Gulzar | |
|---|---|
 Gulzar in 2008 | |
| Born | Sampooran Singh Kalra (1934-08-18)18 August 1934 (age 91) |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1956–present |
| Works | Filmography |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Meghna Gulzar (daughter) |
| Awards | Sahitya Akademi Award (2002) Padma Bhushan (2004) Academy Award (2009) Grammy Award (2010) Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013) Jnanpith Award (2024) |
| Signature | |
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Gulzar (bornSampooran Singh Kalra; 18 August 1934) is an IndianUrdu poet,lyricist,author,screenwriter, andfilm director known for his works inHindi cinema.[1] He is regarded as one of greatestUrdu poets of this era.[2] He started his career with music directorS.D. Burman as a lyricist in the 1963 filmBandini and worked with many music directors includingR. D. Burman,Salil Chowdhury,Vishal Bhardwaj andA. R. Rahman.[3][4] Gulzar also writes poetry, dialogues and scripts. He directed films such asAandhi andMausam during the 1970s and the TV seriesMirza Ghalib in the 1980s. He also directedKirdaar in 1993.[5]
He has won 5 IndianNational Film Awards; including2 Best Lyrics,one Best Screenplay,one Second Best Feature Film (director), andone Best Popular Film (director); 22Filmfare Awards; oneAcademy Award; and oneGrammy Award.[6][7] He was awarded theSahitya Akademi Award - Hindi in 2002, thePadma Bhushan in 2004, the third-highest civilian award in India, and theDadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, the highest award in Indian cinema. In April 2013, Gulzar was appointed as the Chancellor of the Assam University.[8] In 2024, Gulzar was awarded theJnanpith, India's highest literary award.[9]
Gulzar was born in a Sikh family as Sampooran Singh Kalra, to Makhan Singh Kalra and Sujan Kaur, inDina,Jhelum District,British India (present-dayPakistan). In school, he had read translations of the works ofTagore which he recounted as one of his life's many turning points. Due to thepartition, his family split and he had to stop his studies and come toMumbai (then called Bombay) to support his family. Sampooran took up many small jobs in Mumbai to eke out a living, including one at a garage atVichare motors on Bellasis road (Mumbai).[10] There he used to touch up accident-damaged cars by mixing shades of paint. He'd say, "I had a knack for colours". His father rebuked him for being a writer initially. He took the pen nameGulzar Deenvi and later simplyGulzar.[11] In an interview with Rajyasabha TV, he recounted enjoying his work as a painter as it allowed him a lot of time to simultaneously read, write, attend college and be involved with the PWA (Progressive Writers Association).[1][12][13]
It was during his interactions in the PWA Sunday meetings thatShailendra andBimal Roy encouraged him to join films. Gulzar began his career under film directorsBimal Roy andHrishikesh Mukherjee. His bookRavi Paar has a narrative of Bimal Roy and the agony of creation. He started his career as a songwriter with the music director for the movieBandini (1963). In films, he found an environment associated with literature in the group he worked with, including Bimal Roy, most of whose films were based on literary works.[14]Shailendra, who has penned the rest of the songs in the movie requested Gulzar to write the song "Mora Gora Ang Layle", sung byLata Mangeshkar.[6][7][15]
Directed and produced byHrishikesh Mukherjee, the 1968 filmAashirwad had dialogues and lyrics written by Gulzar. Song lyrics and poems written by Gulzar gave the poetic attribute and the "much-needed additional dimension"[16] toAshok Kumar's role in the film. Ashok Kumar received the Best Actorat the Filmfare andat the National Film Awards for this role.[16] Gulzar's lyrics, however, did not gain much attention until 1969'sKhamoshi, where his song "Humne Dekhi Hai Un Aankhon Ki Mehekti Khushboo" (lit. 'I have seen the fragrance of those eyes') became popular. In his bookBollywood Melodies, Ganesh Anantharaman describes Gulzar's lyrics, with the purposeful mixing of the senses, to be "daringly defiant".[17][a][18] For the 1971 filmGuddi, he penned two songs, of which "Humko Man Ki Shakti Dena" was a prayer which is still sung in many schools in India.[19]
