Ghulam Haider (1908 – 9 November 1953), also known by the honorary title Master Ghulam Haider, was a Pakistani

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

who worked both in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and later in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

after its

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947. He changed the face of film songs by combining the popular Raags with the verve and rhythm of

Punjabi music Music of Punjab ( Punjabi: پنجاب دی موسیقی ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਸੰਗੀਤ ) reflects the traditions of the Punjab region of the Subcontinent, with East Punjab in India, and West Punjab in Pakistan. The Punjab has diverse ...

, and also helped raise the status of film music directors. He is also known for giving a break to the well-known playback singer,

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

. In an interview, Lata Mangeshkar herself disclosed on her 84th birthday in 2013, "Ghulam Haider is truly my Godfather. It was his confidence in me that he fought for me to tuck me into the Hindi Film Industry which otherwise had rejected me". Remembering her early rejection, Lata once said, "Ghulam Haider was the first music director who showed complete faith in my talent. He introduced me to many producers including ''S. Mukerji'', a big name in film production, but when he too rejected me, Ghulam Haider was very furious. Hence, finally he convinced

Bombay Talkies Bombay Talkies was a movie studio founded in 1934. During its period of operation, Bombay Talkies produced 40 movies in Malad, a suburb of the Indian city of Bombay. The studio was established in 1934 by Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani. After Ra ...

, a banner bigger than S. Mukerji and introduced me through their movie Majboor (1948 film)".

Early life

According to one account, Ghulam Haider was born in 1908 in

Narowal Narowal ( ur, ) is a city located on the western bank of river Ravi in the northeast of the province Punjab, Pakistan. The city is the capital of district Narowal, and a part of the Gujranwala division. It is the 94th largest city of Pakistan. ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

(now in

Pakistani Punjab Punjab (; , ) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in central-eastern region of the country, Punjab is the second-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the largest province by population. It shares land borders with the ...

). Another account says that he was born in

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

.Profile of Ghulam Haider on Indian Cinema Heritage Foundation website
Retrieved 17 January 2022 According to a major newspaper, "Ghulam Haider hailed from Muslim Punjabi Khatri family. After passing his intermediate examination, he was admitted to a college of dentistry and completed his education as a dentist. Being curious about music, he started learning music from Babu Ganesh Lal. His love for music made him leave his career as a dentist, facing the wrath of his family, he still found a job with Alfred Theatrical Company and Alexander Theatrical Company as a piano player in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, and worked with Jenaphone (Genophone) Recording Company as a music composer as well. He composed music for the then famous singer, ''Umrao Zia Begum'', who was working for Pancholi Studios,

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

. He later married her in 1938.

Career

Haider broke into films with the father-son duo Roshan Lal Shorey and Roop Kumar Shorey, and then A.R. Kardar gave him the opportunity to compose music for the 1935 film, ''Swarg Ki Seerhi''. But he got his first big breakthrough with D.M. Pancholi's Punjabi film, ''Gul-E-Bakavali'' (1939) starring

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

. This was followed by film

Yamla Jat ''Yamla Jat'' ( pa, ਯਮਲਾ ਜੱਟ) is a pre-partition Punjabi film directed by Moti B. Gidwani, released in 1940. It starred M. Ismail, Noor Jehan and Pran in lead roles. The music is composed by Ghulam Haider and lyrics written by ...

(1940). His first big hit song came with Khazanchi in 1941, which helped cause a revolution in the music industry. The music of the film ''Khazanchi (1941)'', in particular, the song ''Sawan Ke Nazare Hain'' sung by

Shamshad Begum Shamshad Begum (Hindi: शमशाद बेगम, IAST: ''Śamśād Bēgam''; 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013) was an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Notable for her distinctive voice and ...

and Ghulam Haider himself caused a revolution in music composing. By then Music Directors of the 1930s, who had composed film songs set in classical ragas, were beginning to sound commonplace. ''Khazanchi's'' refreshingly 'free wheeling music' not only took the audiences by storm but also made other film music directors sit up and take notice. With this film, Ghulam Haider ensured that the Indian film song would never be the same again.

Khandan Khandan may refer to: * Khandan Rural District, rural district in Iran * Khandaan (1942 film) (pre-Partition Punjabi Urdu film) * Khandan (1965 film) (Hindi film) * Khandaan (1979 film), an Indian Hindi-language drama film * Khandaan (TV series) Kh ...

