Bhoola Nahi Dena Jee – Remembering Nashad

There were a few composers of the golden era of Hindi film music, who composed for films under pseudonyms for various reasons. Today I will discuss a composer who composed under different names. He started as Shaukat Dehlavi. At times he called himself Shaukat Haideri. He also composed under the names Shaukat Ali, Shaukat Hussein to finally settle for the name, Nashad. The word Nashad, by the way, means Unhappy.

He was born on 11th July 1923 in Delhi, where he spent his childhood and possibly opening years of early adulthood. He learnt to play the flute. It was in the early 1940s that he came to Mumbai to try his luck. After he assisted stalwarts like Ghulam Haider, Nisar bazmi and Naushad, he got a break as an independent composer. He started his career with the film Dildaar in 1947. The film and its songs were not popular. A couple of songs from the movie are available, and I’ll mention, ‘Ho Meri Mast Jawani’ from Dildaar (1947) by Naseem Akhtar

For the next few years, he went on to compose for a number of films, though success was still a dream. Yet, a few songs did become popular. Let’s enjoy a few songs from the years 1948 – 49.
The first song is from the movie, Jeene Do, which was released in 1948. It was directed by Adi F Kika and K A Majid for Jai Hind Chitra, Bombay.

Doobi Naiya Aake Kinare – Jeene Do (1948) Rafi / Lyrics – Shewan Rizvi
Geeta Dutt was the lead singer for the movie. D V Gadkar jointly composed for the movie, with a contribution of a couple of songs, including Mukesh’s soulful solo, Ae Duniya Bata De Humein. I chose this song for its beautiful tune and excellent rendition by Rafi and meaningful lyrics.

Armaan Bhare Dil Ko – Toote Tare (1948) Geeta Dutt / Lyrics – Anjum Pilibhiti
Toote Taare was produced by Shaikh Mukhtar under the banner of Omar Khayyam productions. Geeta Dutt has rendered the song very maturely. The song is a good composition, though the video is incomplete. Perhaps, Rajkumari’s soulful rendition of the ghazal, Na Kisi Ki Aankh Ka Noor Hoon, would be the best known song of the movie. But I couldn’t get good audio, so I decided to go for other songs.

Shaikh Mukhtar repeated the composer for his next venture, Dada, under the Omar Khayyam productions. He himself was the main lead of the movie. The movie had some good songs. I liked a couple of songs, and in addition to the added song, I want to mention Badi Zulmi Hai Tamanna by Mukesh and Shamshad Begum.

Tera Kisi Se Pyar Tha – Dada (1949) Mukesh & Surinder Kaur / Lyrics – Shewan Rizvi
It’s a very melodious and rhythmic song. Though it’s in a melancholy mood, the rhythm of the song is quite catchy. I liked it the moment I heard it. There are some songs which instantly appeal to us, and for me this was one!

In 1949, he launched a new voice, Mubarak Begum, in the film, Aaiye. She sang a couple of songs for the movie. One solo and one duet, the latter with none other than Lata Mangeshkar. I’ve already covered these songs in my posts on Mubarak Begum’s songs.
Still, it won’t be out of place to add a link for Mohe Aane Lagi Angadai by Mubarak Begum.
In the same film, Lata Mangeshkar sang for him for the first time. She also sang a duet with the composer himself. His choice for male playback was G M Durrani. And I’ve selected his solo for today’s post. Let’s have a look,

Itni Si Kahani Hai – Aaiye (1949) G M Durrani / Lyrics – Nakshab Jarchavi
It’s a romantic sort of ghazal sung beautifully by Durrani. His voice was so expressive. I think this song is overshadowed by the other songs of the movie. But it definitely deserves a mention.

Char Chand was an obscure film, but it indeed had good music. Though I’ve highlighted a relatively popular song of the movie, I’ll mention a foot tapping number, Tumbak Tumba, which is also a song with अनोखे बोल.

