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By Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, Filmography and Memorable song list provided by Ummer Siddique

     Music composer born in Hyderabad (Sind, Pakistan). Studied dentistry. Leading composer from the Lahore group e.g. Shyam Sunder, Khurshid Anwar and S.D. Batish. With Naushad initiated a musical revolution helping to institutionalize an All-India Film aesthetic in the 40s. Learnt music from Babu Ganeshlal, with whom he worked in theatre playing harmonium in Calcutta. Briefly composer for the Jenaphone recording label. Broke into films in Lahore with Shorey; then worked for Pancholi starting with the Punjabi film Gul-e-Bakavali featuring Noor Jehan as a child actress. Regular composer for Pancholi until Poonji. His score for Khazanchi led to a series of Pancholi hits pioneering new marketing strategies. Best known compositions, often sung by Shamshad Begum, invoke Punjabi folk rhythms and extensively feature percussion instruments like the dholak. Moved to Bombay in 1944 where he worked in Filmistan (Chal Chal Re Naujawan) and Minerva. Composed one successful Mehboob film (Humayun) and gave Lata Mangeshkar her first big break in playback singing (Majboor, in duets with Geeta Dutt and Mukesh). Returned to Lahore after Partition, where he started Filmsaz with director S. Nazir Ajmeri and actor S. Gul, making Beqarar. Also scored Akeli, Bheegi Palkein and last Noor Jehan film Gulenar (1953).

Filmography
(as music director)


Memorable Songs

Shala jawaniyan mane - Noor Jehan - Gul-e-Bakavali
Kankaan diyan faslaan - Shamshad Begum - Yamla Jatt
Sawan kai nazare hain aaha! aaha! - Shamshad Begum & chorus - Khazanchi
To kaunsi badli mein meray chand - Noor Jehan - Khandaan
Gaadiwaley dopatta uda jaey re - Shamshad Begum, Zeenat Begum - Poonji
Meri duaoun ka ya Rab asar - Rajkumari - Humayun
Husn kehta ja raha hai - G.M. Durrani, Shamshad & chorus - Humayun
Ek tera sahara ek tera sahara - Shamshad Begum - Shama
Dil thandi hawa mein uda jaey re - Suraiya - Shama
Aaj mohe sajan ghar jana - Khursheed Begum - Manjdhar
Dil mera toda - Lata Mangeshkar - Majboor
Sapera been bajaiyou re - Geeta Dutt, Ashok Kumar - Padmini
Badnaam na ho jaye - Surinder Kaur - Shaheed
Aaja bedardi balma koi ro ro pukare - Geeta Dutt - Shaheed
Dil ko laga kai kahin thokar - Munawwar Sultana, Ali Bux Zahoor - Beqaraar
Aaye khushi kai zamanai - Munawwar Sultana - Akeli
Bachpan ki yaadgaroun - Noor Jehan - Gulnaar
Lo~ lo chal diye woh humko tassalie diye - Noor Jehan - Gulnaar

1935
Majnu (H) L, Swarg Ki Seedhi (H) L

1939
Gul-e-Bakavali (P) L

1940
Yamla Jatt (P) L

1941
Chaudhary (P) L, Khazanchi (H) L

1942
Khandaan (H) L, Zamindar (H) L

1943
Poonji (H) L

1944
Bhai (H) Bo, Chal Chal Re Naujawan (H) Bo, Phool (H) Bo

1945
Humayun (H) Bo

1946
Behram Khan (H) Bo, Jagbiti (H) Bo, Shama (H) Bo

1947
Butt Tarash (H) L [X], Manjdhar (H) Bo, Mehndi (H) Bo

1948
Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (H) L, Majboor (H) I, Padmini (H) I, Patjhad (H) L, Shaheed (H) I

1949
Kaneez (H) I [XX], Shahida (U) Pa [XXX]

1950
Do Saudagar (H) I, Putli (H) I, Beqaraar (U) Pa

1951
Akeli (U) Pa

1952
Bheegi Palkein (U) Pa

1953
Gulnaar (U) Pa, Ghulam (U) Pa, Aabshar (H) I [XXXX]



X = Butt Tarash, produced in Lahore before 14 August 1947 was released in 1951
XX = Two Music Directors composed for Kaneez - Ghulam Haider and Hansraj Behl, O.P. Nayyar provided background score
XXX = Two Music Directors composed for Shahida - Ghulam Haider and G.A. Chisthi
XXXX = Three Music Directors composed for Aabshar - Ghulam Haider, Mohammed Shafi and Shreshta