(1942), the first film of

as lead actress, was also a big hit and established him as a top film composer. Film

Poonji ''Poonji'' is a Bollywood film. It was released in 1943. The film was directed by Ravindra Dave and Vishnu R. Pancholi. It starred M. Esmail, Durga Mota, Ragini in lead roles. Plot The film revolves around three sisters trying to prevent th ...

(1943) was also successful. Then Haider moved to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

and composed music for many films including

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

(1945) and Majboor (1948 film), the first major breakthrough film for

in Hindi films. Films

Shaheed ''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...

(1948) and Kaneez are his other big hits.

Pioneering work

He introduced

Sudha Malhotra Sudha Malhotra is an Indian playback singer. She also acted in some Bollywood films and as a playback singer, worked in popular Bollywood movies in the 1950s and 1960s, like ''Arzoo'', ''Dhool Ka Phool'', ''Ab Dilli Door Nahin'', ''Girl Friend' ...

and

Surinder Kaur Surinder Kaur (25 November 1929 – 14 June 2006) was an Indian singer and songwriter. While she mainly sang Punjabi folk songs, where she is credited for pioneering and popularising the genre, Kaur also recorded songs as a playback singer fo ...

to the

Indian Film Industry The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

. Besides them, as a film song composer, he played a key role in giving first breakthrough popularity to

in film

. Master Ghulam Haider also gets major credit for introducing the Punjabi folk music and instruments like

dholak The ''dholak'' is a two-headed hand drum, a folk percussion instrument. The instrument is about 45 cm in length and 27 cm in breadth and is widely used in ''qawwali'', '' kirtan'', '' lavani'' and '' bhangra''. The drum has two differ ...

in the film music. His pioneering work in music later inspired many Punjabi film music directors like

Hansraj Behl Hansraj Behl (19 November 1916 – 20 May 1984) was an Indian music composer, who composed music both for Hindi and Punjabi films. Early life and education Born in Ambala, British Punjab, Hansraj received his early education in music from ...

, Shyam Sunder,

Husnlal Bhagatram Husn Lal and Bhagat Ram were the first legendary music directors duo in Bollywood. They are two brothers, Husn Lal (8 April 1920 – 28 December 1968) and Bhagat Ram (1914 – 29 November 1973). Husn Lal was also a renowned violinist, vocalist ...

and

Feroz Nizami Feroz Nizami (born Ferozuddin Ahmad; 10 November 1910 – 15 November 1975), was a Pakistani film score composer, music director and classical singer. He composed music for bollywood films in British India and after partition, he remained activ ...

. His assistants in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

were film music composers

Madan Mohan Madan Mohan is a form of the Hindu god, Krishna. Krishna is celebrated as ''Madan Mohan'', who mesmerizes everyone. His consort, Radha is glorified as Madan Mohan's ''Mohini'', who can even mesmerise Madan Mohan (her Kahn). Radha is known as th ...

and

Nashad Nashad ( ur, ) (11 July 1923 – 14 January 1981) was a film composer and music director of Indian and Pakistani film industry. He composed music for Hindi films in the 1940s and 1950s, credited on-screen under the names Nashad and then later ...

, not to be confused here with

Naushad Naushad Ali (25 December 1919 – 5 May 2006) was an Indian music director for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the ...

. Later in Pakistan, film music director

A. Hameed A. Hameed (born Shaikh Abdul Hameed; 1924 – 20 May 1991) was a Pakistani film score composer and music director. He started his career in Bombay cinema (in modern-day Bollywood) and later worked in Lollywood. The first Pakistani film he wor ...

worked as his assistant.

Death

After

in 1947, he returned to

and his first Pakistani film was Shahida (1949). He composed music for many other Pakistani films like ''Beqarar'' (1950), ''Akeli'' (1951) and ''Bheegi Palken'' (1952) but the films flopped. He died just a few days after the release of Pakistani film Gulnar (1953) due to throat cancer at age 45.

