Remembering Anwar Sagar: An accomplished lyricist who made an impact in Hindi cinema

Noted lyricist Anwar Sagar, who was an integral part of the Hindi film industry, passed away on Wednesday (June 4) in Mumbai leaving music lovers heartbroken. Hailing from a relatively humble background, he began his Bollywood career with the 1982 release Zakhmee Insaan, starring actor Shakti Kapoor and Javed Khan. The film’s tunes were composed by Nadeem-Shravan, who later emerged as one of the most sought-after composer-duos in the industry, and clicked with a section of the audience. The album brought together ace singers such as Amit Kumar, Suresh Wadkar and Kavita Krishnamurthy and this was one of its big highlights.

Thereafter, he penned songs for movies like Dil Ka Kya Kasoor (starring Divya Bharti), Yaarana and Ajay Devgn’s Vijaypath and established himself as a force to be reckoned with. It was, however, the popular Waada Raha Sanam track from Akshay Kumar’s Khiladi (1992) that proved to be a gamechanger for the lyricist. Many consider it to be one of the finest works of his career. The Yeh Dua Hai number from Sapne Saajan Ke too hit the right notes.

He also wrote a song in the 1994 release Main Khiladi Tu Anari, starring Akshay Kumar and Shilpa Shetty, but it was not used in the final cut.

During his career, he collaborated with music composers such as Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit and Sanjeev-Darshan and proved that he belonged to the big leagues.

After being in the industry for two decades, Anwar moved away from the limelight to focus on his personal life. The Rulati Hain Mohabbatein song from Fardeen Khan’s Kitne Door Kitne Paas was the last major release of his career. It was composed by Sanjeev-Darshan and sung by music sensation KK.

His death is a big loss for the film world and the music fraternity. He will be missed.

Also read: Veteran Bollywood lyricist Anwar Sagar passes away