Naushad

He put a 100-piece orchestra behind a Hindi film song, first in the country to do it. He composed for 65 years.

MCQ Questions

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Naushad

He brought Indian classical music into the heart of Hindi cinema.

100

Musicians in India’s first 100-piece film orchestra, for “Aan” (1952)

1940

First major credit, “Nayi Duniya” (1942), after debut film “Prem Nagar”

1952

“Baiju Bawra” wins the first-ever Filmfare Best Music Director Award

1957

“Mother India” becomes the first Indian film nominated for an Oscar

1981

Receives the Dadasaheb Phalke Award

A rare classical crossover: for “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960), Naushad brought classical maestro Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to sing in a Hindi film — a crossover that almost never happened in that era.

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Must Know

• Naushad Ali was born on 25 December 1919, in Lucknow.
• He trained in Hindustani music under Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali, and Ustad Babban Saheb.
• He moved to Mumbai in 1937, to work in the film industry.
• His first major credit came with “Nayi Duniya” (1942).
• “Baiju Bawra” (1952) won the first-ever Filmfare Best Music Director Award, in 1954.
• For “Aan” (1952), he used a 100-piece orchestra — the first of its size in Indian cinema.
• “Mother India” (1957) became the first Indian film nominated for an Academy Award.
• He received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1981.
• He died on 5 May 2006, in Mumbai, aged 86.

Good to Know

• His career ran from 1940 to 2005. Across those years, he composed music for 65 films in total.
• His films included 26 Silver Jubilee hits, which ran for 25 weeks or more.
• Mohammed Rafi sang many of Naushad’s most famous compositions.
• He often worked with lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, across dozens of films.
• He received the Padma Bhushan in 1992, alongside the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
• He is remembered by the title “Moseeqar-e-Azam,” meaning “The Great Musician.”

Test Yourself

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1. For which 1952 film did Naushad first use a 100-piece orchestra, a first for Indian cinema?

Baiju Bawra

Aan

Mother India

Mughal-e-Azam

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Great to Know

• For “Mughal-e-Azam” (1960), Naushad brought classical maestro Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to sing for a Hindi film. Such a crossover was rare for a classical artist of that stature, at that time.
• Don’t confuse Naushad with the singers he worked with. Naushad was the music director and composer. Mohammed Rafi and other artists were the playback singers who performed his tunes.
• His most acclaimed film, “Baiju Bawra” (1952), leaned on real classical vocalists, Amir Khan and D.V. Paluskar, to anchor its music.