Raja Mehdi Ali Khan (23 September 1915 – 29 July 1966) was an Indian poet, writer and a lyricist.

Early life and career

Raja Mehdi Ali Khan was born on 23 September 1915 at Karamabad village, near Wazirabad,

Gujranwala District Gujranwala District (Punjabi and ur, ), is a district that is a part of the Majha region in Punjab, Pakistan. Gujranwala District is bordered by the districts of Gujrat, Sialkot, Mandi Bahauddin, Hafizabad and Sheikhupura. Gujranwala dist ...

Punjab, British India Punjab was a province of British India. Most of the Punjab region was annexed by the East India Company in 2 April 1849, and declared a province of British Rule, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British ...

. Mehdi Ali lost his father when he was four. His mother Hubia Khanum who was the sister of

Maulana Zafar Ali Khan Zafar Ali Khan (1874– 27 November 1956) ( pnb, – ), also known as Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, was a Pakistani writer, poet, translator and a journalist who played an important role in the Pakistan Movement against the British Raj. He is genera ...

, got him educated and he completed his basic education at

Islamia College (Lahore) Government Islamia College Civil Lines ( ur, اسلامیہ کالج ), formerly called Dayanand Anglo Vedic College, is a government college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded by Arya Samaj as the school of Dayanand Anglo Vedic on June 1, 1 ...

. As he grew up, Mehdi Ali started working at the editorial staff of ''

Phool Phool may refer to: * ''Phool'' (1945 film), a Bollywood film * ''Phool'' (1993 film), a Bollywood film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao * ''Phool'' (magazine), an Urdu-language Pakistani children's magazine See also

* * {{disambigu ...

'' and '' Tehzeeb-e-Niswan'' Urdu magazineas from

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 ...

. Then he joined as a writer at the

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

in 1942. Here he got acquainted with the noted writer

Saadat Hasan Manto Saadat Hasan Manto (; Punjabi, ur, , ; 11 May 1912 – 18 January 1955) was a Pakistani writer, playwright and author born in Ludhiana, who was active in British India and later, after the 1947 partition of India, in Pakistan. Writing mai ...

. Manto, who was active in the Hindi film industry, asked film actor

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

to find Mehdi Ali some kind of a job. He soon got a film called ''Aath Din'' (1946) in which he not only wrote dialogues but also acted.

Sashadhar Mukherjee Sashadhar Mukherjee (29 September 1909 – 3 November 1990) was an Indian filmmaker in Hindi cinema. He started his career with Bombay Talkies in the 1930s, and later established Filmistan Studio with Rai Bahadur Chunilal (father of music direc ...

, one of the partners in

Filmistan Studio Filmistan is an Indian film studio based in Goregaon, Mumbai. Spread over five acres, near Patkar College on S.V. Road, the studio has seven shooting floors, and a temple and garden for outdoor locations. Patkar College's reputation has incr ...

, gave Mehdi Ali a chance to write lyrics for his film, ''Do Bhai'' (1947). Songs from the film such as "Mera Sunder Sapna Beet Gaya" and "Yaad Karoge" became instant hits.Filmography of Raja Mehdi Ali Khan on Cinestaan.com website
Retrieved 13 January 2021 In 1947, Mehdi and his wife Tahira decided to stay in India instead of migrating to

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 ...

. They came to this decision despite the wave of riots plaguing the country. In 1948, his patriotism manifested in his songs, "Watan Ki Raah Mein" and "Todi Todi Bachche"'','' which were used in the film ''

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 worked with music composers including

Sachin Dev Burman Sachin may refer to: * Sachin (given name), an Indian given name, including a list of people with the name ** Sachin (actor) (born 1957), Indian actor and filmmaker ** Sachin Tendulkar (born 1973), Indian cricketer Films * ''Sachein ''Sachein' ...

, Iqbal Qureshi, Babul, S. Mohinder,

Chic Chocolate Chic Chocolate (1916 – May 1967) born Antonio Xavier Vaz, was a Goan trumpeter who led a Jazz band at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Bombay and was one of Bombay's best known jazz musicians. He was also a Hindi film music composer and played trumpet in ...

, and Rono Mukherjee. He also wrote songs for

C. Ramchandra Ramchandra Narhar Chitalkar (12 January 1918 – 5 January 1982), also known as C. Ramchandra or Chitalkar or Anna Sahib, was an Indian music director and playback singer.

Datta Naik Datta Naik (12 December 1927 – 30 December 1987), also credited as N. Datta, was an Indian film music director in Hindi films. Born in the then Portuguese colony of Goa, Naik, started his career as an assistant to the legendary music dir ...

("Sare Jahan Se Acha Hindustan Hamara"),

O. P. Nayyar Omkar Prasad Nayyar (16 January 1926 – 28 January 2007) was an Indian film music composer, singer-songwriter, music producer, and musician. He is considered to be one of the most rhythmic and melodious music directors of the Hindi film industr ...

("Main Pyar Ka Raahi Hoon") and Laxmikant Pyarelal ("Jaal","Anita"). He formed a successful partnership with

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 ...

which began with Madhosh in 1951. It was also

's third film as a music director. The two shared a great rapport and their later collaborations in films such as ''

Anpadh Anpadh (Hindi: अनपढ़, Urdu: اَنپڑھ, translation: ''illiterate'') is a 1962 Hindi film. It stars Balraj Sahni, Dharmendra, Mala Sinha, Shashikala. Actress Bindu made her first prominent appearance in this film with the song Ji ...