Hai Yeh Wohi Aasman – Char Chand (1953) Talat Mahmood & Asha Bhosle (sung separately) / Lyrics – A Karim
A very soulful rendition of a good song, the tune is good too. The verses of both the songs are the same. Talat’s version was more appealing to me.

Now, let me come to an interesting aspect of the post, as to how the name Nashad was coined.
The lyricist, Nakshab Jarchavi decided to produce a film and approached Naushad for composing songs. The latter refused the offer. Allegedly, Naushad used offending words while doing so and Nakshab felt insulted. He offered the film to Shaukat Dehlavi and named him Nashad to create confusion about the name of the composer. Of course, Naushad and Nashad sound quite similar and many times people credit a few of his songs to Naushad.
Anyway, now it was up to Nashad to use his creativity to compose tunes that would complement the illusion. And you can decide yourself if that happened or not! Though I’ve highlighted just a couple of songs, the majority of the songs are really good in my opinion.

Badi Mushkil Se Dil Ki Beqarari Ko – Naghma (1953) Shamshad Begum / Lyrics – Nakshab Jarchavi
For me this is the most popular song from the film. This is certainly one of the bests of Shamshad Begum. The poignant song creates an aura.

I think Talat’s ‘O Teer Chalane Wale Zara’, woven in Arabic styled tune, is more popular than the one which I intend to add today.

Milte Hi Nazar Unse – Naghma (1953) Talat Mahmood / Lyrics – Nakshab Jarchavi
What a beautiful ghazal it is! And what a smooth rendition by Talat in his inimitable silky voice. The film was indeed full of good songs.

Before I move forward, I think it’s important to mention the playback singer, Premlata, who sang a few solos and of course duets under the baton of Nashad. I don’t think any of the songs were particularly popular. She later married Nashad in the 60s before he left India. Nashad’s first wife was a lady called Nargis, who sang just one song for him. (Ref – Arun Ji’s post on Atul’s blog)

We all know it was Mohammad Shafi who introduced Suman Kalyanpur (née Hemady) in the film Mangu (1954). But he left the film, which was taken over by O P Nayyar, who obviously chose his own team of playback singers. Still one of Suman’s songs was retained in the movie. It was Nashad, who offered her a complete film which was released in the same year, 1954. Though all the songs were not popular, the film is still remembered just for one of its duets. Let’s listen to it.

Ek Dil Do Hai Talabgar – Darwaza (1954) Talat Mahmood & Suman Kalyanpur / Lyrics – Khumar Barabankavi
I think it was for the first time that Khumar Barabankavi penned songs for a Nashad film. What poignant lyrics he penned for this one. The song is tuned in a simple melody, but sounds very sweet and melodious.

Now comes the most popular film of his career. K Amarnath production’s Baradari. The film has excellent songs and Lata Mangeshkar and Rafi were the choice for the main lead. Lata’s ‘Ab Ke Baras Bada Zulm’ was a good folk based song. Talat’s most popular, ‘Tasveer Banata Hoon’ is an iconic song too, and perhaps the best known song of the movie. But for me, a couple of duets stand out the most. Let me add the duets.

Bhoola Nahin Dena Jee – Baradari (1955) Lata Mangeshkar & Rafi / Lyrics – Khumar Barabankavi
The song has achieved an iconic status and is counted in the best of their duets. And surely it is! The childhood friendship between the characters turns into love in their youth. Young and handsome Ajit and beautiful Geeta Bali make an attractive couple. The melody is simple but sweet.

Mohabbat Ki Bas Itni Dastan Hai – Baradari (1955) Lata Mangeshkar & Rafi / Lyrics – Khumar Barabankavi
I’m a bit more fond of this song than the previous one. I love the portion, बहारें चार दिन की फिर ख़िजां है. There is something magical in those lines. The singers go to a higher scale that gives me goosebumps. The tune is of course good too. The opening lines of the mukhda as well as the verses remain without much instrumental support, to turn into a soft dholak-Tabla rhythm.

