Khayyam: The Mercurial & Perfectionist Composer

Shaam-e-gham ki qasam, aaj ghamgin hain hum…

Remember the musicals Footpath, Phir Subah Hogi, Shagun, Shola Aur Shabnam, Noorie, Shankar Hussain, Kabhi Kabhie, Bazaar, Umrao Jaan and Razia Sultan... and name of Mohammed Zahur "Khayyam" Hashmi flashes to our mind like the smell of green grass in spring. He facilitated a melodious unfolding of the verses in their truest meaning and sentiments, composing music that connected to the relevant milieu. He was famous for creation of out-of-the-box mellow tunes that chimes the strings of heart like fresh air. He belonged to a generation of musicians who composed haunting melodies that were excellent in expressions and formed integral part of the film's story. His music was light on the orchestration, imbued with romance and emotion. The essence of Khayyam's music was yearning which was most succinctly brought out in his compositions. 

Khayyam was born as Sa’aadat Hussain in Rahon village of Nawanshahr district on 18 February, 1927. He often escaped to Jalandhar for watching movies. He cherished a dream of becoming a singer-actor like K.L. Saigal. However, his family was opposed to this idea. He ran away to his uncle's house in Delhi. Impressed by his passion for music, his uncle helped him to nurture it. Khayyam received his initial training in classical music under the tutlege of Pandit Amarnath and Husanlal Bhagatram. Later he became a student of Ustad Niyaz Ahmad Khan and Faiyyaz Ahmad Khan of the Kirana gharana. He went to Lahore looking for roles in films, but fate had something else in store for him. Impressing Baba G.A. Chishti by reciting a musical phrase, Khayyam succeeded in becoming one of his assistants but without any remuneration. Soon, he ran short of money and approached his brother, who admonished him. Desperate to earn money, he joined the British Army’s cultural troupe headed by Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

After a short stint in the Army, Khayyam came to Bombay and approched music directors Pandit Husnlal Bhagatram, who gave him break as a singer in ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (1947). He rendered a duet ‘Donon Jahan Teri Mohabbat Mein..’ with Zohrabai Ambalewali. During that time he also acted in SD Narang's film ‘Ye Hai Zindagi’, but his forte was music. He assisted composers Aziz Khan, Bulo C. Rani and Husnlal Bhagatram. He teamed up with Rahman and composed music under the pseudonym Sharmaji Vermaji for the film Heer Ranjha (1947). Most of its songs became superhit and topped the musical charts for years. Rahman moved to newly created Pakistan but Khayyam continued to compose music under the pseudonym Sharmaji for films like Parda, Biwi and Pyar Ki Baatein. The ghazal ‘Akele Mein Woh Ghabrate To Honge’ (Biwi-1950) became a rage.

Zia Sarhadi introduced him as an independent music director in ‘Footpath’ (1953) with his real name Khayyam instead of Sharmaji and thereafter he was always known as Khayyam. All the songs became popular but ‘Sham-e-Gham Ki Kasam..’ sung by Talat Mahmood turn out to be a classic hit, leaving a mixed sense of sadness, restlessness, waiting, yearning and unkindness in the minds of the listeners. The movie established him as an accomplished composer. He recorded a bhangra dance song ‘Shahron Mein Se Shahar Suna Tha…’ (Heer Ranjha) in the voice of Asha Bhosle and also recorded her first cabaret song ‘Arra Rum Rum Rum’ in Footpath.

After Footpath, he gave music in some routine films like Lala Rukh and Gul Bahar till the “Dawn”. He bagged ‘Phir Subah Hogi’ because he was the only composer who had read Fyodor Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, on which the film was based. Raj Kapoor preferred Khayyam for this movie to his regular music-directors Shankar-Jaikishan. Sahir and Khayyam wove magic with compositions like ‘Woh Subah Kabhi To Aayegi’, 'Phir Na Kije Meri Gustakh' and 'Aasman Pe Hai Khuda'. This film added a feather to Khayyam’s musical cap and he earned widespread acclaim.

His score in ‘Shola Aur Shabnam’ was memorable with two enduring songs ‘Jeet Hi Lenge Bazi...’ and ‘Jaane Kya Dhoondhti Rehti Hain..’ for which Rafi had to give 21 retakes. This film cemented his place in Bollywood and he reached the zenith of his career. Shagoon was a big flop but with great music. He chose his wife Jagjit Kaur for ‘Tum Apna Ranj-O-Gham, whose heavy voice and the notes of a piano gave a unique flavour. Khayyam followed it up with musical superhit ‘Mohabbat Isko Kehte Hain’ whereas ‘Aakhri Khat’ proved his versatility especially in the club song playing just guitar and trumpet.

The nine year interlude in Khayyam’s career remains a matter of mystery, B.R. Chopra was the first person to put young Khayyam on the payroll with Rs.125 per month and his brother Yash Chopra resurrected him. Considered to be a dead and buried identity, he rose like a phoenix with the incomparable musical score of Kabhie Kabhie (1976). The movie-buffs relished the conception and exemplary orchestration of this glorious soundtrack. The vocal and euphonic range snugly oscillated from adolescence to maturity in this musical bonanza of melodious songs ‘Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein’, ‘Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar Hun’ and ‘Tere Chehre Se’. Khayyam’s versatility in Kabhi Kabhi fetched him the prestigious Filmfare Award for best music direction. He was very selective while signing films, Yash Chopra's film ‘Silsila’ was first offered to him but he refused because he wasn’t comfortable with its theme.

