Roshan (music director) explained

Roshan Lal Nagrath
Birth Name:Roshan Lal Nagrath
Birth Date:1917 7, df=yes
Birth Place:Gujranwala, Punjab, British India
Death Place:Bombay, Maharashtra, India
Education:Marris College
Spouse:Ira Roshan
Relatives:See Roshan family
Module:
Embed:yes
Background:non_performing_personnel
Occupation:Esraj player, Music director, composer
Years Active:1948-1967
Instrument:Esraj, harmonium
Associated Acts:Rajesh Roshan,

Roshan Lal Nagrath (14 July 1917 – 16 November 1967), known mononymously as Roshan, was an Indian esraj player and music director. He was the father of actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan and paternal grandfather of Hrithik Roshan.

Early life and education

Roshan was born on 14 July 1917 in Gujranwala in the Punjab Province of British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) into a Punjabi Saraswat Brahmin family.[1] [2] He began music lessons at a young age and later attended Marris College in Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh under the training of Pandit S N Ratanjankar (principal of the institute). Roshan became an accomplished sarod player under the guidance of Allauddin Khan, the renowned sarod player from Maihar. In 1940, Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, programme producer/music, All India Radio Delhi, hired Roshan as staff artist for esraj, the instrument he used to play. He gave up this job in 1948 to seek fame and fortune in Bombay.[2]

Career

In 1948, Roshan came to Bombay to find work as a Hindi film music director and became assistant of music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar in film Singaar (1949). He somewhat struggled until he met the then famous producer-director Kidar Sharma, who gave him the job of composing for his film Neki Aur Badi (1949), a film co-produced by Munshiram Varma and distributed by Varma Films.[2] While this film was a flop, Kidar Sharma gave him another chance in his next film. Roshan emerged as a player on the Hindi film music scene with Baawre Nain (1950) which became a big musical hit.[2] [3]

In the early 1950s, Roshan worked with singers Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh and Talat Mahmood. Malhar (1951), Shisham, and Anhonee (1952 film) were some of the movies that he scored during the 1950s. During this time, he also composed the Meera bhajan which became a run-away hit, "Aeiri main to prem diwani mera dard na jane koyi" sung by Lata Mangeshkar for the movie Naubahar (1952).[2]

He was not always commercially successful. He gave Indeewar and Anand Bakshi their first breaks in the Indian film industry as lyricists. Later, they became two of the most sought-after songwriters in Mumbai from the late 1960s onwards.

Anand Bakshi was given his first break in 1956 by the music director Nisar Bazmi in his film Bhala Aadmi (1956). Roshan gave Bakshi the film CID Girl (1959), after Anand Bakshi wrote the four songs of Bhala Aadmi in 1956. Bhala Aadmi was released in 1958 after some delay. Together, Anand Bakshi and Roshan made a super hit musical film Devar (1966).

The 1960s proved to be the golden age for Roshan and his music. His ability to mould folk music with Hindustani classical music became his trademark and resulted in successful movie musicals. During this time, Roshan gave hits such as "Na to karavan ki talaash hai from Barsat Ki Raat" and "Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat" (Barsaat Ki Raat, 1960). Barsaat Ki Raat also was a "super hit" film of 1960s.

"Ab kya misaal doon" and "Kabhi to milegi, kahi to milegi" (Aarti, 1962), "Jo vada kiya vo nibhana padega", "Paao chhoon lene do", "Jo baat tujhmein hai" and "Jurm-e-ulfat pe" (Taj Mahal, 1963), "Nigahen milane ko jee chahata hai" and "Laaga chunari mein daag" (Dil Hi To Hai, 1963), "Sansaar se bhaage phirte ho" and "Man re tu kaahe" (Chitralekha, 1964), and "Oh re taal mile" and "Khushi khushi kar do vida" (Anokhi Raat, 1968). He composed some melodies for the movie Mamta (1966) with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, "Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein" and "Rahen Na Rahen Hum" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and her hit duet, "Chuppa Lo Yun Dil Mein Pyar Mera" with Hemant Kumar. Devar (1966): "Aaya hai mujhe phir yaad woh zalim, guzara zamana bachpan ka"; "Baharon ne mera chaman loot kar"; "Duniya mein aisa kahan sab ka naseeb hai".[3] [2] [4]

