Mohammed Zahur Khayyam Hashmi (18 February 1927 – 19 August 2019), better known mononymously as Khayyam, was an Indian music director and background score composer whose career spanned four decades. He won three

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...

: for Best Music in 1977 for '' Kabhi Kabhie'' and 1982 for '' Umrao Jaan'', and a lifetime achievement award in 2010. He was awarded the 2007

Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IAST: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recogni ...

in Creative Music, by the

Sangeet Natak Akademi Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in English language, English) is the national level academy for performing arts set up by the Government of India. It is an autonomous body of the Ministry of Culture (India) ...

, India's National Academy of Music, Dance and Theatre. He was awarded the third-highest civilian honour,

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, by the Government of India in 2011.

Early life

Khayyam was born to a Punjabi Muslim family on 18 February 1927 in Rahon in

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

, British India. As a boy, Khayyam ran away to his uncle's house in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. There he was trained under classical vocalist and composer Pandit Amarnath.

Career

Khayyam went to Lahore looking for roles in films. There he met Baba Chishti, a famous Punjabi music director. After listening to a composition by Chishti, he sang to him its first part. Impressed, Chishti gave him an offer of joining him as an assistant. Khayyam assisted Chishti for six months and came to

Ludhiana Ludhiana () is the most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab.164.100.161.224 http://164.100.161.224 › filesPDF Ludhiana State: Punjab Business & Industrial Centre, Tier 2 1 ... The city has an estima ...

in 1943. He was only 17 then. After a stint in the Army in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Khayyam went 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 ...

to fulfil his dream and made his debut as Sharmaji of the Sharmaji-Varmaji composer duo with the film ''Heer Ranjha'' in 1948. He went solo after his co-composer Rehman Verma went to the newly created

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

post partition. One of his earliest breaks was in the film ''Biwi'' (1950) in which the song ''"Akele Mein Woh Ghabrate To Honge"'' 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 ...

was a hit. ''"Shaam-e-Gham Ki Kasam"'' sung by Talat Mehmood from the film ''

Footpath A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as Motor vehicle, motorized vehicles, bicycles and horseback, horses. They ...

'' (1953) struck a chord among the masses. He gained greater recognition from the film '' Phir Subha Hogi'' (1958) starring

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...

and

Mala Sinha Mala Sinha (born Alda Sinha; 11 November 1936) is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi, Bengali films. Initially starting her career with regional cinema, she went on to become a top leading actress in Hindi Cinema in the 1960s a ...

, in which songs written by Sahir Ludhianvi and sung by

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It is commonly used as a male given name in India. People with the name Mukesh include: * Mukesh (singer) (1923–1976), Indian playback singer from ...

and

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 ...

were set to tune by Khayyam. Notable amongst them are ''"Wo Subha Kabhi To Aayegi", "Aasman Pe hai Khuda Aur Zameen Pe Hum"'' and ''"Chin-o-Arab Humara"''. Songs from the film '' Shola Aur Shabnam'' (1961) written by Kaifi Azmi established Khayyam's reputation as a composer. From the Chetan Anand directed '' Aakhri Khat'' (1966) ''"Baharon Mera Jeevan Bhi Sawaron"'' by

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 ...

and ''"Aur Kuch Der Theher"'' by Rafi were huge hits. Other notable songs are from the film ''

Shagoon ''Shagoon'' is a 1964 Indian Hindi drama film directed by Nazar. The film stars Waheeda Rehman, Kamaljeet, Nazir Hussain, Achla Sachdev, Nivedita (Libi Rana), Pratima Devi, Chand Usmani and Nana Palsikar. The film was shot at Mehboob Studio ...

'' (1964) which had Khayyam's wife Jagjit Kaur sing ''"Tum Apna Ranj-o-Gham"'' and ''"Tum Chali Jaogi"''. The 1970s saw Khayyam team up with Sahir Ludhyanvi once again to work in the

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the reci ...

-directed '' Kabhi Kabhie'' (1976). The songs showed Khayyam's versatility with hits such as ''"Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayal Aata Hai"'' (Sung by

and

), ''"Tere Chehre Se Nazar Nahin"'' (by Kishore & Lata) and ''"Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hoon"'' (by Mukesh). Khayyam provided music to the films of the late-1970s and early-1980s. Songs from '' Trishul, Thodi Si Bewafaai,

Bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...

