Heeriye Nee’, a duet with famous singer Zeenat Begam for the Punjabi film Gul Baloch, the same year. The film released in 1944.

Mohammed Rafi was married to his cousin Bashira Banu. But the marriage suffered due to the political tensions during the partition in 1947. Bashira Banu refused to accompany Rafi Saab to India after witnessing the horrors of the riots. She remained in Lahore, now in Pakistan and their marriage ended. The couple had a son Saheed with his first wife, Bashira. He later married Bilquis Banu and the couple had four children – Nasreen, Khalid, Parveen and Hamid.

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Career

Mohammed Rafi moved to Bombay in 1944. He was introduced to several producers and directors through friend Tanvir Naqvi. He finally got his big break and recorded his first song ‘Ai Dil Ho Kaabu Mein’ for the film Gaon KI Gori in 1944, although the movie released a year later. Meanwhile, Mohammed Rafi started singing for top music directors like Naushad and Shyam Sunder. His work with Naushad continued through the 1950s and 1960s. Together they worked in films like Pehle Aap (1944), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Shahjahan (1946), Dulari (1949),Deedar (1951), Deewana (1952) and UranKhatola (1955).Rafi saab catapulted into stardom after his work in the film Baiju Bawra under the directon of Naushaad. The semi-classical bhajan ‘Man Tarpat Hain Hari Darshan Ko Aaj’ from the film showed the world Mohammed Rafi’s caliber as a singer. The two collaborated for another magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam in 1960.

Rafi saab became the voice behind leading actor Dev Anand all through the 1950s. He did Dev Anandji’s playback for films like Kaala Paani (1958), Bambai Ka Babu (1960), Nau Do Gyarah (1957), Tere Ghar Ke Samne (1963) and Guide (1965). At the same time he worked on the musical creations of Sachin Dev Burman. The Dev-Rafi-Burman trio gave the Hindi film industry some truly unforgettable songs like ‘Diwana Hua Badal’, ‘Dilka Bhanwar Kare Pukar’, ‘Achhaji main hari’ with Asha Bhosle and ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’. Mohammed Rafi and S.D. Burman created magic over and over all through the 50s, 60s and 70s. Burman used Rafi saab’s voice for almost all of his leading men including Dev Anand, Guru Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. Rafi Saab’s voice serenaded the country with romantic numbers like ‘Teri Bindiya Re’ and ‘Gun Guna Rahe Hai’.

Rafi worked with legendary music director O. P. Nayyar on several occasions and Mr. Nayyar went on record saying that without Mohammed Rafi he would not have reached the pinnacle of success. He paired the voices of Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhonsle for multiple successful projects like NayaDaur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1964) and Kashmir Ki Kali (1964). Songs like ‘Ude Jab Jab Zulfein Teri’, ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ and ‘Deewana Hua Badal’ made permanent place in the hearts of Indian audience.

Another of super-successful collaboration Mohammed Rafi forged was with music director duo Shankar-Jaikishan. Three of Mohammed Rafi’s six Filmfare awards for Playback Singer came from their collaboration – ‘Teri Pyari Pyar iSurat Ho’ from the film Sasural (1961), ‘Baharo Phool Barsao’ from the film Sooraj (1966) and’ Dil Ke Jharokhe Mein’ from the film Bhrahmachari (1968). Most of Shankar-Jaikishan songs voiced by Mohammed Rafi were penned by celebrated lyricist Shailendra and this musical team created unforgettable songs like ‘Laal Chhadi Maidan Khadi’ from Jaanwar (1965), and ‘Main Gaoon Tum So Jao’ from Brahmachari (1968). Shankar Jaikishan’s creations for ShammiKapoor films Junglee (1961), Professor (1962), An Evening in Paris (1967) and Brahmachari (1968) witnessed iconic genre breaking creations like ‘Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe’, where Rafi Saab let himself loose to be in congruency with Shammi Kapoor’s rakish and boisterous Playboy image or ‘Awaz Deke Humein Tum Bulao’ that appealed to the inner romantics of all classes. Together with Shankar Jaikishan, Rafi Saab recorded a whopping 341 songs, 216 out of which were solos.

