Music director and composer Mohammed Zahur 'Khayyam' Hashmi had an immeasurable contribution to the Indian music industry. Late Lata Mangeshkar had called Khayyam’s demise the ‘end of an era’. She had tweeted that Khayyam treated her like a younger sister and there will never be another like him.
As a tribute to Khayyam on his birth anniversary, here are some of his best tracks with Lata Mangeshkar:
While the Kamal Amrohi directorial Razia Sultan wasn’t a commercial hit, the song ‘Ae Dile Naadan’ was loved by the audience. Lata Mangeshkar reportedly once called the track one of her favourites.
Khayyam won the Filmfare Award for ‘Best Music’ in 1977 for the film Kabhi Kabhie. One of the film’s most popular songs is ‘Tere Chehre Se’ voiced by Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar. The track was originally picturised on Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh.
The soundtrack of Kabhi Kabhie, written by Sahir Ludhianvi, also has several other gems. Ludhianvi won the Filmfare Award for ‘Best Lyricist’ for the film.
The tracks ‘Kabhi Kabhie Mere Dil Mein’ and ‘Mere Ghar Aaye Ek Nandi Pari’, both voiced by Lata Mangeshkar (one version of the former is sung by Mukesh solo) are timeless classics.
Rajesh Khanna’s debut film Aakhri Khat had music by Khayyam and lyrics by Kaifi Azmi. The track ‘Baharon Mera Jeevan Bhi Sanwaro’ by Lata Mangeshkar was a huge hit.
The 1979 superhit Noorie directed by Manmohan Krishna and produced by Jan Nisar Akhtar, Naqsh Lyallpuri and Majrooh Sultanpuri. The tracks ‘Aaja Re O Mere Dilbar Aaja’ and ‘Chori Chori Koi Aaye’ from the Farooq Shaikh and Poonam Dhillon-starrer became wildly popular.
‘Aaja Re’ even earned Akhtar a nomination for the ‘Best Lyricist’ category at the 27th Filmfare Awards.
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