New Delhi: Wednesday marks the death anniversary of legendary musician Naushad. Born in Lucknow on 25 December 1919, Naushad had been conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1981) and the Padma Bhushan (1992) for his contribution to Indian music.
Naushad changed Hindi film songs by introducing classical music to it in a way that was enjoyed by everyone. He was also one of the first composers to bring folk music into films. While the maestro has a large body of work, his best work includes songs like Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki, Mohe Panghat Pe, Mere Mehboob, Aaj Ki Raat Mere, and many more.
In a rare interview with former CEC Dr. S.Y. Quraishi, the music maestro shared his life’s story, his journey to being one of the greatest musicians of all time, his biggest regret, and other anecdotes.
In his conversation with Dr. Quraishi, Naushad revealed he secretly learned music under maestros like Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali and Ustad Babban Saheb in Lucknow as his father considered music as a useless hobby. His father asked him to choose between his home and music. It was then that Naushad decided to go to Mumbai.
Naushad’s first film as a music director was Prem Nagar, while his first musically successful film was Rattan.
When asked if his children are pursuing music, Naushad revealed that none of his kids learned music or chose music as their career as his wife didn’t want them to follow their father’s footsteps.
Naushad also got emotional while remembering the last days of his wife.
You can watch the full interview here: