Bashir Ahmad (Singer)
Encyclopedia
Bashir Ahmad is a Bangladesh
i origin playback singer
for Lollywood
. He is famously known as East Pakistan
's (now Bangladesh) Ahmed Rushdi
because his singing style is inspired by Ahmed Rushdi. Born in India
, he migrated to Bangladesh and started his singing career. He got popularity when he sang playback hits in Pakistan
i films.
. He got lots of encouragement from him. In 1960, Bashir Ahmad migrated to Dhaka
.
In Dhaka, his mentor and brother-in-law, Ishrat Kalkatvi introduced him to Robin Ghosh
. Ishrat was writing songs for film Talash
, although eventually, Suroor Barabankvi
contributed more songs to the film. Robin Ghosh was making tunes for the film, and he gave Bashir Ahmed a chance to prove himself. Bashir Ahmed sang some numbers for Talash, including soft romantic one, titled Kuch apni kahiyye kuch meri sunyey, yeh sham yeh tanhai youn chup to na rehiyye. Bashir sang another most famous song, Main rickshawalla matwala, which those who have listened to it can never forget. He had two other songs in the film, both duets. With such a famous beginning, he was sure to stay on. Bashir was also a poet and a lyricist, with a pseudonym B.A Deep. Film-maker, Mustafiz, they contacted Bashir and asked him to write a song for his film, Saagar
, which he did, titled Ja dekha pyar tera, and sang it too. Similarly in Robin Ghosh's another lilting offering, Karwan
, in 1964, Bashir wrote and sang a memorable hit, Jab tum akele ho gay hum yaad aaein gay , which used to be played quite often during the sixties on Radio
Pakistan. So, he wrote film songs, as B. A. Deep, and also continued to sing as Bashir Ahmed for films like Saagar, Karwan, Eindhan, Milan
, Kangan and Darshan
. He won a lot of approval from the West Pakistan too at that time, for those songs in Darshan. The hits from the films were Yeh sama pyara pyara, yeh hawaein thandi thandi (singer Mala
), (Yeh mausam yeh mast nazarey, pyar karo to in say karo), (Tumharay liyay iss dil mein itne mohabbat hay, itne mohabbat kon karaya ga kahaan pao gay kis dil main ho ge), (Din raat khayalon mein tujhay yaad karoon ga, par naam tera lay kay main aawaz nah doon ga), (Hum chaley chor kar teri mehfil sanam, dil kahin nah kahin to behal jaey ga), (Gulshan mein baharun mein too hai) and (Chun liya ik phool ku), with Madam Noor Jahan
.
In 1971, when the situation worsened in Pakistan. Unfortunately, he was not encouraged in the industry as music directors considered him a pale version of Ahmed Rushdi (who remained the greatest singer in the history of Pakistani cinema) and the film Hill Station
songs, namely Mera dil na janey kub say tera pyar dhoondta hai and Mere seene per sar rakhdo remain his only contributions in this period. A film that was made on the Dhaka Debacle in the late70s, called Sangtarash, also included his numbers, namely Bol zara kuch duniya walay and Mukhrey mein chand, but the film, despite pleadings of the film-maker to the military regime of Zia
, remained unreleased. So, he went back to Bangladesh in 1975, and sings only private songs in functions now.
Bashir Ahmad, indeed, was a man of talent, which very few possess, having the qualities of being a good lyricist, an able music composer, a nice singer, but he did not achieve the rank, he in fact deserved.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i origin playback singer
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:...
for Lollywood
Lollywood
Lollywood refers to the Pakistani film industry based in the city of Lahore. The word "Lollywood" was first coined in the summer of 1989 in the now defunct magazine "Glamour" published from Karachi by a gossip columnist Saleem Nasir. The film industry in Lahore started in 1929 with the opening of...
. He is famously known as East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
's (now Bangladesh) Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
because his singing style is inspired by Ahmed Rushdi. Born in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he migrated to Bangladesh and started his singing career. He got popularity when he sang playback hits in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i films.
Career
Bashir Ahmad was born in Calcutta (Kolkata now) in 1940. He was crazy about music, and was accepted as a pupil by Ustad Vilayat Hussain at the age of 15. Later, he came to Bombay, and became a student of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali KhanUstad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was a Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala Gharana.-Early life and background:...
. He got lots of encouragement from him. In 1960, Bashir Ahmad migrated to Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
.
