Prem Dhawan (1923–2001) was an Indian lyricist, music composer, choreographer and actor of

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 language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

known for his patriotic songs, especially for the lyrics and compositions for the 1965

Manoj Kumar Harikrishan Goswami (born 24 July 1937), better known by his screen name Manoj Kumar, is an Indian actor, filmmaker, screenwriter, lyricist and editor who worked in Hindi cinema. He is known for acting and making films with patriotic theme ...

starrer, ''

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); ...

''. He was a winner of the

National Film Award for Best Lyrics The National Film Award for Best Lyrics (the Silver Lotus Award) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) to a lyricist who has composed the best song for films produced within the In ...

in 1971 and was honoured by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

in 1970 with

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

, the fourth highest Indian civilian award.

Biography

Prem Dhawan was born on 13 June 1923 at

Ambala Ambala () is a city and a municipal corporation in Ambala district in the state of Haryana, India, located on the border with the Indian state of Punjab and in proximity to both states capital Chandigarh. Politically, Ambala has two sub-ar ...

in the present day

Haryana Haryana (; ) is an Indian state located in the northern part of the country. It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 Nov 1966 on a linguistic basis. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with less than 1.4% () of India's land ...

state of India to a Jail Superintendent working for the British government. He did his college studies in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

during which period he was involved with the activities of the

Communist party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...

. He started his career in Lahore in 1946 as Assistant of Composer Khwaja Khurshid Anwar in

Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Khwaja Ahmad Abbas (7 June 1914 – 1 June 1987) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, novelist, and journalist in Urdu, Hindi and English. He won four National Film Awards in India. Internationally, his films won the Palme d'Or (Golden ...

's film ''Aaj Aur Kal''. He later moved to Mumbai to join the

Indian People's Theatre Association Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) is the oldest association of theatre-artists in India. IPTA was formed in 1943 during the British rule in India, and promoted themes related to the Indian freedom struggle. Its goal was to bring cultu ...

. His association with the

helped him to learn classical music under the renowned classical musician,

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

. In 1946, he debuted as a lyricist with the movie, '' Dharti Ke Lal'', the first of the several till his last film, the Hindi version of '' Apoorva Sagodharargal'', in 1989. In between, he wrote lyrics for a string of films such as '' Aaram'', '' Tarana'', ''Aasman'', '' Shola Aur Shabnam'', '' Kabuliwala'', '' Ek Phool Do Mali'' and '' Purab Aur Pachhim''. He also composed music for several films like ''

'', which was reported to have enhanced the status of Dhawan and the lead actor of the film,

. The film featured some of the hits of the time in ''Ae Watan Ae Watan'' and ''Mera Rang De Basanti Chola''. Dhawan, apart from his career as a lyricist and composer, acted in two films, ''Lajawab'' (1950) and '' Goonj Uthi Shehnai'' (1959). He also worked as a choreographer for seven films (''Vachan'' was the first film as choreographer and lyricist), though not with much success. The

awarded him the civilian honour of

in 1970. He won the

in 1971 for the film, '' Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar''. His career faded towards the eighties and did not have any notable contribution except for the 1989 dubbed movie, '' Apoorva Sagodharargal''. He died on 7 May 2001, at the age of 77, following a cardiac arrest.

As a lyricist

* '' Appu Raja'' (1989) * '' Do Dil Deewane'' (1980) * ''Guru Manio Granth'' (1977) * ''Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun'' (1976) * '' Kisan Aur Bhagwan'' (1974) * '' Purab Aur Paschim'' (1970) * '' Geet'' (1970) * ''

Pavitra Paapi ''Pavitra Papi'' (Punjabi: ਪਵਿੱਤਰ ਪਾਪੀ; English:"The Holy Sinner") is a 1970 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Rajendra Bhatia. The film stars Balraj Sahni, Parikshit Sahni and Tanuja. The movie was based on a Pun ...

'' (1970) * '' Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) punjabi movie * ''

Mera Naam Joker ''Mera Naam Joker'' () is a 1970 Indian Hindi romance drama film, directed, edited and produced by Raj Kapoor under his banner R. K. Films, and written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas. The film stars Raj Kapoor as the eponymous character, with his son ...

'' (1970) * '' Ek Phool Do Mali'' (1969) * ''

Dus Lakh Dus Lakh (English: Ten Lakhs or One Million) is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language comedy film. It was produced and directed by Devendra Goel. Music was composed by Ravi. The star cast included Sanjay Khan, Babita, Helen, Pran, Om Prakash, Manoram ...

'' (1966) * ''Shaheed'' (1965) * ''Adhi Raat Ke Baad'' (1965) * ''Darasingh: Ironman'' (1964) * ''Shabnam'' (1964) * ''Cobra Girl'' (1963) * ''Vallah Kya Baat Hai'' (1962) * ''Ma Beta'' (1962) * '' Kabuliwala'' (1961) * '' Zabak'' (1961) * ''Tel Malish Boot Polish'' (1961) * '' Shola Aur Shabnam'' (1961) * ''Guest House'' (1959) * ''Heera Moti'' (1959) * ''

Jagte Raho ''Jagte Raho'' () is a 1956 Bollywood/ Bengali film, directed by Amit Maitra and Sombhu Mitra, written by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, and produced by and starring Raj Kapoor. The film centers on the trials of a poor villager (Kapoor) who comes to a cit ...

'' (1956) * ''Taangewali'' (1955) * '' Vachan'' (1955) * ''Aasman'' (1952) * '' Tarana'' (1951) * '' Aaram'' (1950) * ''Jeet'' (1949)

As a composer

* ''Raat Ke Andhere Mein'' (1987) * '' The Naxalites'' (1980) * '' Sawa Lakh Se Ek Ladaun'' (1976) * ''Bhagat Dhanna Jatt'' (1974) * '' Kisan Aur Bhagwan'' (1974) * ''

Mera Desh Mera Dharam ''Mera Desh Mera Dharam'' is a 1973 Bollywood drama film directed by Dara Singh. The film stars Dara Singh and Raj Kapoor. Soundtrack Prem Dhawan composed and wrote all the songs. #"Luta Di Hasino Pe Jawani Luta Di" - ''Shaminder'', Manna Dey ...

'' (1973) * ''Bharat Ke Shaheed'' (1972) * '' Nanak Dukhiya Sub Sansar'' (1970) * ''

'' (1970) * ''Kenner'' (1968) * ''

'' (1965) * ''Veer Abhimanyu'' (1965) * '' Aadhi Raat Ke Baad'' (1965) * ''Darasingh: Ironman'' (1964) * ''Hindustan Hamara'' (Documentary - 1950) * ''Bharat Ke Shaheed'' (1972)

As a choreographer

* '' Waqt'' (1965) * '' Dhool Ka Phool'' (1959) * ''

Do Phool ''Do Phool'' () is a 1973 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by S. Ramanathan. The film stars Ashok Kumar, Vinod Mehra and Mehmood. It is a remake of the Tamil-language film '' Anubavi Raja Anubavi'' which inspired another Hindi fil ...

'' (1958) * ''Sahara'' (1958) * '' Naya Daur'' (1957) * '' Vachan'' * '' Do Bigha Zamin'' (1953) * '' Arzoo'' (1950) * '' Sheesh Mahal (1950 film)'' (1950)

References

External links