“Jagat narayan ko chhod ke santo, nagad narayan ke hain sab yaaram;
In sabke pichhe arrey pad gaya income taxum” is the last stanza of the song ‘Guni Jano Re Bhakt Jano’ from the film Aansoo aur Muskaan(1971) sung by and picturised on Kishore Kumar. The song talks about, among other things, how the hero-worshipping public places film stars on the pedestal, who in turn run after money and not pay taxes on their earnings, resulting in the tax department investigating them.
While the song had salience to my work as a taxman, its popularity (it ranked 4th in the 1971 Binaca Geetmala Finals) as a comic song lay in its satirical commentary on society. The lyrics, while ostensibly, humorous, had the subtext of sarcasm. While Kishore Kumar, the singer and actor on screen, and music directors Kalyanji-Anandji got the applause, the public at large were unaware of the lyricist.
Another song that held my attention, as it did with millions of other salary / wage earners, was the delightful Kishore Kumar song ‘Din Hai Suhana Aaj Pehli Tarikh Hai’ from Pehli Tarikh (1954). Portions of the song have been played on Radio Ceylon on the first day of every month to the present. The radio plays the entire song on the first day of every year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJLeU4S2K_o
Kishore Kumar, the singer and actor and, to a lesser extent, music composer Sudhir Phadke walked away with the accolades, but the wordsmith remained unheralded.
Mehdi Hassan’s ‘Rafta Rafta Woh Meri Hasti Ka Saman Ho Gaye’, from the Pakistani film Zeenat (1975) became a huge hit in Pakistan, and won Mehdi Hassan a Nigar Award (Pakistan’s version of the Academy Awards, or Filmfare Awards of India) as a playback singer. Later, the song became very popular in India when Mehdi Hassan started singing it in concerts during his tours in India. But very few people are aware of the fact that these lyrics were originally written for the song ‘Rafta Rafta Woh Hamare Dil Ke’ composed by Basant Prakash (sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Asha Bhosle) for the film Hum Kahan Ja Rahe Hain (1966), released 9 years earlier. The lyricist, whose concept and words were copied across the border, remained in the shadow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhDBdNwdQ80
As if this wasn’t enough, years later, the same idea was used in the song ‘Dheere Dheere Aap Mere Dil Ke Mehmaan Ho Gaye’ in Baazi (1995) with the help of Majrooh Sultanpuri (Anu Malik being the composer). Sung by Udit Narayan and Sadhna Sargam, the Bollywood pop was a far cry from the original ghazal, but became a chartbuster because of the visual appeal of the poetry whose foundation had been established in the mid-60s by the unacclaimed poet.
Remember “Chingari koi bhadke, toh sawan use bujhaye, Sawan jo agan lagaye, use kaun bujhaye “penned by Anand Bakshi in Amar Prem (1972)? Fifteen years earlier, the film Changez Khan (1957) had a song ‘Jab Raat Nahin Katati’ (composed by Hansraj Behl) whose lyrics went like this:
“Jo aag lagi dil mein,
Ashqon ne bujhaai hai,
Ashqon ne jo bhadkaai
Aag wo kaise bujhegi”
Listeners remember Anand Bakshi, but not the earlier lyricist.
However, our lyricist was himself guilty of adapting a couple of lines from Sahir Ludhianvi’s ‘Reshmi Salwar Kurta Jaali Ka’ (Naya Daur, 1957) in the second antara of ‘Nazron Ke Teer Maare Kas Kas Kas’ (Do Ustad, 1959). He altered the original lines “Jab jab tujhko dekhoon, mere dil mein chhooten phuljhadiyaan / Karoonga tera peechha, chaahe lag jaayen hathkadiyaan” to “Jaan-e-jahaan bolo chali ho kahan, leke nainon mein yeh phuljhadiyaan / Tum pe maroonga gori pyaar main karoonga gori, chaahe lagengi hathkadiyaan”. Both the films had OP Nayyar as the music director and he would have known.
Probably the first rap song in Hindi films was written by him as part of ‘Worli Ka Naka’ from Do Ustad (1959), composed by OP Nayyar and sung by Rafi.
