New Delhi, Dec 25 : The only one to have composed for Hindi film superstars from K. L. Saigal to Shah Rukh Khan, he was skilful at seamlessly combining the melodies of Indian classical, the cadences of folk music from all over the subcontinent, and the harmonies of Western classical strains to entrance listeners, but Naushad had other accomplishments to his credit.

Especially, when still establishing himself in the Bombay film industry where he had just been around for a few years, he adroitly put a top film director, trying to interfere with his work, in his place.

Naushad (1919-2006), who was born in Lucknow on this day (December 25), recalled he was recording that matchless melody 'Jawaan Hai Mohabbat' from 'Anmol Ghadi' (1946) -- the swan song of undivided India -- when the film director, the redoubtable Mehboob Khan, strode in and began instructing the musicians and technicians on how to go about. He even asked singer Noorjehan to change a note here or there. All Naushad could say was "Everything would be carried out the exact way you want it, Mehboob Sahab."

However, the very next day, Naushad turned the tables. He went to the sets and was told by the director that they were filming the song he had just recorded. Asking the director's permission to see it through the camera, he started to ask the staff to move props here or there.

An irate Mehboob Khan caught Naushad by the ear and sought to give him an earful. "Hey you 'laatsahaab', who do you think you are? Scram, this is not your job. Your job is music direction, direction is my job," he said.

At this, Naushad quietly said that this was the admission he was waiting for, and Mehboob Khan also realised it -- and stuck firmly to his own role in the next seven films they did together.

To him also goes the credit of taking Hindi film music to a new high by successfully classical maestros such as Ustad Amir Khan, D. V. Paluskar, and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to lend their voices to it.

How Naushad got Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan to sing for 'Mughal-e-Azam' is a tale in itself, though it was the 'chutkis' of its director K.Asif - to flick off the ash from his cigarette and his sheer chutzpah that clinched the deal. The music composer revealed the entire engaging story in his inimitable style to former Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quarishi, then the Director General, Doordarshan, in an interview in 2002.

But, his journey to renown took time - he had come to Bombay as a teenager in 1937 and worked as an assistant to music directors like Ustad Jhande Khan and Khemchand Prakash, before being entrusted his first independent film in 1941. However, it was only his 13th film 'Rattan' (1944) that emerged as a mega-hit.

But, he could not revel in its success. Its popular tunes were played at weddings -- especially Naushad's own, but he could claim ownership as it was a time when careers in films were frowned upon and Naushad had to silently listen to both his (oblivious) father and father-in-law roundly abuse those who made it a profession. In fact, his family had said that he was working as a tailor in Bombay.

In his career, spanning till the middle of the 21st century's first decade, Naushad scored music for less than 100 films but these include gems like 'Anmol Ghadi', 'Shahjehan', 'Andaz' (the Dilip Kumar-Raj Kapoor-Nargis), 'Aan', 'Baiju Bawra', 'Mother India', 'Mughal-e-Azam', 'Kohinoor', 'Gunga-Jamuna', 'Ram Aur Shyam', 'Sunghursh', and finally, 'Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story' (2005), going in for quality, not quantity.

There were many films he refused as the makers wanted the entire music in a month, while he said he could take a month to finalise one tune!

While he made an enduring partnership with lyricist Shakeel Badayuni, especially when Mohammad Rafi sang the resulting song, Naushad, hailing from Lucknow - a key centre of Urdu poetry, was himself a gifted poet across from ghazals to 'nazms' and 'geets', and tributes to idols and contemporaries.

His collection of poetry, 'Athvan Sur' contains several ghazals and 'nazms' like 'Modern Music', which ends: "Sangeet hai ya koi kabarhi ki dukaan hai/Saazon ka faqt shor hai sangeet kahan hai/'Naushad' dua karta hai bas haath uthaye/Sangeet ki kashti ko khuda par lagaye".

One ghazal he used to quote often begins "Abhi saaz-e-dil mein taraane bahut hain/Abhi zindagi ke bahaane bahut hain", and then, in a probable reference to the traditional Indian element in his music, says: "Dar-e-ghair par bheekh maango na fann ki/Jab apne hi ghar mein khazaane bahut hain", before ending, tongue-in-cheek: "Hain din bad-mazaki ke 'Naushad' lekin/Abhi tere fann ke deewane bahut hain".

(Vikas Datta can be contacted at vikas.d@ians.in)

/IANS