Anwar (singer)
Encyclopedia
Anwar Hussain, known more by his first name "Anwar", is a playback singer
who rose to prominence in the Hindi playback industry because of the uncanny resemblance of his voice with that of singer Mohammed Rafi
.
in 1949; his father was an accomplished harmonium
player and an assistant music director to the famed Ghulam Haider
. He was classically trained by Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan, incidentally same musical academy that produced the legendary playback singer Mahendra Kapoor
. Anwar started singing Mohammad Rafi songs at various concerts. It was during one of those musical shows that Anwar was spotted by the music director Kamal Rajasthani, who gave him a chance to sing for his film Mere Gharib Nawaz. The song was Kasme Hum Apni Jaan Ki. Mohammad Rafi personally acclaimed and congratulated Anwar.
Very few people know that Anwar is step brother of Arshad Warsi and noted actress of its time Asha Sachdev.
hired Anwar to sing for Film Janta Hawaldar, the songs Teri Aankhon Ki Chahat, and Humse Ka Bhool Hui, were picturised on famous actor Rajesh Khanna
. Both the film and song were super hit; hence Anwar started getting work and recognition.
Music Director Kamal Rajasthani relates that during the recording sessions of song Kasme Hum Apno Jaan Ki, Mohammed Rafi
was so impressed that he described Anwar as the one singer who could take his place after him.
Anwar sang duets alongside the majestic playback singers Lata Mangeshkar
, Asha Bhosle
to Alka Yagnik
, under music directors Khayyam
, Laxmikant Pyarelal
, Kalyanji Anandji
to Bappi Lahiri
, Anu Malik
and present Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen. In a career span stretching over thirty years, Anwar sang a variety of songs including filmi
songs, classical songs and contemporary ghazals, bhajans, qawwali
, and Sufi songs.
music industry, Anwar got bored of the music being churned out and took a break from playback singing and settled in the United States of America, concentrating on live stage performances. However, he later returned to Mumbai.
In 2004 Anwar composed an album called "Meri Aashiqui Se Pehle" broadcasted on popular RKB show of Sahara Channel
. All the songs in the album were mesmerising so much so that one would sense the magic of Mohammad Rafi and appreciate Anwar's talent.
Presently Anwar is busy performing live concerts, cutting albums and occasionally when suitable playback singing. In 2006, Anwar recorded a Sufi song for music director Dilip Sameer Sen in film Kabhi Pyar kiya. His latest release album is Tohfa. He sung "Yun Zaher Zindagi Ka Piye Ja Raha Hoon Main.." is a classic and let you remember Rafi. This song has real touch of Anwar.
Other Selected Hit Songs:
Selected Classical Ghazals:
Selected Contemporary Ghazals:
Contemporary Ghazal Albums:
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
who rose to prominence in the Hindi playback industry because of the uncanny resemblance of his voice with that of singer Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
.
Early years
Anwar was born in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in 1949; his father was an accomplished harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
player and an assistant music director to the famed Ghulam Haider
Ghulam Haider
Ghulam Haider was an early film music composer who worked both in India and Pakistan. Ghulam Haider was born in Hyderabad, Sind in 1908.-Erly Life:...
. He was classically trained by Ustad Abdul Rehman Khan, incidentally same musical academy that produced the legendary playback singer Mahendra Kapoor
Mahendra Kapoor
Mahendra Kapoor was an Indian playback singer.In a career spanning five decades, his repertoire extended to 25,000 songs in various regional languages, including memorable hits like ‘Chalo ek baar phir se Ajnabi ban jayen hum dono’ Gumrah, ‘Neele gagan ke taale’ Hamraaz, and in various...
. Anwar started singing Mohammad Rafi songs at various concerts. It was during one of those musical shows that Anwar was spotted by the music director Kamal Rajasthani, who gave him a chance to sing for his film Mere Gharib Nawaz. The song was Kasme Hum Apni Jaan Ki. Mohammad Rafi personally acclaimed and congratulated Anwar.
Very few people know that Anwar is step brother of Arshad Warsi and noted actress of its time Asha Sachdev.
Rise to fame
In 1977, comedian Mehmood and music director Rajesh RoshanRajesh Roshan
Rajesh Roshan is a Hindi cinema music composer.-Personal life:Rajesh Roshan is the son of Hindi film composer Roshan and younger brother of film director and actor Rakesh Roshan...
hired Anwar to sing for Film Janta Hawaldar, the songs Teri Aankhon Ki Chahat, and Humse Ka Bhool Hui, were picturised on famous actor Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
. Both the film and song were super hit; hence Anwar started getting work and recognition.
Music Director Kamal Rajasthani relates that during the recording sessions of song Kasme Hum Apno Jaan Ki, Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
was so impressed that he described Anwar as the one singer who could take his place after him.