He wrote not one, not two, but three club songs in Howrah Bridge (1958) – ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu’, ‘Aaiye Meherban’, and ‘Dekh Ke Teri Nazar’. The first two songs are the gold standard of this genre and wildly popular to this day. OP Nayyar walked away with the accolades. Of course, the music was brilliant but so were the lyrics. How many lyricists can come up with a nursery rhyme for adults using nonsense lyrics for entertainment and fun in ‘Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu’ such as “Allladin ki main hoon ladki”, “Sindbad the Sailor tu”, having declared earlier “Main Cheen se aayi, Singapore ka joban mera, Shanghai ki angdaayi”. The song is an eternal crowd pleaser, in no small measure due to the lyrics. It has had a number of re-mixes including one in the film Happy Phirr Bhaag Jayegi (2018). But the lyricist stood on the sidelines.
He invented words in songs – ‘Dum Dum Diga Diga ‘(Chhalia, 1960), ‘Rik Rik Tik Tik Boom Boom Chik’, and ‘Ri Ri Ka Raka, Aaka Ka Baka, Baka Ka Taka, Worli Ka Naka’ (Do Ustad, 1959). He used English words such as ‘OK’, ‘Atom Bomb’, ‘Rock and Roll’ (Do Ustad, 1959).
Qamar Jalalabadi.
It’s a pity that in the creative podium of the Hindi Film Song, the lyricist gets the Bronze, if at all, after the singer and music director. If you are a Sahir or Shailendra, you may share the Silver. Many lyricists don’t even get to step on it. The public at large are not aware, except for connoisseurs. National recognition remains elusive.
Qamar Jalalabadi did the bulk of his work with Husnlal- Bhagatram (21 films from 1944 to 1963), OP Nayyar (12 films from 1958 to 1994), Kalyanji-Anandji (25 films from 1960 to1975) and Hansraj Bahl (7 films from 1950 to 1979). But except with Husnlal- Bhagatram to an extent, there was no exclusivity of the type such as say Shankar-Jaikishan with Shailendra/ Hasrat Jaipuri, or Naushad with Shakeel Badayuni or Madan Mohan with Rajender Krishan/ Raja Mehdi Ali Kham. When your creative journey is not tethered to that of a successful music director, you remain more or less a freelancer, and can end up as an also-ran, never mind your outstanding body of work, never mind your talent.
Qamar Jalalabadi was born Omprakash Bhandari in a Punjabi family in Jalalabad – a small town in Amritsar – the last of thirteen children. His father Lala Harjasrai Bhandari was a storekeeper for granaries in British India and later shifted to looking after ancestral lands. A precocious boy, he began writing poetry at the age of seven, much to the consternation of his family, who did not encourage it. But he was not swayed, and continued to write. A wandering minstrel-poet called Amarchand ‘Amar’ chanced upon his writing. Impressed by what he read, he gave young Omprakash his takhallus – ‘Qamar’ – meaning ‘the moon’. Qamar added ‘Jalalabad’ (from the town of Jalalabad) to coin the name he would write under for the rest of his life.
He studied in an Urdu medium school up to the tenth standard and achieved proficiency in it which was to help him later in his life. He was making a name for himself in writing shayari.
His initial foray into writing, however, was not as a poet but a journalist. He started writing articles for Urdu journals, such as Daily Milap, Daily Pratap, Nirala, Star Shahkaar, and others. But the lure of filmdom was too strong to resist. He wrote his first song for the film Zamindar(1942) – produced by Dalsukh M Pancholi, with music by Master Ghulam Haider, who, along with Shamshad Begum, had created a successful musical jugalbandi that was to last many years. Qamar was one of the four lyricists for the film. His lines-
“Jo koi bhi aata hai thokar hi lagaata hai,
mar ke bhi gareebon ko aaram nahin milta”
were full of pathos, and suited the situation in the film very well.
