Today Roshan family — RakeshRoshan and Hrithik Roshan — is celebrating 106th anniversary of Roshan Lal Nagrath who is the father of the actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan and paternal grandfather of Hrithik Roshan, Roshan Lal Nagrath was an Indian esraj player and music director.

Popularly known as Roshan he was born on 14 July 1917 in Gujranwala, Punjab Province, British India (now Punjab, Pakistan). He was dedicated to music from young age. Being a music enthusiast, he attended Marris College in Lucknow, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh under the training of Pandit S N Ratanjankar (principal of the institute). Roshan also became an expert player of sarod under the guidance of Allauddin Khan, the renowned sarod player from Maihar. He started his career as an assistant staff to play esraj the instrument he used to play in 1940, under Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, programme at All India Radio Delhi. To seek fame and fortune in Bombay he gave up this job in 1948.

Advertisement

Career
Roshan came to Bombay in 1948/to find work as a Hindi film music director and became an assistant of music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar in the film Singaar (1949). He struggled until he met the then-famous producer-director Kidar Sharma, who gave him the job of composing for his film Neki aur Badi (1949) which was a flop but still Kidar Sharma gave him another chance in his next film. Roshan emerged as a player on the Hindi film music scene with Baawre Nain (1950) which became a big musical hit.

In the early 1950s, Roshan worked with singers Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, and Talat Mahmood. Malhar (1951), Shisham, and Anhonee (1952 film) were some of the movies that he scored during the 1950s. During this time, he also composed the Meera bhajan which became a run-away hit, “Aeiri main to prem diwani mera dard na jane koyi” sung by Lata Mangeshkar for the movie Naubahar (1952). He was not always commercially successful and popular like other music directors of his time but still made his mark on the Hindi film industry. He gave Indeewar and Anand Bakshi their first breaks in the Indian film industry as lyricists. Later, they became two of the most popular songwriters.

The 1960s was the golden age for Roshan and his music. His ability to mould folk music with Hindustani classical music became his trademark and resulted in successful movie musicals. Roshan gave hits such as “Na to karavan ki talaash hai from Barsat Ki Raat” and “Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi woh barsaat ki raat” (Barsaat Ki Raat, 1960). Barsaat Ki Raat also was a “super hit” film of 1960s

“Ab kya misaal doon” and “Kabhi to milegi, kahi to milegi” (Aarti, 1962), “Jo vada kiya vo nibhana padega”, “Paao chhoon lene do”, “Jo baat tujhmein hai” and “Jurm-e-ulfat pe” (Taj Mahal, 1963), “Nigahen milane ko jee chahata hai” and “Laaga chunari mein daag” (Dil Hi To Hai, 1963), “Sansaar se bhaage phirte ho” and “Man re tu kaahe” (Chitralekha, 1964), and “Oh re taal mile” and “Khushi khushi kar do vida” (Anokhi Raat, 1968). He composed some melodies for the movie Mamta (1966) with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri, “Rehte the kabhi jinke dil mein” and “Rahen Na Rahen Hum” sung by Lata Mangeshkar and her hit duet, “Chuppa Lo Yun Dil Mein Pyar Mera” with Hemant Kumar. Devar (1966): “Aaya hai mujhe phir yaad woh zalim, guzara zamana bachpan ka”; “Baharon ne mera chaman loot kar”; “Duniya mein aisa kahan sab ka naseeb hai”.