Though he scored a sixer with Baradari, his career graph couldn’t sustain the peak. He went on to compose for films in the late 50s, but barring a good song here and another there, he couldn’t achieve the same popularity.
Let’s have a look at a few of his songs in that period.

So Ja Tu Mere Raaj Dulare – Jawab (1955) Talat Mahmood / Lyrics – Khumar Barabankavi
I think this is the only lullaby sung by Talat Mahmood. The song appears twice in the movie. A happy version when the hero is a child and a sad one, when he is an adult. Both the versions are impressively composed and sung. Talat’s voice offers a full justice to the composition.
The best known song of the film however appears to be Rafi’s soulful song.

Husna Yahan Ishq Yahan – Jallad (1956) Asha Bhosle & Rafi / Lyrics – Shewan Rizvi
A cute romantic song. He was able to tune good melodies, though not all were popular. And even if you compose good songs for a B grade film, no one notices you. A good support of a reputed banner is necessary after all.

Chori Chori Dil Ka Lagana – Bada Bhai (1957) Asha Bhosle & Talat Mahmood / Lyrics – Prem Saxena
While the movie and the lyricist both are quite unheard of, the song has a good melody. The flute played in the verses, the harmonica during the whistling and humming part, add a charm to the otherwise simple melody. Good musical arrangement and good tune, with good singing makes it a treat.
The hero, Anant Kumar was a popular Marathi actor, Anant Marathe. Ameeta looks beautiful.

In comparison to the songs mentioned above, songs from Nutan and Pradeep Kumar starrer, Zindagi Ya Toofan, appear familiar. It was produced by Nakshab Jarchavi, who obviously penned songs for it. He perhaps wanted to recreate the magic of the film, Naghma. The film however was released much later in Pakistan, or so I remember as per a comment by Partha Chanda Ji on Dustedoff. The film had good songs, with Mujra songs, romantic ghazals, soulful songs etc. Though the title track sung by Khan Mastana and Asha Bhosle separately is good, I’m adding my favourite duet.

Hamara Kya Hai Hum Tadpe – Zindagi Ya Toofan (1958) Asha Bhosle & Talat Mahmood / Lyrics – Nakshab Jarchavi
What beautifully expressed emotions! The film was based on Umrao Jaan Ada and I think Nutan played a courtesan for the first and the last time. I like the song.

Pata Note Karo Hamara – Zara Bachke (1959) Rafi / Lyrics – Raja Mehdi Ali Khan
What a delight it is to watch this one! No doubt Johnny Walker is excellent as usual, but Rafi sings it with such expressions as if he himself is acting in it. And I think the composer should be credited for such lively songs. The film otherwise is less known.

The film, Qatil (1960) had a few popular songs, though I couldn’t place them on the list. But I’ll mention Suni Kisi Ne Bekahi (Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur) and Dil To Hamara Beqarar Hai (Asha Bhosle and Mukesh).

In 1961, Lata Mangeshkar recorded a couple of Ghalib ghazals composed by a duo, Fayyaz-Shaukat. A YouTube video uploader added that one of the composers was Shaukat Dehlavi. I couldn’t get any information about the duo. After Naghma (1953) Nashad never composed under his real name. So it’s still a mystery who the composer duo was! If someone knows, please enlighten us.

(*Please read the comment by Dr Ravindra Shrikhande – updated on 07/01/2022)

In the early 1960s, he composed for several films, though he couldn’t attain popularity. The notable films were, Pyar Ki Dastan (1961) and Ruplekha (1962). I’ll add a couple of song links here.

Sun Le Meri Jaan from Pyar Ki Dastan (1961) by Talat Mahmood & Suman Kalyanpur

Chand Hai Taare Bhi Hai from Ruplekha (1962) by Rafi and Suman Kalyanpur.