The song was a big hit, and he found himself inundated with offers. This was the beginning of a career that was to span four decades. Besides being a lyricist, he also diversified into other fields as screen writer, dialogue writer and story writer. Some of the films for which he wrote either the script and/or dialogues were Munimji (1955), Phagun (1958), Maya (1961) and Taj Mahal (1963).
He produced two films, Chhoti Bhabhi (1950), in which he was the story writer, dialogue writer and lyricist; and Aansoo (1953) in which he wrote the lyrics too. He was also an acclaimed shaayar and was an integral part of several mushairas all over the country. He was a founder member of Film Writers Association (now Screenwriters Association) and Indian Performing Right Society.
He was very active till 1973. Thereafter, his career tapered and lasted till 1994. The longevity is remarkable.
From Lahore he migrated to Poona in 1944 and joined Prabhat Studios. He wrote 11 songs for the film Chand set to music by the debutant pair of Husnlal-Bhagatram, followed by Ramshastri (1944), Lakharani (1945) and Gokul (1946). The songs he penned for these movies became famous and led him to Bombay.
From 1947 to ‘50 in 4 years, he wrote lyrics for more than 170 songs for 25 films, many of them being great hits. He was ruling the film world at that time. He had to regretfully reject even Raj Kapoor when Raj approached him, stating that he was neck deep in work and had no time. Raj Kapoor, over the years, remind him of his refusal.
Qamar wrote songs to suit all the moods – romantic, pathos-ridden, patriotic, comic and light. His style of writing was marked by its versatility, blending profound, philosophical Urdu poetry with simple, relatable Hindi lyrics for film songs. He could convey deep, complex emotions in an accessible manner, often using elusive wordplay that invited listeners to ponder the hidden depths of his poetry.
In his long career he was associated with all the leading music composers of the 1940s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. Starting with Ghulam Haider in Zamindar (1942), he had partnerships with Husnlal-Bhagatram, Khemchand Prakash, Sudhir Phadke, C Ramchandra, Hansraj Behl, O P Nayyar, Kalyanji-Anandji. He did a few films with S D Burman, Shyam Sunder, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Ravi, and Anil Biswas.
Let’s consider some of the songs he wrote.
‘Badnaam Na Ho Jaaye’ from Shaheed (1948) sung by Surinder Kaur (music: Ghulam Haider). The Nightingale of Punjab would go on to sing for Hindi films between 1948 and 1952 and pioneer and popularise Punjabi folk songs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jmU6_784RE
‘Ek Dil Ke Tukde Hazar Hue’ from Pyar Ki Jeet (1948) sung by Rafi (music: Husnlal-Bhagatram). The song was a huge success. Interestingly, this song was not originally meant for this film. It was written for Sindoor (1941), but director Sashadhar Mukherjee rejected the song. When OP Dutta, the director of Pyar Ki Jeet, heard the song, he wanted to use it in his film. The rest was history.
The song lamented the heart of India being broken.
“Ik dil ke tukde hazaar huye
Koi yahaan giraa koi vahaan giraa
Behte huye aansu ruk na sake
Koi yahaan giraa koi vahaan gira
Jivan ke safar mein hum jinko samjhe the hamare saathi hain
Do kadam chale phir bichhad gaye
Koi yahaan giraa koi vahaan giraa
Aashaaon ke tinke chun-chun kar sapnon ka mahal banaayaa tha
Toofaan se tinke bikhar gaye
Koi yahaan giraa koi vahaan giraa”
‘Sun Mere Saajana’ from Ansoo (1952)sung by Rafi and Lata (music: Husnlal-Bhagatram). The lyrics had a euphonious romanticism, replete with the promise of love, and a plea to not end the relationship.
“Na tujhko main bhulaoonga, nigaahon mein chhupaaunga
Magar itna karo vaada ki rishta tod na jaana “
This was followed by a quiet entreaty for understanding, if fate were to will that they are separated:
“Agar kismet badal jaaye, judaai humko tadpaaye
Kasam hai pyaar ki tujhko tu mujhse rooth na jaana”
This song ranks as one of the best duets of Rafi-Lata.
