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Gulzar

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Gulzar, born Sampooran Singh Kalra on 18 August 1934, is an Indian Urdu poet, lyricist, writer, screenwriter and film director from Hindi cinema. He was born into a Sikh family in Dina, in what is now Pakistan. At school he read translations of Tagore, which was a turning point for him. With the Partition of the country his family was torn apart, he had to break off his studies and came to Mumbai.

Music and breakthrough

His career as a lyricist began in 1963 with the film Bandini, with the composer S.D. Burman. He worked under the directors Bimal Roy and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, and wrote the lyrics of Aashirwad (1968). He had a close bond with the composer Rahul Dev Burman and also worked with Salil Chowdhury, with Madan Mohan on Mausam, and later with Vishal Bhardwaj. As a director he made his debut in 1971 with Mere Apne, followed by Aandhi, Mausam and Maachis, among others, films about human relationships in a social context. He often uses flashbacks in his stories.

Influence

He has won five Indian National Film Awards, twenty-two Filmfare Awards, an Oscar and a Grammy, among others. In 2004 he also received the Padma Bhushan. He writes in Urdu and Punjabi, in the Triveni stanza, and wrote ghazals for Jagjit Singh. His poetic lyrics gave film songs a literary layer.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a song from the film Mausam or Aandhi with lyrics by Gulzar and pay attention to the words. Hear how a simple image evokes a feeling in a few lines.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists