New Delhi: As the Bollywood music industry has boomed, the visuals of the past, when film producers, directors, and music producers were few and far between, have also been forgotten. While Roshan Lal Nagrath is known mononymously as an Indian ‘Esraj’ (classical musical instrument) and music director, he is also known as the father of actor and film director Rakesh Roshan and music director Rajesh Roshan, and the paternal grandfather of Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan.
Roshan Lal Nagrath, popularly known as Roshan, was born on July 14, 1917, in Gujranwala, Punjab, British India (now in Pakistan). Hailing from a Saraswat Brahmin family with a strong musical background, Roshan’s aptitude for music came to light at a very young age. He began his music lessons at a young age and later attended Marris College in Lucknow, where, under the training of Pandit Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar and renowned sarod player Alauddin Khan, he accomplished his musical training.
After joining as a classical instrument artist for All India Radio, Delhi, in 1940, Nagrath realized the need to represent classical music in mainstream Bollywood, subsequently quitting his job to pursue a musical career in Bollywood.
Shortly after reaching Bombay (Mumbai) in 1948, he became the assistant of music composer Khwaja Khurshid Anwar and received his first break into Bollywood with the film ‘Singaar” (1949). Following his initial success, Roshan struggled to find his footing until the famous producer-director of the time, Kidar Sharma gave him the job of composing for his film ‘Neki Aur Badi’ (1949), produced by Munshiram Varma.
Although the film fell flat at the box office, Kidar Sharma was amazed by Nagrath’s passion for classical music and granted him another opportunity to compose a musical scene for the film ‘Baawre Nain’ (1950). Under Nagrath’s guidance, the Hindi film music scene became a domestic chartbuster and established Roshan as an emerging classical music artist in Bollywood’s disco music scene.
His success made him the most sought-after music director of his time, with numerous collaborations with singers like Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mahmood, Lata Mangeshkar, and Mukesh. His music in films like ‘Malhar’ (1951), ‘Shisham’ (1951), and ‘Anhonee” (1952) also created a buzz in the Bollywood music industry, bringing about a freshness in the monotonous scripts typically being plotted by film directors at the time.
In the 1960’s, Roshan’s music reached new heights due to his ability to fuse folk music with Hindustani classical music. His remarkable adaptiveness in classical music became his trademark and resulted in many successful movie musicals like “Na to karavan ki talaash hai” and “Zindagi bhar nahi bhoolegi who barsaat ki raat” from the movie “Barsaat Ki Raat” (1960), ‘Ab kya misaal doon’,
‘Kabhi to milegi, kahi to milegi’ from the film “Aarti” (1962), ‘Jo vada kiya vo nibhana padega’, ‘Paao choon lene do’, ‘Jo baat tujhmein hai’ and ‘Jurm-eulfat pe’ from the film “Taj Mahal” (1963), ‘Nigahen milane ko jee chahta hai’ and ‘Laaga chuniri mein daag’ from the film “Dil Hi Toh Hai” (1963), ‘Sansaar se bhaage phirte ho’ and ‘Man re tu kaahe’ from the film “Chitralekha” (1964), ‘Oh re taal mile’ and ‘khushi Khushi kar do vida’ from the film “Anokhi Raat” (1968).
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In addition to creating sensational music in the Bollywood music industry, he also paved the way for younger, talented music directors to find their footing in Bollywood. He gave Indian poet and lyricist Anand Bakshi his first break into Bollywood’s music scene by referring him to the music director Nisar Bazmi for the film “Bhala Aadmi” (1956). In later years, Roshan collaborated with Anand Bakshi to make the superhit musical film “Devar” (1966).
He has also sung much popular qawwali’s like “Naa Tau Kaarvan Ki Talaash Hai” and “Yeh Hai Ishq Ishq” for the film “Barsat Ki Raat” (1960), “Nigahe Milane Ko Jee Chahta Hai” for the film “Dil Hi To Hai” (1963), and “Waqif Hoon Khoob Ishq Ke Tarz-E-Bayaan Se Main” for the film “Bahu Begun” (1967).
Roshan Lal Nagrath’s contributions to Bollywood Qawwali and literary classical music are invaluable. His compositions remain classics, and his influence on the industry is evident through the success of the artists he mentored. His life and work continue to inspire generations of musicians and composers in Bollywood.
