Hansraj Behl (19 November 1916 – 20 May 1984) was an Indian

music composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and defi ...

, who composed music both for

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and Punjabi films. Hansraj is now widely considered to be a well-respected composer who created his own trends.

Early life and education

Born on 19 November 1916 in

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 ...

(now in Punjab, Pakistan), then in

British Punjab The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from th ...

, Hansraj received his early education in music from Pandit Acharay Chiranjivilal 'Jigyasu'. His father was a zamindar (landlord) in his area.

Career

Hansraj Behl opened a music school in

Anarkali Bazaar Anarkali Bazaar (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ) is a major bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan. Anarkali also serves as a neighbourhood and union council of Data Gunj Buksh Town, Data Gunj Buksh Tehsil of Lahore. It is situated in ...

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 ...

Punjab, British India The Punjab Province, officially the Province of the Punjab, was a province of British India, with its capital in Lahore and summer capitals in Murree and Simla. At its greatest extent, it stretched from the Khyber Pass to Delhi; and from the ...

and released a few non-film records through

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

. Hansraj, along with his younger brother Gulshan Behl and poet and film songs lyricist

Verma Malik Verma Malik (13 April 1925 – 15 March 2009) was a Bollywood film songs lyricist. He was an active freedom fighter during the British Raj. He wrote many patriotic songs and bhajans and recited them immediately prior to penning lyrics for ...

, travelled to

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

in 1944 to pursue a career as a music director in

Hindi film industry 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 "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...

. His uncle Chunnilal Behl introduced him to the famous actor

Prithviraj Kapoor Prithviraj Kapoor (born Prithvinath Kapoor; 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was an Indian actor who is also considered to be one of the founding figures of Hindi cinema. He was associated with IPTA as one of its founding members and establish ...

. He managed to make his debut as a composer with film ''Pujari'' (1946), directed by

Ardeshir Irani Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani (5 December 1886 – 14 October 1969) was a writer, director, producer, actor, film distributor, film showman and cinematographer in the silent and sound eras of early Indian cinema. He is considered one of the gre ...

. He introduced the noted playback singer

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; ; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur, actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the media as one of the ...

who made her Hindi film debut when she sang, along with

Zohrabai Ambalewali Zohrabai Ambalewali (1918 – 21 February 1990) was an Indian classical singer and playback singer in Hindi cinema in the 1930s and 1940s. She was considered one of the most popular female playback singers of early and mid 1940s. She is best k ...

, the song ''Saawan aaya'' for Hansraj Behl's film ''Chunariya'' (1948). In 1964, he gave music for hit Punjabi film by Padam Prakash Maheshwary titled '' Satluj De Kandhe'', starring

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'' ...

, Nishi, Wasti, and Mirza Musharraf. The patriotic hit, "Jahan Daal Daal Pe Sone Ki Chidiya Karti Hai Basera.." sung by

Mohammed Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and range of voice ...

in the film ''Sikandar-e-Aazam'' (1965), starring

was one of his last memorable number. Hansraj Behl and

Master Ghulam Haider Ghulam Haider (1908 – 9 November 1953; also known by the honorary title Master Ghulam Haider) was a Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most popul ...

are widely considered to be two well-respected music directors of

Indian Film Industry The cinema of India, consisting of Film, motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various #Cinema by language, film indus ...

even among the musicians.

Death

He worked with film song lyricists like

Pandit Indra Chandra Pandit Indra Chandra was an Indian lyricist of Hindi language films from the 1930s through the 1950s. He wrote lyrics for 913 songs in 132 films, including Mr. Sampat (1952) and Bahut Din Huwe (1954). Career Filmography * '' Gunsundari'' (1 ...

, D. N. Madhok,

Prem Dhawan Prem Dhawan (1923–2001) was an Indian lyricist, music composer, choreographer and actor of Bollywood known for his patriotic songs, especially for the lyrics and compositions for the 1965 Manoj Kumar starrer, ''Shaheed''. He was the winner of ...

Asad Bhopali Asad Bhopali (10 July 1921 – 9 June 1990) was an Indian Hindustani poet and lyricist. The ''Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema'', compiled by Gulzar and Saibal Chatterjee, describes him as one of the "few names that stand out for their contributio ...