, Dard,

Noorie ''Noorie'' is a 1979 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Manmohan Krishna and produced by Yash Chopra under the Yash Raj Films banner. The film stars Farooq Shaikh and Poonam Dhillon in lead roles, with supporting performance ...

Nakhuda A Nakhuda was the captain of a pearling boat sailing in the Persian Gulf, typically from Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (then the Trucial States). Arabian Pearling vessels would typically take to sea with the ''Nakhuda'', ass ...

, Sawaal, Bepannah'', and '' Khandaan'' are some of his best works. Khayyam was still to deliver his best, and the opportunity came in Muzaffar Ali's '' Umrao Jaan'' in 1981. He had Asha Bhonsle sing the songs "In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke", "Ye Kya Jagah Hai Doston", and "Dil Cheez Kya Hai", which are evergreen.

Rajesh Khanna Rajesh Khanna (; born Jatin Khanna; 29 December 1942 – 18 July 2012) was an Indian actor, film producer and politician who worked in Hindi films. Considered as one of the greatest and most successful actors in the history of Indian cinema, h ...

liked the songs of the film '' Kabhi Kabhie'' so much that he gifted Khayyam one of his cars. Subsequently, Khayyam composed music for ''

Thodisi Bewafai ''Thodisi Bewafaii'' () is a 1980 Bollywood romantic drama film directed by Esmayeel Shroff and produced by Nand Mirani. It stars Rajesh Khanna, Shabana Azmi in the lead roles. The film is noted for impressive performances by the cast and Khayya ...

, Dard'' (both 1981) and '' Dil-E-Nadaan'' (1982), all of them starring Khanna in the lead. Khayyam created music for the Kamal Amrohi directed film ''

Razia Sultan Raziyyat-Ud-Dunya Wa Ud-Din ( Hindustani (Hindi): रज़िय्यत उद दुन्या व उद दीन, ; 1205 – 15 October 1240, ), popularly known as Razia Sultan, was a ruler of the Delhi Sultanate in the northern part ...

'' (1983) and his song ''"Aye Dil-e-Nadan"'' sung by Lata is considered as a milestone. He also composed non-film songs. Some of them include ''"Paaon Padun Tore Shyam, Brij Mein Laut Chalo"'' and ''"Ghazab Kiya Tere Vaade Pe Aitbaar Kiya"''. He also gave music for Meena Kumari's album, ''I Write, I Recite'' (1971) featuring the "nazms" written and sung by her. Khayyam always preferred to work with poets rather than film lyricists. That is the reason one finds

poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

playing an equal role in Khayyam's compositions as the music or the singer. Khayyam prefers to give full freedom to the poets for expressing their views thereby making the expression of songs more poetic and meaningful. He worked with both his contemporaries in the field of poetry. That's the reason one finds in his account the work profiled by

Mirza Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

, Daagh, Wali Mohammed Wali,

Ali Sardar Jafri Ali Sardar Jafri (29 November 1913 – 1 August 2000) was an Indian writer of Urdu language. He was also a poet, critic and film lyricist. Biography Early life and education Ali Sardar Jafri was born in Balrampur (in present-day Uttar Prad ...

Majrooh Sultanpuri Asrar ul Hassan Khan (1 October 1919 − 24 May 2000), better known as Majrooh Sultanpuri, was an Indian Urdu poet and lyricist in the Hindi language film industry. He wrote lyrics for numerous Hindi film soundtracks. He was one of the dom ...

, Sahir Ludhianvi, and among the new ones Naqsh Lyallpuri, Nida Fazli, Jan Nisar Akhtar and Ahmed Wasi. Khayyam's music had the touch of

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

but was rooted in Indian classical music. The compositions were soulful, melodious and emotional, the songs were rich in poetry and purpose and the style was noticeably different from the popular brand of music in those days, which used to be either semi-classical, ghazal or light and peppy. On his 89th birthday, Khayyam announced the formation of a charitable trust, Khayyam Jagjeet Kaur KPG Charitable Trust, and decided to donate his entire wealth to the trust to support budding artists and technicians in India. His wealth at the time of announcement was valued at around . He decided not to celebrate his birthday after the

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war a ...

on India's border post of Pulwama and donated to the kin of the martyrs.

Personal life

Khayyam married Jagjit Kaur in 1954 in one of the first inter-communal marriages in the Indian film industry. They had a son, Pradeep, who died of a heart attack in 2012. Inspired by their son's helping nature, they started a trust, "Khayyam Jagjit Kaur Charitable Trust" to help artistes and technicians in need.