Another successful music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal produced great work with Mohammed Rafi. Their association started with the film Parashmani in 1963, and continued through glorious projects like Dosti (1964), Mere Humdum Mere Dost (1968), Khilona (1970) and Anari (1975). Together they recorded 369 songs, which was the highest number of songs Rafi Saab recorded for a music director. They produced wonderful songs like ‘Na Ja Kahinab Na Ja’, ‘Patthar K Sanam’, ‘Yeh Reshmi Zulfein’, ‘Koi Nazrana Lekar Aya Hu’ and ‘Aye Din Bahar Ke’. Raafi Saab won the Filmfare Award in 1964 for the song ‘Chahoonga Main Tujhe Saanjh Savere’ from the film Dosti.

Having worked with S.D. Burman, Rafi Saab also worked for his son Rahul Dev Burman or R.D. Burman or Pancham. They worked together in films like Teesri Manzil (1966), Caravan (1971), and Shaan (1980). Rafi Saab belted out super popular songs like ‘O Haseena Zulfon wali’, ‘O mere Sona re Sona re Sona’, ‘Yamma Yamma’, ‘Chadti Jawani’ and ‘Maine Poocha Chand Se’. The songs ranged from uber energetic to mellow romantic and Rafi Saab seemed to be at ease with both genres at equal measures.

He worked not only in duets with female playback singers of the time lake Geeta Dutt, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle; he sang duets with other male playback singers of his time like Manna Dey, Mukesh, and Kishore Kumar. He was one of the most courteous and professional singers of all time and his altruistic nature was revered by all his contemporaries. During the 1970s Rafi faced stiff competition from Kishore Kumar who emerged as a leading singer post Aradhana in 1971. He recorded fewer songs in early 70s but made a huge comeback winning both Filmfare Awards and National Award in 1977 for the song ‘Kya Hua Tera Wada’ from the film Hum Kisi se Kum Nahin with R.D. Burman as the music director. He performed in numerous international concerts during the late 1970s including at the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Conference Centre in London.

The last song he recorded was ‘Shaam Phir Kyun Udaas Hai Dost’ for music director duo Laxmikant Pyarelal for the film Aas Paas.

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Demise

Mohammed Rafi died of a massive heart attack on July 31, 1980 at 10:25 PM at his residence at Rafi Mansion, Bandra. His funeral procession was joined by 10,000 mourning fans who accompanied him till the Juhu Muslim Cemetery where his mortal remains were laid to rest. A two-day public holiday was announced by the Government of India in his honor.

Awards and Honors

Rafi Saab’s illustrious musical career was honored with numerous national and international awards throughout the years. He received 21 Filmfare Awards nominations for playback singing out of which he won 6 times. He also won a National Film Award in 1977. He also bagged the Bengali Film Journalists’ Awards thrice in 1957, 1965 and 1966. He was honoured with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India in 1967.

Controversy

Although a thorough gentleman throughout his career, Rafi got embroiled into a controversy with fellow singer Lata Mangeshkar not once, but twice. First, during 1962, the two had a confrontation regarding the demands for royalty for playback singers. Lataji claimed that the playback singers are entitled to half of the 5% royalty claimed by the producers from the songs recorded by them for a film. She wanted Rafi Saab’s support on the issue, but he differed from her by stating that a singer’s association with the song ended when they were paid by the producer. As the financial backer of the project, the financial gains are to be returned to the producer and not to the singers who were paid appropriately for their work. Lataji took offence to this and became hostile in her behavior towards Rafi finally declaring her unwillingness to work with him. However, music director Jaikishen negotiated a reconciliation between the two and they duo did work after that.

The second point of contention happened when the Guinness Book of World Record published Lata Mangeshkar’s name as the artist recording maximum number of songs. He sent the Guinness authorities a letter challenging the fact and stating that he was the one who had sung a greater number of songs in comparison. The Guinness authorities did not take down the listing, but they amended it with the mention of Mohammed Rafi’s name and his contention.

https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-music/indian-singers/rafi.html

If you 'label' Mohammad Rafi as a 'Muslim' then my name is Mohammad Borat. He never saw an open bar he didn't like...

He was a lot of things (of talent) but having a 'Muslim' identity, maybe a stretch.
 
If you 'label' Mohammad Rafi as a 'Muslim' then my name is Mohammad Borat. He never saw an open bar he didn't like...

He was a lot of things (of talent) but having a 'Muslim' identity, maybe a stretch.