‘Rahi Matwale’ from Waris (1954) sung by Talat Mehmood (music: Anil Biswas)
‘Mohabbat Zinda Rehti Hai’ from Changez Khan (1957) sung by Rafi (music: Hansraj Behl)
Songs from Chhalia (1960) composed by Kalyanji- Anandji
Qamar faced a major challenge when almost all songs from Chhalia faced the Censor Board’s scrutiny, with the offending words/lines needing to be altered.
Let’s begin with the title song ‘Chhalia Mera Naam’.
The original words of the mukhra were:
“Chhalia mera naam
Chhalna mera kaam.”
However, the Censor Board objected to the word “Chhalna” in the song, that too sung by the hero, and the offending line had to be dropped.
Not only that – Qamar had to change many objectionable lines in the antaras as follows:
From the original “Hum to khali maal ke rasiya, Ishq nahin hum seekhe” to “Hum to khali baat ke rasiya, Ishq nahin hum seekhe”.
From the original “Jahan bhi dekha daam, wahin nikala kaam “to “Jahan bhi dekha daam, karta wahin salaam.”
From the original “Main hun galiyon ka shahzada, jo chahoon woh le lun” to “Main hun garibon ka shahzada, jo mango woh de doon”
From the original “Tumne mujhse roti chheeni, chheene maine paise” to “Rok rahe hain rahein meri, naina teekhe teekhe”.
While the record, released earlier, contained the original lyrics, the song in the film was amended. A good lyricist not only should write well, but also have the ability to change them if required by law, without impacting the overall sentiment of the song. Here, the mukhra and all antaras underwent a change without affecting the spirit of the song, which is a huge deal.
‘Baaje Payal Chhun Chhun’
A line in the song’s second antara – “Wah ri yeh shaan baan / Seene ko taan taan akade jawan / Pocho ji paseena yeh roomal hai sarkar” – had to be removed from the film. The deletion resulted in an abrupt transition in the song sequence in the film.
‘Dum Dum Diga Diga Mausam Bheega Bheega’
The lyrics of the film version of the song and the version in the original 78 rpm release were slightly different. The words “dekho lutera aaj lut gaya” in the first antara of the 78-rpm release were changed to “dekho re koi aaj lut gaya” in the film. Additionally, the second antara starting with the line “Teri kasam tu meri jaan hai” was replaced with a completely different antara with lyrics that went “Sanam hum maana gareeb hain”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xcsL17J-dA
‘Gali Gali Sita Roye’
Several changes had to be made to this song. As a result, the lyrics of the song used in the film were very different from those in the 78 rpm. The song, issued in two parts in the original 78 rpm release, contained several references to Ram, Sita, Ramayan, and Valmiki. While these references were retained in the song’s mukhda, almost all other references were replaced with other words. For example, the opening lines “Duniyawalo Ram Siya ki kahani sun lo / Valmeek se khoob suni ab meri zabaani sun lo” were replaced with “Duniyawalo ik abla ki dukhi kahani sun lo / Haar jeet to khoob hui ab meri zabaani sun lo”. Similarly, the first antara “Tumne naam suna Sita, main use dekh ke aaya hoon / O dharm ke thekedaaron ,main ik nayi Ramayan laaya hoon / Woh Sita thi Ramayan ki yeh hai jeeti jaagti / Roothe hue Ram se yeh khoya pyar maangti” was changed to “Tumne naam suna dukhiya, main use dekh ke aaya hoon / O desh ke baheno bhaiyon, main ik nayi shikayat laaya hoon / Yeh hai maata yeh hai biwi dukhiya jeeti jaagti / Roothe hue nath se yeh khoya pyar maangti”. The closing lines – “Jhoothi hai Ramayan saari jhootha bhagwan hai / Dharm jhootha prem jhootha jhootha Hindustan hai / Deviyon pe dosh lage aaj mere des mein / Sita to hai Ram nahin aaj mere des mein” – were deleted from the film. The song sequence in the film was shot using the original version. As a result, discrepancies between Raj Kapoor’s lip-syncing and the revised version’s lyrics are evident.
