Zafri Mudasser Nofil
The prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award could not have been conferred on a more deserving person than veteran lyricist-filmmaker and poet Gulzar. He was chosen for the highest official recognition for film personalities in India for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.
A seven-member jury consisting of eminent artistes unanimously recommended the 79-year-old Gulzar for the prestigious award, which comprises a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl.
According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Gulzar’s contribution to mainstream cinema is well recognised, assuring him a place in the annals of Indian cinema. Gulzar said he felt “fulfilled” to get the honour.
“I am happy and honoured. It is national honour. It is a feeling of fulfilment of not one song, screenplay, but the total work one does. I feel blessed to get this honour. I am thankful to everyone for their love and support. I am thankful to the jury members. It is a way of respect which says your work is loved and you are on the right path,” he said.
Gulzar joins an elite club of legends like Naushad, Satyajit Ray, V Shantaram, Raj Kapoor, Lata Mangeshkar, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Bhupen Hazarika and Manna Dey to get the Dada Saheb Phalke.
Though known mostly as a filmmaker and a lyricist, Gulzar has always been a poet at heart. Zafri Mudasser Nofil is Senior News Coordinator with PTI His works are steeped in poetic sensibility and marked by unique lyricism. Regarded as one of India’s leading Urdu poets, he has been exploring human relationships and addressing the many facets of life with such insight and sensitivity that has never been done before.
Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra in a Sikh family to Sardar Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujaan Singh in 1934 in Pakistan’s Punjab in pre-independence India, Gulzar and his family were among the many victims of Partition. The family moved to Amritsar but Gulzar came to Bombay and began to work as a garage mechanic while writing poetry during his spare time.
Gulzar started his career in 1956 and as a lyricist got his first break in Bimal Roy’s “Bandini”. The song ‘Mora gora ang lai le’, filmed on Nutan, became an instant hit.
He has worked with leading music directors like Sachin Dev Burman and his son Rahul Dev, Salil Chowdhury, Shankar Jaikishan, Hemant Kumar, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, Rajesh Roshan, Anu Malik, A R Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal Bhardwaj. He had outstanding creative partnerships with R D Burman, Rahman and Bhardwaj.
Some of the memorable hits he has penned are ‘Naam gum jaayega, ‘Tujhse naaraaz nahi’, ‘Is mod se’, ‘Beeti na bitai raina’, ‘Tere bina zindagi se’, ‘Dil dhoondta hai’, ‘Mera kuchh saamaan’, ‘Roz roz aankhon tale’, ‘Katra katra’ and ‘Yaara silli silli’.
Apart from lyrics, he has contributed to several films as script, story and dialogue writer. Films directed by Gulzar have won numerous awards and critical acclaim. Among them are “Mere Apne”, “Koshish”, “Aandhi”, “Kinara”, “Khushboo”, “Angoor”, “Libaas” , “Meera”, “Lekin” and “Maachis”.
He has worked on the small screen as well; having created outstanding series like “Mirza Ghalib” and “Tahreer Munshi Premchand Ki”. He wrote lyrics for several Doordarshan serials including “Hello Zindagi”, “Potli Baba Ki” and “Jungle Book”.
Gulzar was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002, the Padma Bhushan in 2004. He has won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. He won the Oscar for best original song ‘Jai ho’ with Rahman for “Slumdog Millionaire” in 2009. In 2010, Gulzar also won the Grammy award for ‘Jai ho’.
His poetry has been published in three compilations: “Chand Pukhraaj Ka”, “Raat Pashminey Ki” and “Pandrah Paanch Pachattar” (15-05-75). His short stories are published in “Raavi- Paar” (also known as “Dustkhat” in Pakistan) and “Dhuan” (smoke). He is also credited with having created a new type of stanza in Urdu poetry named ‘Triveni’ (stanza of 3 lines).
Gulzar is married to actress Rakhi. The couple have a daughter, Meghna. When their daughter was only one-year-old, they separated but never divorced. Meghna grew up with her father and, after completing her graduation in films from New York University, went on to direct films like “Filhaal” and “Just Married”. She also authored the biography of her father in 2004 named “Because He Is”.
With “Mere Apne” in 1971, Gulzar turned to direction. He went on to make “Parichay” (1972) and “Koshish” (1972), a sensitive look at the travails of a deaf-dumb couple superbly played by Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri.
The Gulzar-Sanjeev Kumar partnership resulted in films like “Aandhi” (1975), “Mausam” (1975), “Angoor” (1981) and “Namkeen” (1982) and took Sanjeev Kumar to greater heights in the industry.
His last directorial outing was Tabu starrer “Hu Tu Tu” but left film direction to focus on his writing work.
One of the most versatile lyricists, Gulzar continues to be in great demand with modern filmmakers thanks to his adaptability. His most recent hits are ‘Bidi jalaile’, ‘Kajrare’, ‘Dhan ta nan’, ‘Raat ke dhai baje’, ‘Darling’ and ‘Hamari atariya pe’ among many others.
Congratulating Gulzar, melody queen Lata Mangeshkar recalling her association with him saying her most favourite song written by him is ‘Naam gum jaayega’ from the 1977 film “Kinara”.
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