Filmography and popular songs

Year Film Film song lyricist Songs and Notes
1949Neki Aur BadiKidar SharmaRoshan's first movie as a composer
1950 Bawre NainKidar SharmaRoshan's first breakthrough big hit song: "Khayaalo.n me.n kisiike" sung by Mukesh and Geeta Dutt
1951Hum LogUddhav Kumar, Vishwamitra Adil"bahe a.Nkhiyo.n se dhaar" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, "apni nazar se unki nazar tak" sung by Mukesh
1951 Malhar "ba.De aramaano.n se rakhaa hai" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh; "kahaa.N ho tum zaraa aawaaz do" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh
1952AnhoneeAli Sardar Jafri, Shailendra"mere dil kii dha.Dakan kyaa bole" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mahmood
1952NaubaharMeera Bai, Shailendra"erii mai.n to prem diwani", a Meera bhajan sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1952RaagrangKaif Irfani, Pyarelal Santoshi, Sarshar Sailani, Prakash Bakshi"dil-e-beqaraar so jaa" sung by Lata Mangeshkar and Talat Mehmood
1952SanskarShailendra
1952ShishamUddhav Kumar, Kaif Irfani, Zia Sarhadi, Nazim Panipati, Indeevar, Madhukar Rajasthani"banaayii hai itanii ba.Dii jis ne duniyaa" sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1953AagoshShailendra, Indeevar, Kaif Irfani, Uddhav Kumar"muhabbat ek sholaa hai" sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1953FirdausD. N. Madhok, ShailendraSome songs composed by Robin Chatterjee
1953GunahKidar SharmaSome songs composed by Snehal Bhatkar
1953MalkinRajendra Krishan
1953MashuqaQamar Jalalabadi, Shailendra"jhilamil taare" sung by Mukesh, "yeh sama hum tum jawaan", sung by Kishore Kumar and Meena Kappor
1954Baap BetiKavi Pradeep
1954BaraatiJan Nisar Akhtar, D.N. Madhok, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Tanvir Naqvi
1954BhairaviAbandoned mid-way. Producer : Lata Mangeshkar for Surel Chitra.[5] "kaahe tarasaaye jiyaraa" was recorded for this film but used in Chitralekha many years later
1954Chandni ChowkMajrooh Sultanpuri, Kamil Rashid, Shailendra, Raja Mehdi Ali Khan, Saifuddin Saif"teraa dil kahaa.N hai" sung by Asha Bhosle
1954MehboobaTanveer Naqvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, IndeevarSome songs composed by O. P. Nayyar
1955Chhora ChhoriKidar Sharma, Himmat Rai Sharma, Noor Dewasi
1955Ghar Ghar Mein DiwaliPrem Dhawan, Indeevar
1955JashanRajendra Krishan
1956Rangeen RatenKidar Sharma
1956TaksaalPrem Dhawan"dil bhii teraa, ham bhii tere" sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1957Agra RoadPrem Dhawan, Bharat Vyas
1957Coffee HousePrem Dhawan, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri
1957Do RotiKhumar Barabankvi
1958Aji Bas ShukriyaFaruk Kaiser"saarii saarii raat terii yaad sataae" sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1958Raja BetaRajendra Krishan
1959AanganRajendra Krishan, Avinash, Pandit Indra
1959CID GirlAnand Bakshi, Hasrat Jaipuri
1959Deep Jalta RaheShailendra, Rahil Gorakhpuri
1959Heera MotiShailendra, Prem Dhawan
1959MadhuShailendra, Naqsh Lyallpuri, Prem Dhawan
1959Maine Jeena Seekh LiyaRahil Gorakhpuri, Anand Bakshi"tere pyaar ko is tarah se bhulaanaa" sung by Mukesh
1960BabarSahir Ludhianvi"salaam-e-has_rat qabuul kar lo" sung by Sudha Malhotra
1960Barsaat Ki RaatSahir LudhianviThe biggest musical film of his career with the most hits. "zi.ndagii bhar nahii.n bhuulegii vo barasaat kii raat" sung by Mohammed Rafi as a solo and in a duet version with Lata Mangeshkar
1961WarrantPrem Dhawan, Anand Bakshi
1961Zindagi Aur HumShiv Kumar Saroj, Veer Muhmmad Puri"tuu ham ko dekh aur hamaarii nazar se dekh" sung by Lata Mangeshkar
1962AartiMajrooh Sultanpuri"aap ne yaad dilaayaa to mujhe yaad aayaa" sung by Rafi and Lata
1962Soorat aur SeeratShailendra
1962Vallah Kya Baat HaiPrem Dhawan, Anand Bakshi
1963Commercial Pilot OfficerAnand Bakshi
1963Sahir Ludhianvi"laagaa chunarii me.n daaG" sung by Manna Dey
1963 Taj MahalSahir LudhianviBoth the song "jo waadaa kiyaa vo nibhaanaa pa.Degaa" sung by Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar and the film itself were "super hits"[6]
1964Sahir LudhianviIn 2006, the song "man re tuu kaahe na dhiir dhare" sung by Mohammed Rafi was chosen by a jury of professionals in the Indian film industry as the top number one Hindi song [7]
1965BedaagShakeel Badayuni, Anand Bakshi
1965Bheegi RaatMajrooh Sultanpuri"dil jo na kaha sakaa" in two versions, one each by Mohammed Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar
1966Daadi MaaMajrooh Sultanpuri"usko nahin dekha hamne kabhi" - an ode to the mother, sung by Mahendra Kapoor and Manna Dey
1965Nai Umar Ki Nai FaslNeeraj, Manmohan Tiwari"caravan guzar gaya" ("swapna jhare phool se"), sung by Mohammad Rafi
1966DevarAnand Bakshi
1966MamtaMajrooh Sultanpuri"rahe.n na rahe.n ham" sung by Lata Mangeshkar, with a different version by Mohammed Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur
1967Bahu Begum[8] Sahir Ludhianvi"ham intazaar kare.nge teraa qayaamat tak" sung by Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi
1967Noor JehanShakeel Badayuni"sharaabii sharaabii ye saawan kaa mausam" by Suman Kalyanpur
1968Anokhi RaatIndeevar, Kaifi Azmi"oh re taal mile nadii ke jal me.n" sung by Mukesh
1973Dur Nahin ManzilAnjaan, IndeevarPosthumous Release. Some songs composed by Shankar-Jaikishan

