Gulshan Kumar Mehta is a Bollywood lyricist from the yesteryears. He is popularly known as Gulshan Bawra. Mr. Mehta aka Bawra was born in Pakistan. He was born in Sheikhupura that is a place about 30 kilometers from Lahore. Due to riots his parents died and he was primarily brought up by his elder sister and elder brother. They soon shifted to Delhi and he graduated from the Delhi University. It was during this phase that the certain seeds of creativity were sown and he started writing poetry.
Gulshan Kumar knew he was good. Good enough to step into Bollywood. He badly wanted to make his entry into films. Initially he applied for a job with the Railways and was posted to Kota which was then in Madhya Pradesh. Thanks to his luck, the vacancy was already filled. His next call was luckily that for the post of a clerk at the glitzy tinsel town of Mumbai and he arrived in the city in the year 1955.
Gulshan started his struggle in order to get a film break. Kalyanji of Kalyanji -Anandji fame, then on his own as Kalyanji Virji Shah, gave him his first break in Chandrasena (1959) in the song 'Main kya jaanu kahan laage yeh saawan matwala re' sung by Lata Mangeshkar.
K-A's first joint film was the Meena Kumari-Balraj Sahni starrer Satta Bazar . This movie provided Gulshan Bawra with his first brush with success and spawned hits like 'Tumhein yaad hoga kabhi hum mile the' (Lata-Hemant), 'Aakde ka dhanda' (Rafi) and 'Chandi ke chand tukdon ke liye' (Hemant Kumar).
The film's distributor Sme. hantibhai Patel christened him 'Bawra'. Mr.Patel was very impressed by Gulshan's lyrics . However he could not reconcile or associate them with a man as young as Gulshan.According to him Gulshan looked like a 'bawra' or a madman. The film was soon released in Mumbai. The poster carried just three names, those of director Ravindra Dave, composers Kalyanji Anandji, and Gulshan Bawra and this was to be considered a great achievement for Gulshan as there were a massive roster of lyricists included the topmost names of that time, Hasrat Jaipuri and Shailendra. He soon left his job in 1961 and fully dedicated to his art.
Gulshan Bawra has written a total of 240 songs in his 42-year career and he claims to have the highest average among lyricists. HE has been very selective about a film and composing for it.
His major hits include the following:
Mere desh ki dharti - Upkar
Yaari hai imaan mera - Zanjeer
Tu tho hai wohi -Yeh Vaada Raha
Aati Rahengi Baharen -Kasme Vaade
Kasme Vaade Nibhayenge Hum -Kasme Vaade
Jivan ke har mod pe mil jayenge humsafar -Jhoota Kahin Ka
Teri Badmashiyan -Zulmi
Waada karle saajana -Haath Ki Safai
Peenewalon ko peene ka bahana chahiye -Haath Ki Safai
Le pappiyaan jhappiyaan paale hum -Haqeeqat and more.
A major number of his songs were done with R.D.Burman. His last release was Zulmi in the year 1999 and his last hit was 'Le pappiyaan jhappiyaan paale hum' for Haqeeqat in1995. Even today, Bawra is selective and is doing only a couple of films only today as he finds today's filmmakers, music barons and composers musically - illiterate.
For plenty information on Gulshan Bawra browse through sitagita.com
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