The path-breaking opportunity came to Khayyam with a period flick Umrao Jaan(1981), the perfect marriage of lyricist (Shahryar), composer (Khayyam), singer (Asha Bhonsle) and the nautch-girl (Rekha). Asha Bhonsle crooning to the melodies ‘In Aankhon Ki Masti Ke’, ‘Ye Kya Jagah Hai Doston’ and ‘Dil Cheez Kya’ in a lower octave than her usual scale. All the songs/ghazals make one feel romantic; there is no noise, just heart touching music. Khayyam won his first National Film Award and second Filmfare Award for Umrao Jaan.  

Kamal Amrohi reposed faith in Khayyam for the music of ‘Razia Sultan’ (1983) after terminating the contract with Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Kamaal would sit with him for hours explaining camera angles to help him know the mood and spirit of the songs. The grand style of the film and its cultural milieu was truly reflected in its music as well. Khayyam's compositions reflected an eclectic mix of influences from Hindustani classical to Persian and Rajasthani folk. In the song ‘Ae Dil-e-Nadaan’ he gave more than one pause, each running over five seconds, to dramatise the lyrics. During Sahara's desolation and quietness, music also became silent. That little silence in between ‘Ye Zameen Chup Hai...' is a classic example of his intellect and calibre.

Khayyam also scored music for other successful movies like Trishul, Noorie, Shankar Hussain, Aahista Aahista, Bazaar, Chambal Ki Kasam, Nakhuda, Thodi Si Bewafaai, Dard, Dil-e-Nadaan, Baawri, Sawaal and Dil... Akhir Dil Hai etc. His curtain call as a composer came in 1990 only to return briefly for Rekha's ‘Yatra’ (2006) and Bazar-E-Husn (2014).

Khayyam had a poet deep within him and he used to literally “live” the lyrics used by him for scoring the music. He always preferred working with the poets rather the regular film lyricists. He worked with both the contemporary and legendary poets like Mirza Ghalib, Daagh, Ali Sardar Jafri, Kaifi Azmi, Shahryar, Mir Taqi Mir, Maqdoom, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Sahir Ludhianvi, Naqsh Lyalpuri, Nida Fazli and Ahmed Wasi to name a few. The legendary Faiz Ahmed Faiz commended Khayyam Saheb, a musician “Jo suron se shayiri karta hai” (who creates poetry from music).

During his inexplicably long pauses, Khayyam composed music for ghazals, non-film songs, devotional songs, Sufi songs and bhajans. The album “This is Mohammed Rafi” brought Khayyam mass recognition. He even composed for Begum Akhtar and C.H. Atma. The most notable was Meena Kumari’s poems ‘I write, I recite’. With Rafi he also recoded ‘Shauq Har Rang’. He got his wife Jagjit Kaur to render Meer’s ghazals. He set to music an exquisite collection of ghazals ‘Faakir’ penned by Sudarshan. A ghazal compilation ‘Asha aur Khaiyyam’ also did extremely well. He scored music for Kaifi Azmi’s album Shaguftgi. He set new benchmarks with bhajans like ‘Paon Padun Tore Shyaam’ and ‘Tere Bharose’ as well as ghazals like ‘Ghazab Kiya Tere Vaade Pe’. Khayyam has been a victim of the typical Bollywood syndrome: pushing yesteryear legends into oblivion. He did return after the long hiatus in 2008 when he composed music for a ghazal album Zah-e-Naseeb by Anita Singhvi. Khayyam has composed music for about 200 ghazal albums. He has also composed music for ten mega television serials including Great Maratha, Dard, and Jai Hanuman.

The magic of Khayyam’s melodies came from their uniqueness highlighted by his use of classical Indian sounds at a time when his contemporaries were experimenting with Western tunes to weave intensity into words. He carved a niche for himself in an era of maestros like S.D. Burman, Madan Mohan, Shankar-Jaikishan and Laxmikant Pyarelal etc. He lamented today’s music saying there is so much vulgarity in Hindi songs. These songs survive merely on publicity and marketing. Remix is nothing but shor-e-badtameezi. None of his songs have been attempted into remix-fusion because of its sheer purity and rhythm.

In his illustrous career spanning almost five decades, he was not prolific and scored music for 53 odd films. This is indicative how choosy, pricey and egostic he was about the projects. But oh... what a sublime music he has created… every composition is unmatched and fills the audience with a sense of purity. Great arrangers like Uttamsingh. Enoc Daniel, Amar Haldipur, Anil Mohile, Chris Perry. orchestrated his classic melodies.

The genius composer Khayyam has been bestowed with numerous honours such as Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contribution to creative and experimental music in 2007, National Film Award for Umrao Jaan (1982), three Filmfare Awards and the Lata Mangeshkar Award. The State Governments of Maharashtra and Punjab had also honoured him. In 2011, he was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award.

Khayyam married playback singer Jagjit Kaur in 1954. They had a son named Pradeep, who died young. He had once proposed to compose music under ‘Khayyam Jagjit Kaur’ but she turned it down. His house served as a study in simplicity with relics of all religions and multi-religious ceremonies were part of his daily life. On his 89th birthday, Khayyam announced the formation of ‘KPG Charitable Trust’ and donated their entire wealth to support musicians and cine workers in distress.

With the death of veteran music composer Khayyam on 19 August, 2019, an era of melody has come to an end. Always seen as the choice of discerning producers, he created evocative, soul-stirring music reminiscent of the era goneby and he has left behind a bouquet of mesmerizing songs that will always keep his memory alive for generations to come.