Shakeel Badayuni: The man who gave films a poetic touch

April 20 was the death anniversary of the poet-lyricist. His exquisite lyrics continue to impress and enthral listeners

Recollect the song 'Tere husn se jo sanwar gayeen woh fazayein mujh ko azeez hain, Teri zulf se jo lipat gayeen, mujhe un havaon se pyaar hai', from the film 'Kaun Apna, Kaun Paraya' (1963); or 'Ab zamane ka dar hai na duniya ka gham, apni taqdeer par naaz karte hain hum' from 'Nartaki' (1963)? Sheer poetry, and that too in films.

Listen to Shakeel Badayuni's 'Zara sun haseena-e-naazneen', 'Zindagi ke safar mein akele thay hum', 'Dil laga kar hum ye samjhe', among others, and you'll be mesmerised by the poetic quality each song embodies, and smitten by the poetic genius of the poet-lyricist. When the music connoisseurs still love to swoon over, 'Tujh se nazar milaye ye kiski majaal hai’ from ‘Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya (1963), you will spontaneously doff your hat to the man whose romantic poetry produced these unforgettable gems. Can you ever forget the number 'Shikayat kya karoon' from ‘Kundan’ (1955), composed by Ghulam Mohammed, and penned by Badayuni? Or 'Husn wale tera jawaab nahin' from ‘Gharana’ (1961), or 'Na jaao saiyaan chhuda ke…’ from ‘Sahab, Bibi aur Ghulam’ (1962), composed by Hemant Kumar? When you listen to his 'Deewana kah ke aaj mujhe phir pukariye' from ‘Mulzim’ (1963), you will be emplaned to a world of ethereal romance. This song has a couplet, ‘Zulfein sanwarne se banegi na koi baat/ Uthiye kisi ghareeb ki qismat sanwariye’.

Badayuni was predominantly a poet whose chiselled poetry of love and romance got him accolades while studying at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). It's said that AMU in those days nurtured budding poets and was a veritable nursery for them. Badayuni got to hone his poetic skills at the university and didn’t compromise on his class, creativity and craftsmanship. This is also a reason you will not find a crass number by him. Whether it was 'Dil mein ek jaane-tamanna ne jagah payee hai' from ‘Benazir’ (1963) or 'Zindagi kitni khoobsoorat hai' from ‘Bin Badal Barsaat’, (1963), decency and decorum never left Badayuni.

During his Aligarh days, Badayuni also started learning Urdu poetry formally from Hakim Abdul Waheed 'Ashk' Bijnori. Badayuni wrote a number of immortal ghazals, 'Ae muhabbat tere anjaam pe rona aaya' and 'Mere humnafas mere humnawa’, to which Begum Akhtar lent her voice. Later, Farida Khanum sang this ghazal quite soulfully.

Badayuni struck the right note in his first film with ‘Afsana likh rahi hoon dil-e-beqaraar kam, aankhon mein rang bhar ke tere intizaar ka’, sung by Uma Devi, where he also forged a lasting partnership with Naushad Ali. Who can forget Badayuni’s numbers in the movies, ‘Sunghursh’, ‘Ram aur Shyam’, ‘Kohinoor’, ‘Dil Diya Dard Liya’, and ‘Ganga Jamuna’, among others? Can the listeners ever forget Badayuni's 'Koi saghar dil ko bahlata nahin’, composed in raag ‘Jansammohini’ or ‘Aaj ki raat mere dil ki salami le le…’ from ‘Ram aur Shyam’? The Avadhi gem from Badayuni's pen, 'Nain lad jai hai toh manwa ma' from ‘Ganga Jamuna’, still stays in the hearts of cinegoers despite six decades having elapsed.

Several awards and scores of hit numbers such as ‘Kahin deep jale kahin dil‘, ‘Chaudhvin ka chaand’, and ‘Husnwale tera jawaab nahin’ marked him as a good man for the job. His bhajan 'Man tadpat hari darshan ko aaj' from the film 'Baiju Bawra' (1952) and 'Suhani raat dhal chuki' from ‘Dulari’ (1949), place him on a high pedestal of cinematic poetry. It must be mentioned that Badayuni earned his living almost solely through his poetry, such was his prowess.