Gulshan Kumar Mehta, popularly known by his pen name Gulshan Bawra (literally: "Gulshan The Mad")
/ref> (12 April 1937 – 7 August 2009), was an Indian songwriter and actor in

Hindi cinema Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

. In a career spanning 42 years, he has to his credit about 240 songs, he collaborated with noted music directors like

Kalyanji Anandji Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) was the ''Kalyanji'' of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, ...

Shankar Jaikishan Sankar or Shankar is a Sanskrit word meaning "beneficent" or "giver of bliss" and may refer to: People * Shankar (name) **Ravi Shankar, Indian sitarist and composer **Shankar (actor), Indian actor ** Shankar (Tamil militant), Tamil rebel ** Shan ...

, and R. D. Burman. He composed almost half of the songs in films like '' Khel Khel Mein'' (1975), '' Kasme Vaade'' (1978) and ''

Satte Pe Satta ''Satte Pe Satta'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Raj N. Sippy and produced by Romu N. Sippy. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Hema Malini, Ranjeeta Kaur and Amjad Khan in the lead roles with Sachin Pil ...

'' (1982). Apart from R. D. Burman hits, he is most remembered for his songs like '

Mere Desh Ki Dharti "Mere Desh Ki Dharti" () is a Hindi song from the 1967 Hindi film ''Upkar''. The lyrics of the song were written by Gulshan Kumar Mehta, and the music was composed by Kalyanji–Anandji. Mahendra Kapoor was the playback singer. This is a patri ...

" in '' Upkaar'' (1968) and "Yaari Hai Imaan Mera" in '' Zanjeer'' (1974), both of which got him the

Filmfare Best Lyricist Award The Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine since 1959 as a part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. Superlatives * Gulzar holds the record for the most wins in this category, with 13 awards, follow ...

. The latter also topped the

Binaca Geetmala ''Binaca Geetmala'' () was a weekly countdown show of top filmi songs from Hindi cinema. It was broadcast on Radio Ceylon from 1952 to 1988 and then shifted to the Vividh Bharati Service of All India Radio network in 1989 where it ran until 199 ...

annual list of 1973. As a

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

, he also appeared in a small number of Hindi films.

Early life and education

Gulshan Kumar Mehta, popularly known as Gulshan Bawra was born 30 km from

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

in a place called

Sheikhupura Sheikhupura (Punjabi language, Punjabi / ; ) also known as Qila Sheikhupura, is a city and district in the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. Founded by the Mughal Empire, Mughal Emperor Jahangir in 1607, Sheikhupura is the List of ...

. His father had a construction business, and his immediate family were Shri Labh Chand Mehta, father of Roop Lal Mehta and Chaman Lal Mehta, incidentally both their families were victims of the partition riots where young Gulshan witnessed his father and his cousins' father killed in Labh Chand Mehta's haveli, in front of their own eyes. His elder sister at

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

, brought him and his elder brother up. After his brother got a job, they shifted to

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, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, where he graduated from

Delhi University The Delhi University (DU, ISO 15919, ISO: ), also and officially known as the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate research university, research Central university (India), central university located in Delhi, India. It ...

. During college, he began to write poetry.Hamara forums
/ref>

Career

He wanted to come into films and applied for a job with the

Railways Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of land transport, next to roa ...

. He was posted to Kota,

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

, but when he arrived there, the vacancy was filled. His next call was luckily that for the post of a clerk at

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and he arrived in the city in 1955. Gulshan struggled to get a film break, initially keeping his job on.

Kalyanji Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) was the ''Kalyanji'' of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, f ...

(of Kalyanji- Anandji), then on his own as

Kalyanji Virji Shah Kalyanji Virji Shah (30 June 1928 – 24 August 2000) was the ''Kalyanji'' of the Kalyanji-Anandji duo. He and his brother Anandji Virji Shah have been famous Indian film musicians, and won the 1975 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, ...

