Cinemaazi remembers Gulshan Bawra on his birth anniversary
12 Apr 1937
Cinemaazi remembers the great lyricist Gulshan Bawra on his birth anniversary. Responsible for penning many unforgettable Hindi songs in a career spanning nearly five decades, Gulshan Bawra rose to become one of the industry’s most popular and prolific songwriters. Some accounts suggest he was born on April 13.
He was born Gulshan Mehta in Sheikhpura near Lahore before the independence of India. He witnessed his parents being killed during the Partition of India in 1947. Along with his brother, he escaped and reached Jaipur in a military convoy.
After graduation, the young Gulshan secured a job with the Indian Railways. On being posted to Bombay, he came in contact with his friends and acquaintances from the village where he was born. He was given the opportunity to write the lyrics for Babubhai Mistry’s Chandrasena (1959) alongside Pandit Madhur, Saraswati Kumar Deepak and Indeevar.
During the making of Satta Bazaar(1959), the film’s distributor Shantibhai Patel dubbed him ‘Bawra’. Impressed with the lyrics he had written, Patel could not reconcile their excellence to the twenty-something young man in his rather colourful shirt. When the film released in Mumbai, the poster carried only three names, that of director Ravindra Dave, composer duo Kalyanji-Anandji and Gulshan Bawra, even though the roster of lyricists included other top writers of the time.
Though he was never classified with the likes of lyricists such as Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Hasrat Jaipuri, Gulshan Bawra’s work remains far more ingrained in popular memory. As per Bawra’s wishes, on his passing, his body was donated for research.
He was born Gulshan Mehta in Sheikhpura near Lahore before the independence of India. He witnessed his parents being killed during the Partition of India in 1947. Along with his brother, he escaped and reached Jaipur in a military convoy.
After graduation, the young Gulshan secured a job with the Indian Railways. On being posted to Bombay, he came in contact with his friends and acquaintances from the village where he was born. He was given the opportunity to write the lyrics for Babubhai Mistry’s Chandrasena (1959) alongside Pandit Madhur, Saraswati Kumar Deepak and Indeevar.
During the making of Satta Bazaar(1959), the film’s distributor Shantibhai Patel dubbed him ‘Bawra’. Impressed with the lyrics he had written, Patel could not reconcile their excellence to the twenty-something young man in his rather colourful shirt. When the film released in Mumbai, the poster carried only three names, that of director Ravindra Dave, composer duo Kalyanji-Anandji and Gulshan Bawra, even though the roster of lyricists included other top writers of the time.
Though he was never classified with the likes of lyricists such as Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Hasrat Jaipuri, Gulshan Bawra’s work remains far more ingrained in popular memory. As per Bawra’s wishes, on his passing, his body was donated for research.