Awards and recognition

Tamgha-i-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

(Medal of Distinction) by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...

in 2018.President Mamnoon confers civil awards on Yaum-i-Pakistan (Pakistan Day - 23 March 2018)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 23 March 2018, Retrieved 6 June 2021

Filmography

His major films are: *Gulnar (1953) *Aabshar (1953) *Beqarar (1950) *Do Saudagar (1950) *Putli (1950) * Shahida (1949) * Kaneez (1949) *Majboor (1948) *

(1948) *Shama (1948) *Barsaat Ki Ek Raat (1948) *Patjhar (1948) *Jag Beeti (1947) * Manjhdhar (1947) *But Tarash (1947) *Mehndi (1947) *Jag Beeti (1946) *Bairam Khan (1946) *

(1945) *Phool (1945) *

Chal Chal Re Naujawan ''Chal Chal Re Naujawan '' () is a 1944 Indian Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi languag ...

(1944) *Bhai (1944) *

(1943) *

(1942) *Zamindar (1942) *Chaudhry (1941) * Khazanchi (1941) *

(1940) *Gul-E-Bakawali (1939) *Majnu (1935) *Swarg Ki Seerhi (1935) *Thief of Iraq (1934)

Popular compositions

*Yasrib ko janey waley, mara salaam le ja - a Naat song, (singer: Umra-o-Zia Begum) *Aashiyaane Ko Mere Jab (film: Thief of Iraq 1934) *Paigham saba lai hai gulzar-e-nabi se, aaya hai bulawa mujhe darbar-e-nabi se - a Naat song, (singer:

, lyrics by Wali Sahib), a Radio Lahore Production (1938) *Shala jawania maney, aakha na morin, pee lai (singer: Baby

, film: Gul-E-Bakawali 1939) *Pinjare De Vich Qaid Jawanee Mastanee (singer: Baby

, film: Gul-E-Bakawali 1939) *Kankan dian pakkian faslaan ne (singer:

, film:

1940) *Bas bas we dholna, tere naal ki bolna (singer:

, film:

1940) *Sawan ke nazarey hain, ha ha ha (singer:

, film: Khazanchi 1941) *Ek Kalee Naazon Ki Palee (film: Khazanchi 1941) *Tu koun si Badli mein, mere Chand hay aa ja (singer:

, film:

(1942) *Mere liye jehan mein chain hay na qarar hay (singer:

, film:

(1942) *Sajan Aa Ja, Rajan Aa Ja (film: Bhai 1944) *Chamko Chamko Bijaliya, Han Bijaliya (film:

1944) *Mujhe Madhur Lagata Hai Unsey (film:

1944) *Ai Chand Tu Bata De (film:

1945) *Data Toree Daya Se Abb Des Hamara (film:

1945) *Ho Chand Chamaka Andhere Me Aaj Hai: (film:

1945) *Ashkon Pe Huwa Khatam Mere Gham Kaa Fasana: film: Bairam Khan (1946) *Gulshan Pe Hai Bahar, Koyal Kee Hai Pukar (film: Jag Beeti (1947) *Ham Hain Dukhiya Iss Duneeya Me (film: Jag Beeti (1947) *Aaj Mohe Sajan Ghar Jana (film:

Majhdhaar ''Majhdhaar'' is a 1996 Indian Bollywood film directed by Esmayeel Shroff. The film stars Salman Khan, Manisha Koirala, Rahul Roy. The film was a box office failure. Plot The movie starts with Krishna talking to Shanti while he receives a lette ...

1947) *Aa Jao Beedeshi Baalama (film: Padmini (1948) *Aajaa Bedardi Baalama (film:

1948) *Aana Hai Toh Aa Jao Gar (film:

1948) *Ab JiKe Koyi Kyaa Kare (film: Majboor (1948)) *Dil Mera Toda, Mujhe Kahin Ka Na Chhoda (singer:

) - film: Majboor (1948) *Watan ki rah mein, watan ke no-jawan shaheed ho (singer:

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

, film:

1948) * - singer:

- film ''Gulnar'' (1953 film) *Bachpan Ki Yadgaro, Mein Tumko Dhundhatee Huun - film ''Gulnar (1953 film)''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haider, Ghulam Pakistani composers Pakistani film score composers 1908 births 1953 deaths Hindi film score composers People from Hyderabad District, Pakistan 20th-century composers 20th-century Indian musicians Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Recipients of the Pride of Performance