Death

In his last days, Khayyam was suffering from various age related ailments. On 28 July 2019, Khayyam was admitted to Sujay Hospital in Juhu,

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 ...

due to

lung infection Lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) is a term often used as a synonym for pneumonia but can also be applied to other types of infection including lung abscess and acute bronchitis. Symptoms include shortness of breath, weakness, fever, cou ...

. He died on 19 August 2019 following a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest (also known as sudden cardiac arrest CA is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. When the heart stops beating, blood cannot properly Circulatory system, circulate around the body and the blood flow to the ...

at the age of 92. He was buried the following day with full state honours.

Awards and nominations

Won *1977: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: '' Kabhi Kabhie'' *1982: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: '' Umrao Jaan'' *1982: National Film Award for Best Music Direction: '' Umrao Jaan'' *2007:

: Creative Music *2009: Naushaad Sangeet Samman award *2010:

Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, initially named Raj Kapoor Award for Lifetime Achievement after Raj Kapoor is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. List of honourees † - Indicates ...

*2011:

*2012: Mirchi Music Lifetime Achievement Award *2018: Hridaynath Mangeshkar Award Nominated *1980: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: ''

'' *1981: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: ''

'' *1982: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: ''

'' *1984: Filmfare Best Music Director Award: ''

Filmography

;Singer *''Romeo & Juliet'' (1947) — sang a duet with Zohrabai Ambalewali ; Music director *''Heer Ranjha'' (1948) — as Sharmaji (of Sharmaji-Varmaji duo, with Rahman Varma and Aziz Khan) * ''Biwi'' (1950) *''Pyaar Ki Baatein'' (1951) *'' Foot Path'' (1953) — adopted the screen name Khayyam. * ''Gul Sanobar'' (1953) — with Bulo C. Rani *''Gul Bahar'' (1954) *'' Dhobi Doctor'' (1954) *'' Tatar Ka Chor'' (1955) *'' Phir Subha Hogi'' (1958) *'' Lala Rukh'' (1958) *''Barood'' (1960) *''Bombai Ki Billi'' (1960) *'' Shola Aur Shabnam'' (1961) *''

'' (1964) *''Mohabbat Isko Kahete Hain'' (1965) *'' Aakhri Khat'' (1966) *''Mera Bhai Mera Dushman'' (1967) *'' I Write, I Recite'' (1971) — Album consisting of ''nazms'' written and sung by Meena Kumari. *''Pyaase Dil'' (1974) *''Sandhya'' (1975) *''Mutthi Bhar Chawal'' (1975) *'' Sankalp'' (1975) *'' Kabhi Kabhie'' (1976) *''Naukar Biwi Da'' Punjabi black & white Movie The film began principal photography in the mid-1960s and was delayed for several years before being released in 1976 *'' Shankar Hussain'' (1977) *'' Trishul'' (1978) *'' Khandaan'' (1979) *''

'' (1979) *''Meena Kumari ki Amar Kahani'' (1979) *'' Thodi Si Bewafaai'' (1980) *'' Chambal Ki Kasam'' (1980) *''

''(1981) *'' Umrao Jaan '' (1981) *'' Dard'' (1981) *'' Ahista Ahista'' (1981) *'' Dil-e-Nadaan'' (1982) *''

'' (1982) *'' Baawri'' (1982) *'' Sawaal'' (1982) *''Dil...Akhir Dil Hai'' (1982) *''

'' (1983) *''Mehndi'' (1983) *'' Lorie'' (1984) *'' Bepanaah'' (1985) *''Tere Shahar Mein'' (1986) *'' Anjuman'' (1986) *''Devar Bhabhi'' (1986) *'' Ek Naya Rishta'' (1988) *'' Parbat Ke Us Paar'' (1988) *''Jaan-E-Wafa'' (1990) *''Mohabbaton Ka Safar'' (1995) *''Ek Hi Manzil'' (2000) *''

Yatra ''Yatra'' (, ), in Indian religion, Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of River#Sacred rivers, sacred rivers, Sacred mountains#India, sacred mount ...

'' (2007) *''Mission-The Last War'' (2008) *'' Bazaar E Husn'' (2014) *''Ghulam Bandhu'' (2016) — Unreleased

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khayyam, Mohammed Zahur 1927 births 2019 deaths Indian film score composers Indian Muslims Filmfare Awards winners Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award winners Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Musicians from Punjab, India Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Best Music Direction National Film Award winners People from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district