Madan Mohan (Kohli), the legendary music composer of Bollywood, created some of the most memorable songs, sung by the illustrious artists of his time. Even after 75 years since he composed his first independent song in 1950, his music continues to resonate—not only with people of earlier generations but also with the youth of today. His enduring popularity is evident in musical shows like Indian Idol, where contestants frequently perform his timeless songs. Our versatile author, Tish Malhotra, has written this article on Madan Mohan at our request, to mark his death anniversary on 14th July.
Madan Mohan : The King of Melody
Tish Malhotra
The song "Aap ki nazron ne samjha pyar ka kabil mujhe" from the film Anpadh seems to convey aptly the depth of love that melody king, music director Madan Mohan secretly cherished in his heart for millions of admirers of his chart buster compositions. There are many such hit songs that remind us the unique style of composing by the legendary Madan Mohan.
Madan Mohan sadly passed away at the young age of 51 on 14th July 1975. This year marks his 50th death anniversary. He was born on 25 June 1924 at Baghdad where his father was posted as Accountant General. Last year his fans celebrated his 100th birthday. His song, "Lag ja gale ke phir yeh hansi raat ho na ho shayad phir is janam mein mulakat ho na ho," truly captures the dilemma the birth and the death.
Madan Mohan was a naturally gifted genius music director who required minimal formal training. Madan Mohan was revered as the "Ghazal ka Shehzada" (Prince of Ghazals) in Hindi cinema. His compositions were marked by classical depth and emotional richness. Whenever filmmakers wanted to include songs that conveyed longing, heartbreak, or subtle romance, they would turn to Madan Mohan for his melodious compositions. He teamed with Lata Mangeshkar to come out with a number of soulful songs that keep haunting us even today. Take for example, "Hum pyar mein jalne walo ko chain kahan aaram kahan," " Aaj socha to aansoo bhar aaye," " yu hasraton ke daag mohabbat mein dho liye," " Tu jaha jaha chalega mera saaya saath hoga," "Naina barse rim jhim rim jhim," " hum hain mata-e-koocha-o-bazar ki tarah," " Rasme ulfat ko nibhaye to nibhaye kaise," " Hai tere saath meri wafa main nahi to kya," 'Naino mein badra chhaye," and many others.
He created the magic of many famous sad, romantic, sensuous and bubbly songs. But, of course, his unquestionable forte was the ghazal-based songs that keep fascinating us even today.
Starting as an assistant with the veteran music director Anil Biswas, Madan Mohan began giving music independently in 1950 with the film Aankhein. Prior to joining films, Madan Mohan joined the Indian Army as a Second Lieutenant in 1943 during World War II and served for about two years before resigning to pursue his passion for music. His brief military stint preceded his work at All India Radio and eventual entry into the Hindi film industry as a composer.
Interestingly, his experience with the army may have subtly influenced his compositions—especially in films like Haqeeqat (1964), where he created some of the most stirring patriotic songs ever heard in Indian cinema. These songs came out to be deeply emotional and patriotic, perfectly complementing the film’s wartime setting. Even after 60 years, the songs like “Kar chale ham fida jaan-e-tan saathiyo, ab tumhare hawale watan sathiyo’ are still played to rouse patriotic fervour.
He composed music for 93 released and 12 shelved films. But alas! He never received a Filmfare award for any of his songs, despite having a huge repertoire of outstanding and marvellous compositions to his credit. He, however, did get the prestigious National Award for music in the film Dastak.
A unique posthumous honour was bestowed upon him when in 2003 the Yash Raj Films paid him a special tribute by rediscovering his unused tunes and taking them in their film Veer Zaara. A similar gesture was repeated by the Yash Raj Films on the 85th birthday anniversary Madan Mohan by releasing a special album "Tere Bagair" that had 15 of his unreleased songs sung by Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosale, Mohammed Rafi, Talat Mahmood and Kishore Kumar.
The Filmfare award committee still has a golden chance to rectify the error of omission or commission by awarding a special postthmous award to Madan Mohan. This would indeed be the best hallmark to remember the tremendous contribution of Madan Mohan to the world Indian film music. Though Madan Mohan is not with us physically, his immortal songs would continue to be our genuine companions in various facets of our life.
Long live the memory of Madan Mohan who gave the divine and sublime music in tandem.
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*A Delhi-based freelancer.
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