Anwar sang duets alongside the majestic playback singers Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
, Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
to Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award as well as a two-time recipient of the prestigious National Film Awards...
, under music directors Khayyam
Mohammed Zahur Khayyam
Mohammed Zahur "Khayyam" Hashmi, better known as Khayyam, is an Indian music composer whose career spanned four decades .He has won three Filmfare Awards for Best Music in 1977 for Kabhi Kabhie and 1982 for Umrao Jaan, and a lifetime achievement award in 2010...
, Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant Pyarelal
Laxmikant-Pyarelal were a popular Indian composer duo, consisting of Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar and Pyarelal Ramprasad Sharma . They composed music for about 635 Hindi movies from 1963 to 1998, working for almost all notable filmmakers including Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Feroze Khan, B.R...
, Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji is a name used by Indian composer duo known for its work on Hindi film soundtracks, particularly action potboilers in the 1970s. The name comes from first names of the two Gujarati brothers that formed the duo, Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah...
to Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri
Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri , born 27 November 1952, is a music director in the Hindi film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.-Early...
, Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...
and present Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen. In a career span stretching over thirty years, Anwar sang a variety of songs including filmi
Filmi
Filmi is Indian popular music as written and performed for Indian cinema. Music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playback singers and it makes up 72% of the music sales in India....
songs, classical songs and contemporary ghazals, bhajans, qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
, and Sufi songs.
Sabbatical
When the remix revolution started making inroads into the bollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
music industry, Anwar got bored of the music being churned out and took a break from playback singing and settled in the United States of America, concentrating on live stage performances. However, he later returned to Mumbai.
In 2004 Anwar composed an album called "Meri Aashiqui Se Pehle" broadcasted on popular RKB show of Sahara Channel
Sahara One
Sahara One is an Indian Hindi general entertainment channel based in Mumbai. It is operated by Sahara India Pariwar, a company formed by Subrato Roy Sahara who is a managing worker and chairman of the Sahara India Pariwar....
. All the songs in the album were mesmerising so much so that one would sense the magic of Mohammad Rafi and appreciate Anwar's talent.
Presently Anwar is busy performing live concerts, cutting albums and occasionally when suitable playback singing. In 2006, Anwar recorded a Sufi song for music director Dilip Sameer Sen in film Kabhi Pyar kiya. His latest release album is Tohfa. He sung "Yun Zaher Zindagi Ka Piye Ja Raha Hoon Main.." is a classic and let you remember Rafi. This song has real touch of Anwar.
Notable songs
Film songs:- Humse Ka Bhool Hui, Jo Yeh Sajaa Hum Ka Mili(Film :Janta Havaldar, starring Rajesh KhannaRajesh KhannaRajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
) - Ek Akela Man Ka Panchchi(Film :SardarSardarSardar is a title of Indo-Aryan origin that was originally used to denote feudal princes, noblemen, and other aristocrats. It was later applied to indicate a Head of State, a Commander-in-chief, and an Army military rank...
) - Sohni Meri Sohni.. Rab se jiyada tera naam leta hoon(Film :Sohni MahiwalSohni MahiwalSohni Mahiwal and is included in seven popular tragic romances from Sindh and Baluchistan. The other six are Momal Rano, Umar Marvi, LiLa Chanesar, Noori Jam Tamachi, Sassi Punnun and Dhaj, Ror Kumar commonly known as Seven Queens of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai...
, starring Sunny DeolSunny DeolSunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
) - Yeh pyar tha ya kuchh aur tha (Film : Premrog Rishi Kapoor)
- Nazar Se Phool Chunti Hai (Film: Ahista Ahista1981)
- Mohabbat Ab Tijarat (Film: ArpanArpanArpan is 1983 Hindi language movie directed by J. Om Prakash and starring Jeetendra, Reena Roy, Raj Babbar, Parveen Babi.-Cast:Jeetendra - Anil Verma, Reena Roy - Shobha, Raj Babbar - J.K., Parveen Babi - Sona, Shashi Puri - Rakesh, Priti Sapru - Vinnie Verma.-Plot:Anil and Shobha are in love. Anil...
,starring JeetendraJeetendraJeetendra born Ravi Kapoor is an Indian actor and television producer...
) - Rab Ne Banaya Mujhe Tere Liye (Film: Heer RanjhaHeer RanjhaFor 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see Heer Raanjha.Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiba, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by Waris Shah...
1992, starring Anil KapoorAnil KapoorAnil Kapoor is an Indian actor and producer who mainly appears in Bollywood films. He won a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Yash Chopra's film Mashaal ....