, gave him his first opening in Chandrasena (1959) in the song "Main kya jaanu kahan laage yeh saawan matwala re", sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

. K-A's first joint film, the

Meena Kumari Meena Kumari (born Mahjabeen Bano; 1 August 1933 – 31 March 1972) was an Indian actress and poet, who worked in Hindi films. Known as "The Tragedy Queen", she is regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinem ...

Balraj Sahni Balraj Sahni (born Yudhishthir Sahni; 1 May 1913 – 13 April 1973) was an Indian film and stage actor, who is best known for (1946), '' Do Bigha Zameen'' (1953), '' Chhoti Bahen'' (1959), '' Kabuliwala'' (1961), Waqt (1965) and '' Garm Hava'' ...

starrer '' Satta Bazaar'' later the same year marked his first brush with success with hits like "Tumhein yaad hoga kabhi hum mile the" (

Lata Latha (Hindi: लता, Kannada: ಲತಾ) is a Hindu Indian female given name, which means "creeper" and "Durga". Latha may refer to: Notable people named Lata *Lata Mangeshkar (1929–2022), Indian singer. *Lata Bhatt (born 1954), Indian sin ...

Hemant Hemant, () is an Indian male given name. It is the namesake of '' Hemanta'', one of the six Indian ecological seasons— Ritu—in northern half of Indian subcontinent, which runs in early winter approximately from November to December. The fema ...

), "Aakde ka dhanda" ( Rafi) and "Chandi ke chand tukdon ke liye" (

Hemant Kumar Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemanta Mukherjee and Hemant Kumar, was an Indian music director and a playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, along with several other India ...

). It was during the making of this film that the film's distributor Shantibhai Patel christened him "Bawra". Almost half of his songs have been with R.D.Burman. His last release was ''

Zulmi ''Zulmi'' is an Indian Hindi action drama crime film directed by Kuku Kohli, released on 16 April 1999. It stars Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna. Plot Balraj Dutt is a bodyguard of Baba Thakur, who, while dying, makes Balraj promis ...

'' (1999) and his last hit was "Le pappiyaan jhappiyaan paale hum" for '' Haqeeqat'' (1995), which landed him in his only controversy - of writing a vulgar song. His films in the '90s include, besides '' Haqeeqat'' and ''

'', '' Qurbani Rang Jaayegi'', '' Tehkiqaat'', '' Laat Saab'', '' Maidan-E-Jung'', '' Indrajeet'' and ''

Chor Pe Mor '' Chor Pe Mor '' is a 1990 Indian crime comedy film directed by Kapil Kapoor, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Neelam and Sonam. Plot Cast *Naseeruddin Shah as Inspector Chanakya * Karan Shah as Raja *Neelam Kothari as Ritu *Sonam as Basanti * ...

''. He died on 7 August 2009 at age 72 at his Pali Hill residence in Mumbai.

Filmography

As actor

* Jija Ji (1961) Punjabi movie * Ek Din Ka Badshah (1964) * ''

Upkar ''Upkar'' () is a 1967 Indian Hindi film directed by Manoj Kumar. Set in the backdrop of the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, ''Upkar'' celebrates village life and the contributions of farmers and soldiers to India. The film was inspired by Indian pr ...

'' (1967) *'' Parivar'' (1967) * Vishwas (1969) * ''

Pavitra Paapi ''Pavitra Papi'' () 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 Punjabi novel by famous writer Nanak Singh. Plot It is small-town Ind ...

'' (1970) * '' Pyar Ki Kahani'' (1971) * '' Jaane-Anjaane'' (1971) * ''

Jangal Mein Mangal ''Jangal Mein Mangal'' is a 1972 Bollywood romance film directed by Rajendra Bhatia. The film stars Kiran Kumar, Reena Roy and Pran. Plot Biology Professor Laxmi, in the company of nine of her students, and a convent nun, Sophia, go on a fiel ...

'' (1972) * ''

Shehzada ''Shehzada'' () is a 1972 Bollywood drama film produced by Surinder Kapoor and directed by K. Shankar, set during the British Raj. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Raakhee as the lead pair and the supporting cast included Veena, Pandari Bai ...

