Majrooh Sultanpuri

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Personality.Lyricist

Majrooh Sultanpuri

Majrooh Sultanpuri (Asrar ul Hassan Khan; 1 October 1919–24 May 2000) is among the most distinguished Urdu poets and Hindi film lyricists of the twentieth century, whose work indelibly shaped the sonic and literary landscape of Indian cinema. A central figure in the Progressive Writers' Movement, he combined lyrical elegance with ideological conviction, producing verse that resonated across both literary and popular domains. His celebrated line—Main akela hee chala tha janibe manzil magar, log saath aate gaye aur caravan banta gaya—epitomises his humanistic ethos and enduring poetic appeal. Born in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, into a Muslim Rajput family, Majrooh received a traditional madrasa education, completing the Dars-e-Nizami curriculum and earning the title of Alim, with proficiency in Arabic and Persian. He later pursued Unani medicine at Lucknow's Takmeel-ut-Tib College and briefly practised as a hakim. His literary vocation emerged serendipitously at a mushaira, where his ghazal received wide acclaim, prompting him to abandon medicine in favour of poetry. Under the mentorship of Jigar Moradabadi, he refined his craft and soon became a prominent presence in mushaira circuits. Majrooh's transition to cinema occurred in 1945 in Bombay, where producer A.R. Kardar, impressed by his verse, introduced him to composer Naushad. Initially reluctant, he was persuaded to write for films and debuted with Shah Jehan (1946). Subsequent assignments in Naatak (1947), Doli (1947), and Anjuman (1948) culminated in his breakthrough with Mehboob Khan's Andaz (1949). Over a career spanning six decades, he collaborated with leading composers including Anil Biswas, Naushad, O. P. Nayyar, Madan Mohan, Roshan, Salil Chowdhury, Laxmikant–Pyarelal, and R. D. Burman, demonstrating remarkable adaptability across changing musical idioms. His career, however, intersected with political turbulence. His leftist commitments led to imprisonment in 1949 during a nationwide crackdown following the Communist Party's 1948 congress. Refusing to recant his views, he served a prison sentence, later re-emerging in cinema with projects such as Baaz (1953). Despite these interruptions, he sustained creative vitality, later collaborating extensively with Anand–Milind in films including Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), Lal Dupatta Malmal Ka (1989), Love (1991), and Dahek (1999), and with Jatin–Lalit in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992) and Yaara Dildara (1991). Majrooh's contributions were widely recognised. He received the Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist in 1965 for Chahunga Main Tujhe from Dosti (1964), and in 1993 became the first lyricist to be honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. Additional accolades include the Ghalib Award (1980) and the Iqbal Samman (1992), alongside honours from the Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra State Urdu Academy. His later work included Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) and his final credited film, One 2 Ka 4 (2001), released posthumously. He died in Mumbai on 24 May 2000, leaving behind a legacy that bridges poetic refinement and cinematic expression.

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Filmography