, Qamar Jalalabadi and

Naqsh Lyallpuri Jaswant Rai Sharma (24 February 1928 – 22 January 2017), popularly known by his pen name Naqsh Lyallpuri, was an Indian ghazal and Hindi language film lyricist. He is best known for the songs "Rasm-e-Ulfat Ko Nibhayen" ('' Dil Ki Rahen'', 1973) ...

during his four-decade-long career and scored music for nearly 67 films. Hansraj Behl died of liver cancer on 20 May 1984.

Filmography

* ''Pujari'' (1946) (Film producer

gave him his first break into the Indian film industry at the recommendation of

) * '' Phoolwari'' (1946) * '' Gunsundari'' (1948) (Hindi/Gujarati film) * '' Lachhi'' (1949)(Punjabi-language movie, it was a big hit in India) * ''Chhai'' (1950) Punjabi Movie * ''Shaan'' (1950) * ''Chunariya'' (1948) (Hansraj Behl introduced

in this film) * ''Chakori'' (1949) * ''Karwat'' (1949) for B. R. Chopra * ''Khiladi'' (1950) * ''Khamosh Sipahi'' (1950) * ''Phoolon Ke Haar'' (1951) (Hansraj Behl introduced singer

Mubarak Begum Mubarak Begum (5 January 1936 18 July 2016) was an Indian vocalist who sang in the Hindi and Urdu languages. She was a playback singer in Bollywood films during the 1950s and 1960s. She had also recorded and given public performances in a numb ...

in this film) * ''Nakhre'' (1951) * ''Miss Bombay'' (1957) * ''Rajput'' (1951) * ''Moti Mahal'' (1952) * ''Jaggu'' (1952) (Hansraj Behl gave

and

their first break in this film) * ''Apni Izzat'' (1952) (Hansraj Behl introduced singer Madhubala Zaveri in this film) * ''Lal Pari'' (1954) * '' Dost'' (1954) * ''Mast Qalandar'' (1955) * '' Rajdhani'' (1956) * Changez Khan (1957) * ''Milan'' (1958) * ''

Bhangra (film) ''Bhangra'' () is a 1959 Punjabi romance, comedy and drama film directed by Jugal Kishore, starring Sunder, Nishi and Majnu in lead roles. Synopsis Sunder, the son of moneylender Kaude Shah, goes to a poor farmer, Bulaki, in the village of ...

'' (1959) - Punjabi * ''

Sawan Sāwaṇ or Sāuṇ (Shahmukhi: ; Gurmukhi: , ) is the fifth month in the Punjabi calendar and the Nanakshahi calendar. Many Indian calendars started in different eras such as Shaka Calendar (national calendar of India) traditional Vikrama a ...

'' (1959) *'' Do Lachhian'' (1959) Punjabi Movie * ''Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh'' (1960) * Pind Di Kurhi (1963) (Punjabi film) * Satluj De Kandhe (1964) - Punjabi film * ''Sikandar E Azam'' (1965) * ''Rustom-E-Hind'' (1965) * '' Do Aankhen'' (1974) * '' Sher Puttar'' (1977) Punjabi Movie * ''

Jai Mata Di ''Jai Mata Di'' is a 1977 Punjabi devotional film. It was directed by Daljit . Cast *Dara Singh as Balbir *Narendra Chanchal *Sajid Khan *Babu Sonu * Sardar Akhter *Satyajeet Puri *Master Vishal * Mumtaz Begum *Madhumati * Kamini *Tun Tun ...

'' (1977) Punjabi Movie * ''Jatt Punjabi'' (1979) - Punjabi Movie * ''Kunwara Mama'' (1979) - Punjabi Movie * ''Jatti'' (1980) - Punjabi Movie *'' Chaska'' (1981) - Punjabi Movie * ''Jatt Da Gandasa'' (1991) - Punjabi Movie * ''Jeeja Sali'' (1985)- Punjabi Movie * '' Insaaf Ka Khoon'' (1991)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Behl, Hansraj 1916 births 1984 deaths People from Sheikhupura Indian film score composers Cinema of Punjab 20th-century Indian composers 20th-century Indian musicians Singers from Haryana 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers Films scored by Hansraj Behl