The 72-year-old, Rawalpindi-born lyricist, died on Saturday at a hospital here after a protracted illness.

Bakshi’s songs spanned a generation of Urdu films from 1960s productions to recent hits.

The poet rose into fame with his lyrics in super hit films like ‘Milan’, ‘Do Raste’, ‘Himalaya Ki Godh Mein’, ‘Jeevan Mrityu’ and ‘Khilona’. His latest hits included ‘Mohabattein’ and ‘Yaddein’.

He was educated only up to the eighth standard. He served in the army for almost three years before travelling to Bombay. There, for a comparable period of time, he struggled to make an impact as a writer — and returned to the army, depressed.

Often travelling on foot from one studio to another, his first break came when Bhagawandala paid him a sum of Rs150 for four songs in the movie Bhala Admi.

The break did not immediately carry him into the higher echelons until he met Raj Kapoor, who enlisted him to write the lyrics for his film Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath. Working with Kapoor ensured that people would talk about him, and the word soon spread.

The competition was not lax — he was in now in the same frame as Kaifi Azmi, Hasrat Jaipuri and Sahir Ludianvi and he had to work doubly hard to get any attention.

He was soon doing films like Jab Jab Phool Khile, Amar Prem, Seeta Aur Geeta, and Mera Gaon Mera Desh, all box-office biggies.

Apart from writing, Anand Bakshi has also sung on a few films — Baaghon mein baahar aaye with Lata Mangeshkar for the film Mom Ki Gudiya stands out, and interestingly, he even sang a Qawwali on Sholay, which was subsequently deleted from the film.

Among his recent work is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Mohabbattein (2000).

He has seen generations of filmmakers and music directors, and has worked with nearly every name in the industry. He was openly critical about present trends and lamented lack of depth in storylines and lyrics.

—Agencies