Written by: Muhammad Suhayb
Posted on: March 21, 2024 | 
| 中文
(R to L) Nisar Bazmi, Shamim Ara and Waheed Murad
It is entirely possible for someone with no formal musical background to rise to the top and make significant contributions to the music industry. Nisar Bazmi's story is a testament to this, as starting from humble beginnings, he managed to establish himself as one of the top music directors in Pakistan. His success was fueled by his innate talent, hard work, dedication and perhaps a bit of luck.
Nisar Bazmi
Born as Syed Nisar Ahmed in Khandesh, a suburb of Bombay, about a 100 years ago. He would not shy away from giving new voices an opportunity, nor would he hesitate in pointing out when the established singers would go off note. Belonging to a middle-class family, he managed to convince his father to allow him to be trained by the famous Muhammad Yasin Qawwal and Ustad Amanulah Khan. He moved to Bombay City and began his career as a singer at the All India Radio. It was here that he met his fellow singer Muhammad Rafi, who had not become famous yet. They happened to be of the same age, as Rafi was born on the 24th of December, 1924, while Bazmi’s birthday fell three days later.
Nisar Bazmi soon found his way as a music composer in the Bombay film industry, but never rose above B and C category films. He composed music for more than forty films, over a period of sixteen years, and only managed to work with the best in his adopted country, Pakistan.
Nisar Bazmi with Nayyara Noor
The story begins when the song ,Chanda ka Dil Toot Gaya from Khoj (1953), a Nisar Bazmi-Muhammad Rafi combo, was relayed on Radio Ceylon. A student of FC College, Lahore, Saeed Fazli, liked it but failed to discover the name of its music director. Saeed Fazli’s quest for the music director began and ten years later, when Saeed Fazli joined his father’s film company, Dabistan Mehdood, he was surprised to see Bazmi at the doorstep of his office in Karachi. Bazmi was on a trip to Pakistan in 1963, and was told to meet with the budding producer who was on the lookout for a music director for his next film. The moment Bazmi revealed that the song Saeed was looking for was composed by him, opportunities opened up for Bazmi. Saeed had Nisar Bazmi signed for his film Aisa Bhi Hota Hai, whose soundtrack is still considered one of the best amongst Pakistan films.
Composed by Nisar Bazmi, Noor Jehan’s Ho Tamanna aur Kia, Ahmed Rushdi’s Tukra woh Chand ka and Rushdi-Noor Jehan duet Muhabbat me Tere Sar ki Qasm, still resonate with music aficionados. After the phenomenal success of Aisa Bhi Hota Hai, there was no stopping Nisar Bazmi, who utilized the talented vocals available in Pakistan.
Nisar Bazmi with Noor Jehan
All producers of the time were more than happy to have him on board, and he was at ease with all leading film directors and he was their preference: S. Suleman, Hasan Tariq, Pervez Malik or Ali Sufyan Afaqi. He was the choice of leading actors’ maiden productions, Shamim Ara for Saiqa and Muhammad Ali for Aadil. Cinematographer-turned- director, Raza Mir’s Lakhon me Aik would not have been such a big success had Bazmi not composed Saathi Kahan Ho, Chalo Acha Hua tum Bhool Gaye, Bari Mushkil se Hua and Halat Badal Nahi Saktay for him.
Poster of Lakhon Mein Aik
It was he who asked Ahmed Rushdi to change his style for the pleasant Aisay Bhi Hain Meherbaan, and later stuck with the most versatile playback singer for Lag Rahi hai Mujhay, despite the producer’s insistence for the more trained Mehdi Hassan. He had the audacity to select Runa Laila over Noor Jehan for films like Tehzeeb, Anjuman and Umraojan Ada, and gave opportunities to unknown singers like Mujeeb Alam (Lakhon me Aik 1967), Tahira Syed (Muhabbat 1972), Nayyara Noor (Aas 1973), Mehnaz (Pehchan 1975), Ghulam Abbas (Ajnabi 1975) and Alamgir (Jagir 1976) . Bazmi unified diverse music and contributed significantly to the Pakistani film industry during the 1960s and 1970s, establishing himself as one of the top music directors of that era.
Nisar Bazmi and Mehnaz
Who can forget Khilti Kali ko Dekh Kar by Runa Laila in the 1972 film Sabaq! The song was remixed in Saqib Malik’s 2019 film Baji, but it could not beat the original. His musical compositions spanned various genres, including classical, folk and popular music. It is difficult to decide which one sounds better, Rushdi’s rendering of Kuch Log Rooth Kar Bhi or Noor Jehan’s sad version, or whether Mehdi Hassan’s Ek Sitam Aur Meri Jaan is more tragic than the ghazal maestro’s Ranjish hi Sahi.
Nisar Bazmi with Runa Laila and Iqbal Asif
After shifting to Karachi in the late ‘70s, Bazmi concentrated more on television. Some of his famous milli naghmay (songs in praise of the country or nation) are considered gems, Ae Rooh-e-Quaid (Sajjad Ali and Benjamin Sisters), Hum zinda Qaum Hain (Tehseen Javed, Amjad Hussain, Fatima Jafri and Benjamin Sisters), Khayal Rakhna (Alamgir and Benjamin Sisters) and Mehdi Hassan’s Yeh Watan Tumhara Hai.
He even mentored many upcoming artists, who later became superstars in the field. Veteran singers Humera Channa and Ghulam Abbas consider him their guru, while Faisal Latif, Sadaf Munir and Tanveer Afridi learnt the basics of music from him. Tanveer, a singer-turned-Public Relations professional, is close to completing the ultimate biography of Nisar Bazmi. Based on his meetings with him, the book is titled, Kon Yaadon ko Zanjeer Pehnaye Ga, as a tribute to his melodious track from Shama aur Parwana (1970). The book, which has been in the pipeline for ages, is expected to come out on the 100th birth anniversary of the man whose legacy lives on through his timeless melodies.
Nisar Bazmi and Tanveer Afridi
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