His later films, Maya Mahal (1963), Main Hoon Jadugar (1965) were not popular. His last film in India as a music director was Flying Man (1965).

He migrated to Pakistan after 1965 and went on to compose for a few films. It seems a few of his film songs were popular and he had a good career there. Popular playback singer Runa Laila’s first popular song was from the movie, Hum Dono (1966), which was composed by Nashad. The post would be incomplete if I don’t mention a few of his songs from that era. I’ve tried to highlight some of his popular films. I must confess that I heard all of the songs for the first time.

Unki Nazaron Se Jo Mohabbat Ka – Hum Dono (1966) Runa Laila / Lyrics – Kamil Usmani
A good tune, though I couldn’t get why it sounds so familiar? Perhaps it was used again for another song. It is said that it was Runa Laila’s first popular song. Later she sang for Nashad in a few more films.

Lazzat e Soz e Jigar – Salgirah (1969) Ahmed Rushdi & Irene Parveen / Lyrics – Shewan Rizvi
The song is picturised on Waheed Murad, who’s one of the most popular Pakistani actors. It’s a very impressively rendered ghazal having many couplets. Irene Parween’s voice resembles Asha’s voice. A good song and appears to be popular till date.

Aap Ko Bhool Jaye Hum – Tum Mile Pyar Mila (1969) Noorjahan & Mehdi Hasan / Lyrics – Tasleem Fazli
What a beautiful composition! Very soulful and excellently rendered. Mainly Mehdi Hasan was so wonderful. It captured my mind even though I heard it for the first time. Nashad did deliver good songs there.

Jab Bhi Chahe Ek Nai Soorat – Saza (1969) Mehdi Hasan / Lyrics – Qatil Shafai
Another gem by Mehdi Hasan. What excellent lyrics, and good tune. The audio has the full song, which however is split into two parts in the movie. The first part is lip synched by Jamil. According to one of the comments on the YouTube video, he was the father of Farah Naaz and Tabu. The second part is a background song. I’m adding both the parts.

Rafta Rafta Woh Mere Hasti – Zeenat (1975) Mehdi Hasan / Lyrics – Tasleem Fazli
Zeenat was one of his last films as a composer. I had no idea Nashad had so many iconic songs to his credit. This is a really charming song. The song was copied later in one of the Hindi film songs (Baazi – 1995). Enjoy the wonderful ghazal.

• He composed for around 50 films. The number mentioned in various sources varies from 40 to 70.
• He wasn’t consistently successful and popular. A few of his films would stand out as brilliant. Naghma, Baradari would be the finest examples. Later just a good song here and there.
• His early singers include Mukesh, Rajkumari, Surinder Kaur, Naseem Akhtar etc. I think Aaiye was his first film with Lata Mangeshkar. Later she also sang for him in a few films, Baradari being the most prominent. Later he chose Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur as female lead singers. After Naghma, Talat Mahmood became his favourite and was a part of his musical team consistently for a few years. Rafi was also his favourite, mainly in the late 50s and 60s.
• His popular association was with lyricists, Nakshab Jarchavi, Khumar Barabankavi and Faruq Kaiser.
• He chose Mehdi Hasan, Noorjahan and other popular singers for the songs in Pakistan.

In Pakistan however he appears to be more successful and popular. His last films include, Palki (1975) and Milan (1978).
He took his last breath in January 1981. His death anniversary is mentioned as 3rd January and 14th January on different sites.

(The post is based on various sources, the main ones are, Dhoonon Ki Yatra, Yesterday’s Melodies Today’s Memories, and a post by Arunkumar Deshmukh on Atul’s blog and Wikipedia)

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Mehfil Mein Meri, claims no credit for any image, screenshots or songs posted on this site. Images on this blog are posted to make the text interesting. The images and screenshots are the copyright of their original owners. The song links are shared from YouTube, only for the listening convenience of music lovers. The copyright of these songs rests with the respective owners, producers and music companies.