As a lyricist, Gulzar had a close association with the music directorRahul Dev Burman. He has also worked withSachin Dev Burman,Shankar Jaikishan,Hemant Kumar,Laxmikant–Pyarelal,Madan Mohan,Rajesh Roshan, andAnu Malik.[6][7][15][20] Gulzar worked withSalil Chowdhury inAnand (1971) andMere Apne (1971);Madan Mohan inMausam (1975), and more recently withVishal Bhardwaj inMaachis (1996),Omkara (2006) andKaminey (2009);A. R. Rahman inDil Se.. (1998),Guru (2007),Slumdog Millionaire (2008) andRaavan (2010) andShankar–Ehsaan–Loy inBunty Aur Babli (2005).[6][7][15] Gulzar took inspiration fromAmir Khusrow's "Ay Sarbathe Aashiqui" to pen "Ay Hairathe Aashiqui" forMani Ratnam's 2007 Hindi filmGuru, which had music composed byA. R. Rahman.[21] Another Ratnam-Rahman hit, "Chaiyya Chaiyya" fromDil Se.. also had lyrics written by Gulzar, based on the Sufi folk song "Thaiyya Thaiyya", with lyrics by poetBulleh Shah.[22] For another collaboration with Rahman forDanny Boyle's 2007 Hollywood filmSlumdog Millionaire, Rahman and Gulzar won theAcademy Award forBest Original Song for "Jai Ho" at the81st Academy Awards. The song received international acclaim and won him aGrammy Award (shared with Rahman) in the category ofGrammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.[6][7][23][24] He also wrote a song for the Pakistani DramaShehryar Shehzadi, and this songTeri Raza, has been sung byRekha Bhardwaj and was composed byVishal Bhardwaj.
After writing dialogues and screenplay for films such asAashirwad,Anand andKhamoshi, Gulzar directed his first filmMere Apne (1971). The film was a remake ofTapan Sinha's Bengali filmApanjan (1969).Meena Kumari played the lead role of Anandi Devi, an old widow caught in between the local fights of unemployed and tormented youngsters. Anandi Devi's death in one of the fights makes them realise the futility of violence. The film was rated "Above Average" at the box office.[15][25] He then directedParichay andKoshish.Parichay was based on a Bengali novel,Rangeen Uttarain by Raj Kumar Maitra and inspired from the Hollywood filmThe Sound of Music.[26] He wrote the story ofKoshish based on the struggle faced by a deaf-dumb couple whereinSanjeev Kumar wonNational Film Award for Best Actor.[27] In 1973, he directedAchanak, inspired by the 1958 murder caseKM Nanavati v State of Maharashtra, and the story writerKhwaja Ahmad Abbas earned aFilmfare nomination forBest Story.[15][28] Later he directedAandhi, based on the Hindi novel "Kaali Aandhi" byKamleshwar. Along with various wins and nominations, the film also wonFilmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. Although many believed the film was based on the life of former Indian Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi, the film was actually based on the life of Bihari politician,Tarkeshwari Sinha. In the1975's emergency, the film was banned from theatres.[15][26][29] His next filmKhushboo was based onSharat Chandra Chattopadhyay'sPandit Mashay. HisMausam, which won the National Award for 2nd Best Feature Film,[30]Filmfare Best Movie andFilmfare Best Director awards, along with other six Filmfare nominations, was loosely based on the story"Weather", from the novel,The Judas Tree, byA.J. Cronin. His 1982 filmAngoor was based onShakespeare's playThe Comedy of Errors.[7][15]
His films told stories of human relationships entangled in social issues.Libaas was a story of an extra-marital affair of an urban couple. Due to its objectionable subject, the film never got released in India.[31]Mausam pictured a story of a father who tries to improve the life of his prostitute-daughter. InMaachis, a young Punjabi boy engages in terrorism to fight a bad situation only to realise its temporary nature.Hu Tu Tu dealt with corruption in India and how a man decides to fight it.[7][15][32][33]
