Shehryar is known for his popular lyrics that he penned for the classic Indian flick Umrao Jaan, made by renowned director Muzaffar Ali. The ghazal Inn aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaroon hain, rendered by Asha Bhonsle, is perhaps one of the all time greatest hits of Indian cinema. But not many people know that the creator of this ghazal, and many other famous Indian songs, also teaches Urdu at the Aligarh University, and his literary worth is far greater than his occasional flirtation with Indian film industry.
Apart from Umrao Jaan, Shehryar has also composed poetry for Gaman and Anjuman, both Muzaffar Ali’s creations, and Faasilay by Yash Chopra. Two songs from Gaman, Seenay mein jalan and Yeh saaniha mujh pe guzar gaya yaro gave him initial success.
I caught up with the poet at the sidelines of the International Urdu Conference, held earlier in the year in Islamabad. A very simple and unpretentious person, Shehryar has no ‘larger than life’ demeanour; the artiste of Umrao Jan fame has nothing to brag about. Shehryar even surprised me by saying that he ‘does not know the metrical nuances of poetry’, and got into this field by accident. It was strange as his lyrics are very rhythmical and melodious.
He says that there was no literary culture in his household, and that his father wanted him to join the Indian police force. “Education in my family meant earning your bread and butter, and nothing else. There was no literary person in my family. I belong to a middle-class family whose world revolved around mundane affairs, and how to make a career,” he says. Shehryar started wielding verse when he was doing his Bachelors. At first, he attempted Masters in Psychology, but soon realized his true passion and got himself enrolled for Urdu.
“I am a very ordinary man, and I like ordinary and simple music appreciated by ordinary people,” remarks the poet while discussing his likes and dislikes in music. But he says he can cultivate taste for things very easily, be it music or books. “I used to switch to All India Radio every Saturday to listen to the one-and-a-half hour music program featuring classical musicians and vocalists.” At the same time he was an ardent fan of Binacca Geet Mala, where he could relish popular Indian songs.
Though he likes Ustad Bismalah Khan’s shehnai a lot, he is totally immersed in the film music, which he rates very highly. Talat Mehmood, Manna Dey, Rafi and Mukesh have been his favourites since his adolescence. “We did not have much choice before the invention of cassette player, and would listen to everything that was aired on the radio,” he tells. “I am a huge fan of music, and I watch television also to listen to music.”
On one hand, Shehryar is fond of Malika Pukhraj, Begum Akhtar and Lata Mangeshkar, on the other he adores Jagjit Singh, Hari Haran and Udit Naarayan immensely. Though he finds Pakistani ghazal singers superior in terms of their selection of poetry, he considers Jagjit Singh as the only competitor of Pakistani artistes in India. “After the demise of Begum Akhtar, it was Mehdi Hasan who popularized the art of ghazal singing in India. Jagjit’s popularity owes a great amount to Mehdi Hasan. Mehdi Hasan used to visit India very regularly in the 1960s, where he would enthral the Indian audience with his mellow but profound singing style. If there was no Mehdi Hasan, there would be no Jagjit Singh,” he remarks.
About Jagjit Singh he says that he is the only ghazal singer who knows the Urdu script. Jagjit Singh has composed a number of Shehryar’s ghazals, one of which, Aisay hijr ke mausam, sung by Chitra Singh, is still enjoyed by music lovers.
The poet is of the opinion that the remaining popular ghazal singers of India do not have proper training in Urdu and that they compromised on the quality of lyrics. “The ghazals of sharab and shabab became popular with the masses, but eventually they faded away from the scene quickly.
“Ghazal is an extremely popular genre in India. The ghazal cassette is sold more, though it is more expensive than the film cassette. Ghazal singers can even sell out their double-albums in India, which is very rare,” tells Shehryar. Why doesn’t he pen lyrics for films anymore? “There is no room for poetry in today’s films,” he retorts. Javed Akhtar, he thinks, is a fine poet, but has compromised on the quality of poetry because of writing for too many films.
Shehryar watches all types of films. But the criterion of his selection is the good story line. In that respect, Shehryar’s favourites are as varied and diverse as Mughal-e- Aazam, CID and Sholay. There was a time, he tells, when he would religiously watch two to three films a day. Satiyajit Ray is Shehryar’s favourite filmmaker, whereas his favourite film stars are Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Madhu Bala and Meena Kumari.
Shehryar’s first poetic collection appeared in 1965, which earned him overnight fame and acclaim. Shehryar proudly tells that he is the only poet from India, whom Munir Niazi values among his contemporaries. Surprisingly, most of Shehryar’s favourite poets are from Pakistan, which include the likes of Rashid, Faiz, Nasir Kazmi and Munir Niazi. He also likes Akhtart- ul-Iman and Makhdoom. Divan-e-Ghalib is one book that he keeps close to his heart.
A typical nationalist that he is, Shehryar doesn’t seem to have a taste for English movies, music or books. Though he has read avidly, he prefers Indian or subcontinental literature. “Even in food, I cannot eat anything accept the Indian cuisine. Same is the case with everything else.” Shehryar is not fond of any particular Hollywood flick and movie star. He says that he has seen a great many Hollywood films, but nothing fascinates him the way Indian celluloid does.
Shehryar is known for his popular lyrics that he penned for the classic Indian flick Umrao Jaan, made by renowned director Muzaffar Ali. The ghazal Inn aankhon ki masti ke mastaane hazaroon hain, rendered by Asha Bhonsle, is perhaps one of the all time greatest hits of Indian cinema. But not many people know that the creator of this ghazal, and many other famous Indian songs, also teaches Urdu at the Aligarh University, and his literary worth is far greater than his occasional flirtation with Indian film industry.
