Naushad(1919-2006)
- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Regarded as a pioneer of Indian music, Naushad Ali was one of the one
of the first and foremost composers in the history of Bollywood. Since
1937, he was composing music for films that, along with his music,
formed the very foundation and core of Bollywood. He is also known for
introducing the legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi to the world and
transfiguring them into the icons they are today. While he did less
than a hundred films during his lifetime, 26 of those films went on to
celebrate jubilees, some of them making golden and even diamond
jubilees!
He was born on December 25, 1919, in the city of Lucknow. From early
childhood, he was an avid film buff, listening to the live orchestras
that accompanied silent films back then. He studied classical Indian
music under renowned musicians like Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali,
and Ustad Babban Saheb, and began composing music for amateur
theatrical groups like the Windsor Music Entertainers. He also spent
much of his time repairing harmoniums.
In the late 1930s, he came to Bombay to be a success as a musician. But
he had to struggle to make it to the top. Initially he faced rebuffs,
and had to endure periods of utter deprivation. Naushad even spent
nights sleeping on footpaths before he finally secured a job as a
pianist in composer Mushtaq Hussain 's orchestra. Composer Khemchand Prakash took him on
as his assistant and taught him, an act for which he remained extremely
grateful throughout his life. Soon, Naushad got his break with the film
Prem Nagar (1940), but it was only with Sharda (1942) that he got attention. The film
Ratan (1944) took him right to the top, and from then on he could produce
blockbuster songs for appropriately smash hit films, most notably films
made by either Abdul Rashid Kardar or Mehboob Khan.
Naushad's style was renowned for his ability to incorporate classical
rhythms into his symphonies. He based his music upon the "ragas" that
formed a basis in Indian classical music, and thus his music took on
complex formations and . His taste for classical music was legendary -
in the Mughal musical Baiju Bawra (1952), he used actual classical singers to sing
his ghazals. In spite of his classical tendencies, he could also keep
up with the times and adapt Western techniques and instruments into his
music, as heard in the films Jadoo (1951) and Mere Mehboob (1963). Naushad was also
among the first to use the techniques of sound mixing, of separate
recording of vocal and music tracks in playback singing, and using
background scores to enhance characters' moods and dialogues through
music.
Naushad's career continued at a steady peak throughout the 1950s and
1960s, with some of his melodies being featured in now-perennial
classics like the Mughal period films Baiju Bawra (1952) and Mughal-E-Azam (1960) and the epic
Mother India (1957). Unfortunately and to his distaste the times were changing and
demanded more fast-paced, peppier tunes, and Naushad had to struggle to
keep his music pure and classical. In fact for Saathi (1968), he was
persuaded, against his will, to re-record two of his songs to pep up
their pace and their appeal. It was due to this uncompromising attitude
towards his music that he would only compose less than a hundred films
in his lifetime.
In the 1960s, he composed for Dilip Kumar 's dacoit drama Gunga Jumna (1961), which
became a smash hit in India. However, both Kumar's and Naushad's days
were numbered, and as their films came unstuck at the box-office, their
fortunes dwindled. Naushad was still held in high regard, but he was
now given mostly period films, most notably the courtesan romance
Pakeezah (1972). However, he still gave his all in his efforts and he continued
composing for films right through to the 1990s. He received the Dhundiraj Govind Phalke
Award in 1981 for his lifetime contribution to Bollywood cinema and in
2004, when Mughal-E-Azam (1960) was re-released in colour, he was on hand along with
Dilip Kumar - to attend the premiere and revive their days of glory.
In early 2006, Naushad was admitted to Ninavati Hospital after
complaints of uneasiness, and on 5 May 2006, he died of old age. His
last film, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), while receiving mixed reviews, was greatly praised
for its musical score. Even in today's fast-moving world, people still
found something special in his music. Such is the hallmark of a truly
great composer...
of the first and foremost composers in the history of Bollywood. Since
1937, he was composing music for films that, along with his music,
formed the very foundation and core of Bollywood. He is also known for
introducing the legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi to the world and
transfiguring them into the icons they are today. While he did less
than a hundred films during his lifetime, 26 of those films went on to
celebrate jubilees, some of them making golden and even diamond
jubilees!
He was born on December 25, 1919, in the city of Lucknow. From early
childhood, he was an avid film buff, listening to the live orchestras
that accompanied silent films back then. He studied classical Indian
music under renowned musicians like Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali,
and Ustad Babban Saheb, and began composing music for amateur
theatrical groups like the Windsor Music Entertainers. He also spent
much of his time repairing harmoniums.
In the late 1930s, he came to Bombay to be a success as a musician. But
he had to struggle to make it to the top. Initially he faced rebuffs,
and had to endure periods of utter deprivation. Naushad even spent
nights sleeping on footpaths before he finally secured a job as a
pianist in composer Mushtaq Hussain 's orchestra. Composer Khemchand Prakash took him on
as his assistant and taught him, an act for which he remained extremely
grateful throughout his life. Soon, Naushad got his break with the film
Prem Nagar (1940), but it was only with Sharda (1942) that he got attention. The film
Ratan (1944) took him right to the top, and from then on he could produce
blockbuster songs for appropriately smash hit films, most notably films
made by either Abdul Rashid Kardar or Mehboob Khan.
Naushad's style was renowned for his ability to incorporate classical
rhythms into his symphonies. He based his music upon the "ragas" that
formed a basis in Indian classical music, and thus his music took on
complex formations and . His taste for classical music was legendary -
in the Mughal musical Baiju Bawra (1952), he used actual classical singers to sing
his ghazals. In spite of his classical tendencies, he could also keep
up with the times and adapt Western techniques and instruments into his
music, as heard in the films Jadoo (1951) and Mere Mehboob (1963). Naushad was also
among the first to use the techniques of sound mixing, of separate
recording of vocal and music tracks in playback singing, and using
background scores to enhance characters' moods and dialogues through
music.
Naushad's career continued at a steady peak throughout the 1950s and
1960s, with some of his melodies being featured in now-perennial
classics like the Mughal period films Baiju Bawra (1952) and Mughal-E-Azam (1960) and the epic
Mother India (1957). Unfortunately and to his distaste the times were changing and
demanded more fast-paced, peppier tunes, and Naushad had to struggle to
keep his music pure and classical. In fact for Saathi (1968), he was
persuaded, against his will, to re-record two of his songs to pep up
their pace and their appeal. It was due to this uncompromising attitude
towards his music that he would only compose less than a hundred films
in his lifetime.
In the 1960s, he composed for Dilip Kumar 's dacoit drama Gunga Jumna (1961), which
became a smash hit in India. However, both Kumar's and Naushad's days
were numbered, and as their films came unstuck at the box-office, their
fortunes dwindled. Naushad was still held in high regard, but he was
now given mostly period films, most notably the courtesan romance
Pakeezah (1972). However, he still gave his all in his efforts and he continued
composing for films right through to the 1990s. He received the Dhundiraj Govind Phalke
Award in 1981 for his lifetime contribution to Bollywood cinema and in
2004, when Mughal-E-Azam (1960) was re-released in colour, he was on hand along with
Dilip Kumar - to attend the premiere and revive their days of glory.
In early 2006, Naushad was admitted to Ninavati Hospital after
complaints of uneasiness, and on 5 May 2006, he died of old age. His
last film, Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), while receiving mixed reviews, was greatly praised
for its musical score. Even in today's fast-moving world, people still
found something special in his music. Such is the hallmark of a truly
great composer...