) - Zindagi Imtihan Leti hai (Film: Naseeb, starring Amitabh BachchanAmitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
) - Hathon Ki Chand Lakiron Ka (Film: VidhaataVidhaataVidhaata is a 1982 Bollywood movie directed by Subhash Ghai and produced by Gulshan Rai's company Trimurti Films. It stars Dilip Kumar, Sanjay Dutt and Padmini Kolhapure in lead roles, and, Shammi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Amrish Puri, Madan Puri, Suresh Oberoi and Sarika in supporting...
, starring Dilip KumarDilip KumarDilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
) - Shair Bana Diya (Film: Yeh Ishq Nahin Ahsaan, starring Rishi KapoorRishi KapoorRishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
) and many more.
Other Selected Hit Songs:
- Chand Se Phool Talak (Film Jaan-E-Wafa)
- Yeh Husn Yeh Shabab (Film Shiv Charan)
- Mere Khayalon Ki Rehguzar (Film Yeh Ishq Nahin Asaan)
- Mausam Mausam lovely Mausam (Film Thodisi Bewafai)
- Ek Pal Hasna (Film Bahar Aane Tak)
- Huzoor Aap Yeh Tohfa (Film SafarSafarSafar is the second month in the Islamic calendar.The root of the name, صفر ṣafr, has three basic areas of meaning: 1) whistle, hiss, chirp; 2) be yellow, pale ; 3) to be empty, devoid, vacant...
) - Kahan Jateho Ruk Jao (Film Dulha Bikta Hai)
- O Saathi Re (Film CobraCobraCobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
) - Maine Zameen Per Chand (Film Parbat ke Us Paar)
- Dil Toot Gaya Hai Apna (Film Anokha Insaan)
- Ruk Ja Saathi (Door Desh)
- Uthao Jaam Masti Mein (Film Beshak)
- Kisi Soorat (Film Awara Zindagi)
- O Jaane Jaana Jaane Bahara (Film PratigyabadhPratigyabadhPratigyabadh is a 1991 Hindi film directed by Ravi Chopra. It stars Sunil Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, Kumar Gaurav, Beena Banerjee and Neelam Kothari.-Plot:...
) - Main Tere Paas Hoon (Film Do Disayen)
- Lagi Re Mehndi (Film Maqqar)
- Jab Aaye Aise Pal Kabhi (Film Yudhpath)
- Yeh Safar Bhi Kitna Suhana Hai (Film SawaalSawaal (film)Sawaal is a Hindi film produced by Yash Chopra and directed by Ramesh Talwar, released in 1982. The music was composed by Khayyam and the lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Despite an all-star cast, it did not succeed at the box office.-Plot :...
) - Ek Taj Mahal Dil Mein (Film Kasak)
- Tumhen Jhamgata Ashikon ka (Film Padosi Ki Biwi)
- Hum Unki Aarzoo Mein (Film Noor E Illahi)
- Dil Diwano Ka Dola (Film TahalkaTahalkaTahalka is a 1992 Bollywood film starring Dharmendra....
) - Main Faqeer Ishq Mera (Film Ishq Khuda Hai)
- Aag Hawa Mitti Aur Paani (Film Heer RanjhaHeer RanjhaFor 1970 Hindi movie of same name and characters, see Heer Raanjha.Heer Ranjha is one of the four popular tragic romances of the Punjab. The other three are Mirza Sahiba, Sassi Punnun and Sohni Mahiwal. There are several poetic narrations of the story, the most famous being 'Heer' by Waris Shah...
1992) - Jaa Meri Deeye Ladli (PunjabiPunjabi languagePunjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
Film SarpanchSarpanchA sarpanch is a democratically elected head of a village level statutory institution of local self-government called the gram panchayat in India and Pakistan. He, together with other elected Panchas , constitute the Gram Panchayat. The Sarpanch is the focal point of contact between government...
) - Ek Gal Das Mainu Bottle (Punjabi Film Sarpanch)
Selected Classical Ghazals:
- Bahar Aai Hai Bharde
- Aap Ka Aitbar Kaon Kare
- Tarkh-E-Mohabbat
- Tu Hi Apne Hath Se
- Phool Si Soorat
Selected Contemporary Ghazals:
- Lab Pe Tere Iqraar E Mohabbat
- Yeh Kafas Hi Mujhko Aziz Hai
- Jabse Qareeb Hoke Chale
- Ghadiyan Ginte Din Beete
Contemporary Ghazal Albums:
- NagmaNagmaNandita Morarji better known as Nagma . At her peak in the 1990s, The Hindu stated that she "dominated Telugu and Tamil cinema" with her movies Killer, Gharana Mogudu, Kadhalan, Baashha and many others...
- Mehboob Mere
- Tohfa