'' (1972) * '' Zanjeer'' (1973).. acted in song "Deewane Hain Diwanon Ko Na" * '' Lafange'' (1975) * Jai Mata Di (1977) Punjabi Movie * '' Agar... If'' (1977) * ''

Aap Ke Deewane ''Aap Ke Deewane'' () is a 1980 Indian Hindi-language romance film, produced by Vimal Kumar under the Film Krafts banner, presented by Rakesh Roshan and directed by Surendera Mohan. It stars Rishi Kapoor, Rakesh Roshan and Tina Munim, while ...

'' (1980) * '' Yeh Vaada Raha'' (1982) * ''

Agar Tum Na Hote ''Agar Tum Na Hote'' () is a 1983 Indian Bollywood drama film directed by Lekh Tandon and starring Rajesh Khanna, Rekha and Raj Babbar in leading roles. Lekh Tandon received the Best Director Award for this film from the Filmfans Association o ...

'' (1983) * ''

Boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

'' (1984) *''

Biwi Ho To Aisi ''Biwi Ho To Aisi'' () is a 1988 Bollywood film, directed and written by J. K. Bihari and starring Rekha, Farooq Sheikh and Bindu. The music was scored by Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The film marked the on-screen debut of Salman Khan and Renu Ar ...

'' (1988) *'' Indrajeet'' (1991) * ''Basera'' * ''

Shrikant Shrikant is a male Indian given name. People with the name *Shrikant Bhasi (born 1968), Indian businessman *Shrikant Jadhav (born 1960), Indian cricketer *Shrikant Jichkar (1954–2004), Indian politician *Shrikant Joshi (born 1958), Indian busin ...

'' * ''

English Babu Desi Mem ''English Babu Desi Mem'' () is a 1996 Hindi-language romantic comedy film, starring Shah Rukh Khan in a triple role as father and twin sons, alongside Sonali Bendre. It is loosely based on the American romantic comedy ''It Started in Naples'' ...

'' (1996)

As lyricist

* '' Satta Bazaar'' (1959) * ''

Purnima Pūrṇimā () is the word for full moon in Sanskrit. The day of Purnima is the day ('' Tithi'') in each month when the full moon occurs, and marks the division in each month between the two lunar fortnights (paksha), and the Moon is aligned exac ...

'' (1965) * ''

'' (1967) * '' Zanjeer'' (1973) * '' Haath Ki Safai'' (1974) * ''

Trimurti The Trimurti ( /t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/) is the triple deity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction are personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that ...

'' (1974) * '' Khel Khel Mein'' (1975) * ''

Khalifa ''Khalifa'' or ''Khalifah'' (; commonly "caliph" in English) is a name or title which means "successor", "ruler" or "leader". It most commonly refers to the leader of a Caliphate, but is also used as a title among various Islamic religious groups ...

'' (1976) * ''

Vishwasghaat ''Vishwasghaat'' is a 1996 Bollywood action film directed by Himanshu Brahmbhatt. The film stars Sunil Shetty, Anjali Jathar and Anupam Kher. Plot Rammohan lives a poor lifestyle in India along with his grandson, Avinash, the only child of his ...

'' (1976) * '' Kasme Vaade'' (1978) * '' Bhala Manus'' (1979) * '' Jhoota Kahin Ka'' (1979) * ''

'' (1982) * '' Yeh Vaada Raha'' (1982) * ''

'' (1983) * '' Awaaz'' (1984) * '' Haqeeqat'' (1995) * ''Rafoo chakkar'' (1975)

Noted lyrics

Awards

References

External links

*
Gulshan Bawra
at

Bollywood Hungama Bollywood Hungama (lit. "Bollywood Madness" in Hindi), previously known as IndiaFM (or IndiaFM.com), is an Indian entertainment website, owned by Hungama Digital Media Entertainment, which acquired the website in 2000. The website provides n ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, Gulshan Kumar 2009 deaths 1937 births Filmfare Awards winners Indian male songwriters Indian songwriters Indian lyricists People from Sheikhupura District Hindi-language lyricists Male actors in Hindi cinema Delhi University alumni Pseudonymous writers 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian musicians 20th-century Indian male musicians