Popular film qawwalis

Roshan's marked speciality was the film qawwali. He was widely hailed for their composition.

Death and legacy

Roshan had been suffering from chronic heart trouble for over 20 years. He died of a heart attack in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, on 16 November 1967, age 50, leaving behind three sons and a daughter. He had a sudden heart attack while attending a social gathering.[2]

Awards

Notes and References

  1. News: 22 January 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240214235552/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/did-you-know/hrithik-roshans-real-surname-revealed-the-hidden-family-secret/articleshow/107044450.cms . 14 February 2024 . Did You Know What Hrithik Roshan's Real Surname Is? The Actor Reveals . live . 24 May 2024 . Hrithik's real name is 'Hrithik Rakesh Nagrath,' reflecting his Brahmin or Punjabi Saraswat heritage. . . en-IN.
  2. Web site: Remembering music director Roshan . Pran Neville . 5 January 2018 . The Hindu (newspaper). 8 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211027174113/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/remembering-music-director-roshan/article22368074.ece . 27 October 2021.
  3. Web site: Bollywood Retrospect: Top 10 songs from Roshan's best film albums . DNA India website. Param Arunachalam. 11 July 2015. 8 November 2019.
  4. Web site: Rajesh Roshan: 'Jo Wada Kiya Wo' still haunts me . https://web.archive.org/web/20191109184541/https://www.cinestaan.com/articles/2017/jan/14/3786/rajesh-roshan-jo-wada-kiya-wo-still-haunts-me . live . 9 November 2019 . Sonal Pandya . 14 January 2017 . Cinestaan.com website . 9 November 2019.
  5. Web site: RMIM Archive Article Number: "385".
  6. Web site: Top Earners 1960-1969. 18 January 2008. dead. 19 September 2012. BoxOfficeIndia.com website . https://web.archive.org/web/20120919200236/http://boxofficeindia.com/showProd.php?itemCat=123&catName=MTk2MC0xOTY5 . 12 November 2019.
  7. https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/20-best-hindi-film-songs-ever/231648 20 Best Hindi Film Songs Ever on Outlook (magazine)
  8. https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/Bahu-Begum-1967/article15938902.ece Bahu Begum (1967 film) on The Hindu (newspaper)