Very strong words , befitting the film’s theme. But alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
‘Teri Raahon Mein’ sung by Lata became a huge hit. The song also featured in the Pakistani play Humsafar starring Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan.
Songs from Rustom Sohrab (1963) composed by Sajjad Hussain such as ‘Yeh Kaisi Ajab Daastaan Ho Gayi Hai’ sung by Suraiya, and the qawwali ‘Phir Tumhari Yaad Aayi Ai Sanam’ sung by Rafi, Manna De and Saadat Khan. One of the finest qawwalis in Hindi cinema, this was a musical feast where lyrics, composition and orchestration all came together in a perfect blend. A song of poignant lyrics, where men who are going to war remember their beloveds:
“Jabse dekhi soorat unki, hum shama jalaana bhool gaye
rukhsaar ki surkhi kya kahiye phoolon ka fasaana bhool gaye
bas itni kahaani hai apni, jab aankh mili behosh hue
daaman se hava tum kar na sake hum hosh mein aana bhool gaye”.
‘Chhota Sa Baalma’ by Asha Bhonsle from Raagini(1958), composed by 0P Nayyar
‘Tu Hai Mera Prem Devta’ by Rafi and Manna Dey from Kalpana(1960), composed by OP Nayyar.
Song in praise of Lord Shiva, Qamar’s genius in his song-writing skills on such a devotional theme is beyond praise.
‘Main To Ek Khwab Hun, Is Khwab Se Tu Pyar Na Kar’ by Mukesh from Himalay Ki Gode Mein (1965), composed by Kalyanji-Anandji.
This was the only song written by Qamar for this movie. The music directors were intrigued by the lyrics and they stated that they had tuned songs with optimistic intent thus far and this was the first time they had come across the hero beseeching the heroine not to love him– “tu pyar na kar” and were consequently hesitant. Indeevar who wrote two of the other songs was present in the meeting and assured the music directors that the song would become a hit, and so it turned out. The only time the Music Directors Association gave an award to the music directors was for this movie and this song in particular.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdoOH3JThus
‘Yeh Do Diwane Dil Ke’ by Rafi and Manna Dey from Johar Mehmood in Goa (1965), composed by Kalyanji-Anandji.
The euphemisms used by Qamar to describe the police action were extraordinary. Sasural for jail, baraati – police team, lohe ka haathi -police van, Sarkari dulha – prisoner, gahne – handcuffs.
Songs of Phagun (1958) composed by OP Nayyar, including ‘Ik Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya’, ‘Main Soya Ankhiyan Meeche’ (both sung by Rafi and Asha), and ‘Piya Piya Na Laage Mora Jiya’ sung by Asha.
OP Nayyar, who I knew personally, had a very high regard for Qamar. They both produced some outstanding work together. Qamar would sit with OP Nayyar in the music sessions and OP Nayyar would compose there and then. There is a delightful short video of their session where OP Nayyar requests Qamar to amend his lyrics to fit into the meter of the song, which Qamar does on the spot.
I have the good fortune of knowing Qamar’s daughter Subhashini Swar Jalalabadi who’s doing a wonderful job of preserving and promoting her father’s legacy and creating awareness of the fabulous work done by him.
Qamar wrote –
“Kar loonga jama daulat o zar , uske baad kya
Le loonga shaandaar sa ghar, uske baad kya
Mai ki talab hogi toh ban jaoonga rind
Kar loonga maikadon ka safar, uske baad kya”
Towards the end he wrote,
“Uthi thi khaak , khaak se mil jayegi wahin
Phir uske baad kis ko khabar, uske baad kya”
It’s poetry like this, whose profundity will put a spotlight on Qamar’s formidable repertoire alive till as long as the discs spin.
Qamar Jalalabadi died on January 9, 2003. On his death anniversary, we raise a toast to the Rahi Matwala jisne chheda man ka sitar and left us musical gems.
(Cover Photo: Youtube Screenshot)
Death AnniversaryHindi filmsIndiaLyricistMusicPoetQamar JalalabadisongsWriter