Well tomorrow someone could say that Jinnah drank and smoked. It is a silly argument. Jinnah fought for the rights of the Muslims of subcontinent. That is what matters.

Rafi saab considered himself a Muslim. That is what counts.
 
If you 'label' Mohammad Rafi as a 'Muslim' then my name is Mohammad Borat. He never saw an open bar he didn't like...

He was a lot of things (of talent) but having a 'Muslim' identity, maybe a stretch.

he was a true human being , as indian i feel blessed as he was born in india . a divine voice .
 
If you 'label' Mohammad Rafi as a 'Muslim' then my name is Mohammad Borat. He never saw an open bar he didn't like...

He was a lot of things (of talent) but having a 'Muslim' identity, maybe a stretch.

I didn't take you for a mulla.

Cheers, Doc
 
Majrooh Sultanpuri

Background information
Birth name
Asrar ul Hassan Khan[1]
Born 1 October 1919
Sultanpur, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British India
Died 24 May 2000 (aged 80)[1]
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation(s) poet, lyricist, film songwriter[2]
Years active 1946–2000
Majrooh Sultanpuri (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000) was an Indian Urdu poet, known for his work as an Urdu poet, and as a lyricist and songwriter in the Hindi language Bollywood film industry.[1]




He was one of the dominating musical forces in Indian cinema in the 1950s and early 1960s and was an important figure in the Progressive Writers' Movement.[3][4][5] He is considered one of the finest avant-garde Urdu poets of 20th century literature.[6]

In his career spanning six decades, he worked with music directors, from Naushad, Madan Mohan, S.D.Burman, Roshan, Ravi, N. Datta, Shankar-Jaikishan, O.P.Nayyar, Usha Khanna, Laxmikant Pyarelal, Anu Malik, R.D.Burman, Rajesh Roshan, Bappi Lahiri, Kalyanji-Anandji, Anand-Milind and Jatin-Lalit, to Leslie Lezz Lewis and A.R.Rahman. He won the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award in 1965 for "Chahunga Main Tujhe" in the film Dosti, and the highest award in Indian cinema, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime achievement in 1993.[2] In the 1980s and 1990s, most of his work was with Anand-Milind, their most notable collaborations being Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka, Love, Kurbaan and Dahek.

He also wrote timeless classics with Jatin-Lalit for films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (including the song Pehla Nasha) and Yaara Dildara (including the song Bin Tere Sanam), which are still heard to this day on the airwaves.
Majrooh Sultanpuri was born as Asrar ul Hasan Khan in a Muslim family, in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, where his father was posted in the Police Department[7] in either 1919 or 1920.[8] His father, though, a police officer, was not too keen on his son receiving English education and Majrooh was therefore sent for traditional 'Madrasa education' which led to his obtaining the qualification first of Dars-e-Nizami – a seven-year course which concentrated on religious affairs along with proficiency in Arabic and Persian- and then the certificate of Alim. He thereafter joined Lucknow's Takmeel-ut-Tib College of Unani medicine (Greek System of Medicine).[1] He was a struggling Hakim when he happened to recite one of his ghazals at a mushaira in Sultanpur. The ghazal was a hit with the audience and Majrooh decided to drop his fledgling medical practice and began writing poetry seriously. Soon he was a 'regular' at mushairas and a "shagird" i.e. disciple of the then top name in Urdu Mushairas viz Jigar Moradabadi.[7][1] While Majrooh is popular as a film lyricist and is widely known in that capacity, be it known that he also created one of the best-known verses of Urdu poetry:

"Main akela hee chala tha janibe manzil magar, log saath aate gaye aur carvan banta gaya!" (I set off alone towards the destination but people joined in and soon it became a caravan!)