'', ''

Mera Saaya ''Mera Saaya'' () is a 1966 Indian Hindi-language thriller film directed by Raj Khosla. The music is by Madan Mohan and lyrics by Raja Mehdi Ali Khan. The film stars Sunil Dutt and Sadhana. This is director Raj Khosla's third film with Sadha ...

'', ''

Woh Kaun Thi? ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' () is a 1964 Indian Hindi-language mystery thriller film directed by Raj Khosla, starring Sadhana, Manoj Kumar and Prem Chopra. Though the screenplay was written by Dhruva Chatterjee, parts were later rewritten, wherein Manoj K ...

'', ''Neela Akash'', ''

Dulhan Ek Raat Ki ''Dulhan Ek Raat Ki '' () is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language film starring Dharmendra, Nutan and Rehman, the same trio who did '' Dil ne Phir Yaad Kiya''. The film is based on the Thomas Hardy novel '' Tess of the d'Urbervilles''. The songs from th ...

'', '' Anita'' and ''Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah'' proved to be massive hits. His song '' Lag Jaa Gale'' from ''Woh Kaun Thi?'' was named among the top ten all-time favorites in film history to be "retired" from Antakshari on

Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...

. Raja Mehadi Ali Khan also worked with Laxmikant-Pyarelal for

Raj Khosla Raj Khosla (31 May 1925 – 9 June 1991) was one of the top director, producer and screenwriter in Hindi film industry from the 1950s to the 1980s. He was known for bringing in "neo-noir" and style in Indian cinema, and also as a "women's direc ...

musical Anita, 1967 ''Samne Mere Sawariyan'', ''Tum Bin Jeevan Kaise Beeta''. Second film was Jaal, 1967.

Death

He died in Mumbai on 29 July 1966. He and his wife Tahira, remained childless even though he himself loved to interact with children. It is said that when he was seriously ill and was on his deathbed, even then he kept his humorous side and was seen laughing with his visitors.

Films and popular songs

* Mera sundar sapna beet gaya — Do Bhai (1947) * Watan Ki Raah Mein —

(1948) * Preetam meri dunya mein do din tau rahe hotay —

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

(1951) * Meri yaad me tum na aansoo bahaana — Madhosh (1951) * Raat sard sard hai —

Jaali Note ''Jaali Note'' () is a 1960 Hindi-language crime film directed by Shakti Samanta, based on the theme of counterfeit money. It stars Dev Anand and Madhubala, along with Helen, Madan Puri, Om Prakash. The film was unsuccessful with critics but ...

(1960) * Poochho na humein — Mitti Me Sona (1960) * Aap yuhin agar hum se milte rahe —

Ek Musafir Ek Haseena ''Ek Musafir Ek Hasina'' ''(English: A Traveller and A Beauty)'' is a 1962 Bollywood film directed by Raj Khosla and starring Joy Mukherjee, Sadhana Shivdasani, Sadhana in lead roles. The film was produced by Sashadhar Mukherjee. The film's musi ...

(1962) * Maye pyar ka raahi hoon — Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1962) * Aap ki nazron ne samjha pyar ke qaabil mujhe —

(1962) * Hai issi me pyar ki aabroo — Anpadh (1962) * Jiya lay gayo ri mera sanwaria — Anpadh (1962) * Agar mujhse mohabbat hai, mujhe sab apne gham de do —

Aap Ki Parchhaiyan ''Aap Ki Parchhaiyan'' (English: ''Your Shadows'') is a 1964 Bollywood film. Produced and directed by Mohan Kumar, the film stars Dharmendra, Shashikala, Supriya Choudhury, Om Prakash and Manorama. The film's music is by Madan Mohan. A couple ...

(1964)Albums with Raja Mehdi Ali Khan as Lyricist
MySwar website, Retrieved 12 January 2021 * Main nigaahen tere chehre se — Aap Ki Parchhaiyan (1964) * Jo hum ne dastaan apni sunaai, aap kyun roye —

(1964) * Lagg ja gale ke phir yeh raat ho na ho —

(1964) * Naina barse rimjhim rimjhim — Woh Kaun Thi? (1964) * Aakhri geet mohabbat ka —

Neela Aakash ''Neela Aakash'' () is a 1965 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Rajendra Bhatia. The film stars Dharmendra, Mala Sinha, Shashikala, Mehmood and Raj Mehra. The film's music is by Madan Mohan. Plot Neela (Mala Sinha) is a well educated girl ...

(1965) * Tere paas aa ke mera waqt — Neela Aakash (1965) * Nainon me badra chhaye —

(1966) * Tu jahan jahan chalega mera saaya saath hoga — Mera Saaya (1966) * Aap ke paheloo me aa kar ro diye — Mera Saaya (1966) *

Jhumka Gira Re "Jhumka Gira Re" (Hindi: झुमका गिरा रे, "Earring Has Fallen") is an Indian Hindi song from the 1966 Bollywood film '' Mera Saaya''. It was sung by Asha Bhosle. The song was picturized on Sadhana Shivdasani. It was written ...

Bareilli ke bazaar mein — Mera Saaya (1966) * Sapno me agar mere tum aao —

(1967) * Kayee din se ji hai bekal — Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967) * Ek haseen sham ko — Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967) * Tere Bin sawaan kaise beeta — Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai (1967) * Aari o shokh kaliyion muskuraa dena — Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai (1967) * Akela hoon mein humsafar dhoondta hoon — Jaal (1967) * Tum bin jeevan kaise beeta poochho mere dil se — Anita (1967)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Raja Mehdi Ali Urdu-language lyricists Hindi-language lyricists Indian lyricists Indian male songwriters 1966 deaths 1915 births People from Wazirabad 20th-century Indian musicians Place of death missing