Tributes to Bharat Vyas, the writer of the immortal prayer song “Aye Malik Tere Bande Hum” and many more classic songs in various films, on his 37th death anniversary today.
Tributes to Bharat Vyas, the writer of the immortal prayer song “Aye Malik Tere Bande Hum” and many more classic songs in various films, on his 37th death anniversary today.
Bharat Vyas was one of the most prominent lyricists of the golden era of Hindi film music, who wrote the songs for Hindi films in 1950s and 1960s. He is most known for his association with great director V Shantaram for whom he has penned lyrics for many memorable songs. His notable films are Navrang, Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Rani Rupmati, Do Aankhen Barah Haath, Kavi Kalidas, Saranga, Janam Janam Ke Phere and Stree.
Born in Churu, Rajasthan on 18th December 1918, he moved to Bombay after finishing his studies in Calcutta. Bharat Vyas entered Bollywood as a lyricist with Duhaai (1943) for which he wrote all the nine songs. The music of Duhaai attracted the attention of producer-director W. Z. Ahmed who owned Shalimar Pictures. At Shalimar Bharat Vyas started by writing 12 songs for film Prem Sangeet. The biggest musical success of Shalimar Pictures was Man Ki Jeet (1944) for which Bharat Vyas wrote two songs that became big hits — ‘Aye Chand Na Itarana, Aate Hein Mere Sanyya’. He developed a close working relationship with composer Khemchand Prakash, giving musicals like Ziddi, Bijalee, Tamasha, Muqaddar etc. The fiftees were the most productive years for Bharat Vyas. He worked with many top directors such as Bimal Roy, V. Shantaram and Vijay Bhatt. In fact, he had an uninterrupted success for two decades in which he wrote some of the most beautiful songs of films like Chandralekha, Parineeta, Toofan Aur Diya, Do Aankhen Barah Haath, Sahara, Anhulimal, Suvarna Sundari, Kavi Kalidas, Navrang, Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Rani Rupmati, Saranga, Janam Janam Ke Phere, Hum Hindustani, Stree and Boond Jo Ban Gayi Moti. He also tried his hands in film direction with ‘Rangeela Rajasthani’ (1949) and a few other Rajasthani films.
In spite of the success of many of his social films, Bharat Vyas got typecast as the lyricist for historical and mythological films and most of his 1960s output is in those genres. He continued to work all the way through the 1970s and early 1980s, but the number of films declined in this period.
Bharat Vyas passed away in Mumbai on July 5, 1982. At the time of his death, he was involved in a project of presenting the Ramayana in poetic form, to be put to music by Shyam Sagar. He was also directing two Rajasthani films.
A poet extraordinare, Bharat Vyas will be remembered for his chaste Hindi, and anyone who has a flair for this language, will quickly appreciate the genius of the man.
May his soul rest in eteranal peace.