Films[edit]
In 1945, Majrooh visited Bombay to attend a mushaira at the Saboo Siddique Institute. Here his ghazals and poetry were highly appreciated by the audience. One of the impressed listeners was film producer A.R. Kardar.[8] He contacted Jigar Moradabadi who helped him to meet Majrooh. However, Majrooh refused to write for films because he didn't think very highly of them. But Jigar Muradabadi persuaded him, saying that films would pay well and would help Majrooh to support his family. Kardar then took him to music composer Naushad who put the young writer to test. He gave Majrooh a tune and asked him to write something in the same metre, and Majrooh wrote Jab Usne Gesu Bikhraye, Badal Aaye Jhoom Ke.... Naushad liked what he wrote and Majrooh was signed on as the lyricist of the film Shah Jehan (1946).[9][2] The songs of the film became so immensely popular that K.L. Saigal wanted Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya to be played at his funeral.[5]

Political leanings[edit]
Film Shah Jehan (1946) was followed by S. Fazil's Mehndi, Mehboob's Andaaz (1949), and Shahid Latif's Aarzoo. Just as Majrooh was establishing himself as a lyricist and songwriter of repute, his leftist leanings got him into trouble. The government wasn't amused by his anti-establishment poems and he was jailed in 1949 along with other leftists like Balraj Sahni. Majrooh was asked to apologise, but he refused and was sentenced to two years in prison.[1] While he was in prison, his eldest daughter was born. During this time his family experienced considerable financial difficulties. Raj Kapoor commissioned a song ("Ek Din Bik Jayega Maati Ke Mol") from Majrooh for his 1975 film Dharam Karam which he paid him Rs. 1000 for the song.[5] Songs mukhda was "Duniya banana wale kya tere man main samayee....used in movie Teesri Kasam" not the song from Dharam Karam. Raj Kapoor had asked Majrooh to write something he would ask God if he could speak to him. Majrooh wrote Duniya banana wale....

Majrooh's political beliefs were further manifested when his second daughter married the son of the Urdu writer and socialist Zoe Ansari. Toward the end both Majrooh and Zoe Ansari were disenchanted with the direction socialism had taken in the Soviet Union and China. Their desire to better the lives of the masses found an outlet in their writings.

Awards and recognitions[edit]

Sultanpuri on a 2013 stamp of India
Majrooh went on to write lyrics for popular films throughout the 1956s. Along with Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Majrooh was considered the most notable ghazal writer.[10] Majrooh won his only Filmfare Best Lyricist Award for the song "Chahunga Mein Tujhe Saanj Savere" from Dosti.[11] He was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1993.[2] He was the first lyricist to win the prestigious award named after Dadasaheb Phalke.[7][1]

Association with Nasir Hussain[edit]
Majrooh and Nasir Hussain first collaborated on the film Paying Guest, which Nasir wrote. After Nasir turned director and later producer they went on to collaborate in several films, all of which had huge hits and are some of Majrooh's best remembered works:

Majrooh also was instrumental in introducing R.D. Burman to Nasir for Teesri Manzil.[12] The trio worked in 7 of the above-mentioned films. Burman went on to work in 2 more films subsequent to Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai.

Death[edit]
Majrooh Sultanpuri had been suffering from lung disease for some time and had a severe attack of pneumonia and died in Bombay on 24 May 2000.[2] He was aged 80 at the time of his death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majrooh_Sultanpuri