Gulzar uses "flashback" in the narration of his stories very effectively (Aandhi, Mausam, Ijaazat, Machis, Hu Tu Tu). He also has mutual partnerships with various actors and other crew. The Gulzar –Sanjeev Kumar partnership resulted in some fine films (Koshish, Aandhi, Mausam, Angoor, Namkeen) which represent Sanjeev Kumar's finest work as an actor.[33] Actors likeJeetendra (Parichay, Khushboo, Kinara),Vinod Khanna (Achanak, Meera, Lekin) andHema Malini (Khushboo, Kinara, Meera) worked with Gulzar to gain respectability as artists and delivered some of their best and most introspective works in film.[33]R D Burman composed songs for almost all the movies directed by him in the 1970s and the 1980s (Parichay, Khushboo, Aandhi, Angoor, Ijaazat, Libaas). Many of their popular songs were sung byKishore Kumar,Lata Mangeshkar andAsha Bhosle. These include "Musafir Hoon Yaron" (Parichay), "Tere Bina Zindagi Se Koi" (Aandhi), and "Mera Kuch Samaan" (Ijaazat).[33]
In 1988, Gulzar directed aneponymous television serialMirza Ghalib, starringNaseeruddin Shah and broadcast onDoordarshan. Later he also directedTahreer Munshi Premchand Ki about the novels ofPremchand.[7]
Gulzar primarily writes inUrdu andPunjabi; besides several other languages such asBraj Bhasha,Khariboli,Haryanvi andMarwari. His poetry is in theTriveni type of stanza.[7] His poems are published in three compilations;Chand Pukhraaj Ka,Raat Pashminey Ki andPandrah Paanch Pachattar. His short stories are published inRaavi-paar (also known asDustkhat in Pakistan) andDhuan (smoke).[7]
For the peace campaignAman ki Asha, jointly started by India's and Pakistan's leading media houses, Gulzar wrote the anthem "Nazar Main Rehte Ho", which was recorded byShankar Mahadevan andRahat Fateh Ali Khan.[34] Gulzar has written ghazals for Ghazal MaestroJagjit Singh's albums "Marasim" (1999) and "Koi Baat Chale" (2006).[35]
Gulzar has written lyrics and dialogues for severalDoordarshan TV series includingJungle Book,Alice in Wonderland,Hello Zindagi,Guchche andPotli Baba Ki withVishal Bhardwaj. He has more recently written and narrated for the children's audiobook seriesKaradi Tales.[7][36]Gulzar is also associated with Aarushi,[37]Eklavya foundation, an NGO based in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh working in the field of education.[37][38][39] He has written stories and poetry for the magazineChakmak. Gulzar has also worked in Bollywood movies likeAnand,Mere Apne,Omkara and many more.
In April 2013, Gulzar was appointed as the Chancellor of theAssam University.[40]
Gulzar is married to actressRaakhee. The couple has a daughter,Meghna Gulzar. Meghna Gulzar grew up with her mother and father and, after completing her graduation in filmmaking fromNew York University, went on to become a director of films such asFilhaal,Just Married,Dus Kahaniyaan,Talvar,Raazi,Sam Bahadur andChhapaak[41] (for which Gulzar wrote the lyrics)[42] and authored the biography of her father Gulzar, in 2004.[43]
As on 2019, Gulzar has won a total of 36 awards and honours, including 5National Film Awards, 22Filmfare Awards, Rashtriya Kishore Kumar Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for 1999–2000,[44][45] 1Academy Award for Best Original Song (2008), 1Grammy Award (2010),2002 Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu,Padma Bhushan (2004), and 2013Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
He received theJnanpith Award in 2024.[46]
Two is Gulzar'sdebut novel released in English. It examines the status of refugees after partition.Two was originally written in Urdu.[47]
Gulzar served as the Script Consultant for theSupremo comic book series by Pammi Bakshi.[48]
Chakkar Chalaaye Ghanchakkar[49]
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