Overview (3)
Born 1922 in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died May 25, 2000 in Mumbai, India (lung disease)
Birth Name Asrar Hussain Khan
Sahir Ludhianvi, Qamar Jalalabadi, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Shakeel Badayuni, Saghar Nizami, Rajinder Krishen and Majrooh Sultanpuri, were all sucked into the insatiable vortex of the film world with Sahir having remained the most outstanding but Majrooh Sultanpuri being a close second. It may be said that when these poets agreed to write for the films the quality of poetry in the context of the film lyrics showed a vast improvement. If it was a loss to urdu poetry it was surely a gain for the "filmi" song text and the vast divide of serious writing and popular writing was narrowed a little by the Bombay films. Majrooh had earlier fought the hardest battle of his life as a ghazalgo. It was an article of faith with the early progressive poets that the stylised form of ghazal with its well wrought references and associated inferences was not suitable for the new sensibility which needed a new form. The same rationale was also behind the movement known as the naturi shairi of the mid nineteenth century but it was sponsored from the top by the establishment. Like all movements the Progressive Writers too took an extreme position and denounced much in the name of being a product of feudalism. Literature and the arts were seen in the framework of a one to one relationship and the entire effort seemed to be based on exclusion rather than incorporation. But Majrooh did not tow the line and held the position that ghazal could retain its glory through its ability to say new things for the new age. He was himself an outstanding ghazal poet and introduced new imagery and new diction into the heavily stylised format. He was able to maintain the lyrical quality of the ghazal which is its real spirit and test without losing on the vigour that was supposed to be an integral part of this new poetic idiom. The awareness of where the exploitation has taken the ordinary man and a whipping up of emotions for greater activism was the twin aim of these poets. Majrooh was not alone in this struggle. He had support from a contemporary, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who too was not keen on losing the rich referential and allusive matrix of the traditional ghazal while talking about the main contradiction of the class divide that cut across board. It was the awareness that the rejection of the ghazal would be a turning away from our tradition that made its acceptance and currency possible again by the fifties. When Majrooh appeared on the scene Faiz's Naqsh e Faryadi, Majaz's Aahang, Ali Sardar Jaffery's Parwaz, Jazbi's Ferozaan and Makhdoom's Surkh Sawera had already been published with leading critics like Ehtesham Hussain and Doctor Alim, being the real opponents of the ghazal, wanting to do away with this archaic form as a critical canon. Faiz and Majrooh gradually introduced the themes generally associated with the Progressive Movement, and transformed the ghazal without losing on its strength. During the fifties ghazal was gradually and grudgingly accepted as a legitimate form of poetry even by Ehtesham Hussain who wrote about it then. Poetry thus disengaged itself from being a mere slogan, and moved towards the lyrical and melodic richness generally associated with ghazal. It abandoned the harsh declamatory style meant to exhort the listener to take up arms against the sea of troubles for a more introspective mood where awareness became part of a larger collective consciousness. The Urdu poets found themselves being edged out in the new socio-cultural environment of India and saw their language shrink and the literate audience dwindle. Amidst the growing demand of Hinduising Urdu Majrooh stood his ground and fought for the rightful place of his language with a rich heritage. Perhaps history will judge Majrooh as a poet who partially frittered away his talent by writing for the films. The limited opportunity and the constraints of the situation do not let the poet grow and prosper in the same manner when he is just writing poetry as a an autonomous form. But Majrooh's contribution in giving a new meaning to the ghazal will keep the torch of his name burning for quite some time.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Ali Halai <aahalai@home.com>

Majrooh Sultanpuri was the last of the group of lyricists that ruled Hindi cinema in the early 1950s and 1960s. Out of Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra and Shakeel Badayuni, he alone outlived them all and worked right up to his death. His career spanned over 50 years and 350 films, many of them successful blockbusters.

He was born Asrar Hussain Khan in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, the son of a police constable. After studying Persian in Aligarh, he moved to Bombay. He made his film debut with Shahjehan, starring K.L. Saigal, but his breakthrough film was Mehboob Khan's Andaaz and from then on there was no stopping him.

Sultanpuri's work touched the soul. Although Urdu poetry was his favourite, he wrote in simple Hindi, and could be understood by all classes.

Although Sultanpuri worked with top music directors - Anil Biswas, Naushad, Madan Mohan, O.P. Nayyar, Roshan and Laxmikant-Pyarelal - his best work was with S.D. Burman and R.D. Burman. In fact his most outstanding work was in Nasir Hussain's frothy musicals like Teesri Manzil, Yaadon Ki Baraat and Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin. He continued to write youthful songs even in Hussain's son Mansoor Khan's films like the evergreen Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Arun

Trivia (7)
He published an anthology of Urdu poetry, appropriately titled "Ghazal," for which he received an award from the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy.
Sultanpuri was the first lyricist to be awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He was also a recipient of the Iqbal Samman from the Madhya Pradesh government and the Sant Gyaneshwar Puraskar of the Maharashtra government.
Daughter Sabah is married to Music director Naushad's son Raju Naushad.
Youngest son Iram (Eram)passed away in 1993. He a assistant director and was directing the shelved film Naghma with Mithun and Padmini.
Grandson named Emaad.
Son is director Andalib Sultanpuri.
Eldest daughter named Naugul.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0538281/bio
 
muslim contribution is immense in modern india .bollywood is a small segment .



he lives in our heart .

Of course...I do not about the contributions of Muslims in modern India...But by saying that they are the only guys for Bollywood, it is unfair and too much of credit to provide one segment of Indian artiste.
 
Rather i would say Muslim artists are part of building process of Bollywood...But it is incorrect to say they are the only people who built bollywood...

True,
a more pertinent analysis would focus on why the vast majority of cinema kings and queen belong to, or originated from what is now Pakistan.
 

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