In Dhaka, his mentor and brother-in-law, Ishrat Kalkatvi introduced him to Robin Ghosh
Robin Ghosh
Robin Ghosh is a musician and music composer. Famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi has a notable contribution to Ghosh's success...
. Ishrat was writing songs for film Talash
Talash
Talash is the last book of Mumtaz Mufti, in which he has discussed different Islamic topics.-External links:**...
, although eventually, Suroor Barabankvi
Suroor Barabankvi
Suroor Barabankvi was an Urdu poet and lyricist from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India. His real name was Syed Saeed ur Rehman, but he wrote under the takhallus of Suroor meaning exhilatration, often implying a state of 'making glad' such as that caused through inebriation.He was also a film maker...
contributed more songs to the film. Robin Ghosh was making tunes for the film, and he gave Bashir Ahmed a chance to prove himself. Bashir Ahmed sang some numbers for Talash, including soft romantic one, titled Kuch apni kahiyye kuch meri sunyey, yeh sham yeh tanhai youn chup to na rehiyye. Bashir sang another most famous song, Main rickshawalla matwala, which those who have listened to it can never forget. He had two other songs in the film, both duets. With such a famous beginning, he was sure to stay on. Bashir was also a poet and a lyricist, with a pseudonym B.A Deep. Film-maker, Mustafiz, they contacted Bashir and asked him to write a song for his film, Saagar
Saagar
Saagar is a 1985 Bollywood film directed by Ramesh Sippy. The film stars Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia along with Kamal Hassan.Saagar was a comeback film for Kapadia, and contained a fleeting topless shot of her...
, which he did, titled Ja dekha pyar tera, and sang it too. Similarly in Robin Ghosh's another lilting offering, Karwan
Karwan
Karwan is a major suburb in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is a part of the old city of Hyderabad.It is 10 km away from the IT hubs like Gachibowli, HITECH City etc.-Culture:...
, in 1964, Bashir wrote and sang a memorable hit, Jab tum akele ho gay hum yaad aaein gay , which used to be played quite often during the sixties on Radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
Pakistan. So, he wrote film songs, as B. A. Deep, and also continued to sing as Bashir Ahmed for films like Saagar, Karwan, Eindhan, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Kangan and Darshan
Darshan
or Darshan is a Sanskrit term meaning "sight" , vision, apparition, or glimpse. It is most commonly used for "visions of the divine" in Hindu worship, e.g. of a deity , or a very holy person or artifact...
. He won a lot of approval from the West Pakistan too at that time, for those songs in Darshan. The hits from the films were Yeh sama pyara pyara, yeh hawaein thandi thandi (singer Mala
Mala (Pakistani singer)
Naseem Nazli popularly called Mala was a Pakistani playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films. In 1960s, Mala had a hit pair with famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and they gave numorous hits to Pakistan film industry. She sung many super hit songs in almost two decades singing career in the...
), (Yeh mausam yeh mast nazarey, pyar karo to in say karo), (Tumharay liyay iss dil mein itne mohabbat hay, itne mohabbat kon karaya ga kahaan pao gay kis dil main ho ge), (Din raat khayalon mein tujhay yaad karoon ga, par naam tera lay kay main aawaz nah doon ga), (Hum chaley chor kar teri mehfil sanam, dil kahin nah kahin to behal jaey ga), (Gulshan mein baharun mein too hai) and (Chun liya ik phool ku), with Madam Noor Jahan
Noor Jahan
Noor Jahan can refer to:*Nur Jehan , Mughal empress*Noor Jehan , Pakistani singer and actress...
.
In 1971, when the situation worsened in Pakistan. Unfortunately, he was not encouraged in the industry as music directors considered him a pale version of Ahmed Rushdi (who remained the greatest singer in the history of Pakistani cinema) and the film Hill Station
Hill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
songs, namely Mera dil na janey kub say tera pyar dhoondta hai and Mere seene per sar rakhdo remain his only contributions in this period. A film that was made on the Dhaka Debacle in the late70s, called Sangtarash, also included his numbers, namely Bol zara kuch duniya walay and Mukhrey mein chand, but the film, despite pleadings of the film-maker to the military regime of Zia
Zia
The Zia are an indigenous tribe centered at Zia Pueblo, an Indian reservation in New Mexico, U.S. The Zia are known for their pottery and use of the Sun symbol...
, remained unreleased. So, he went back to Bangladesh in 1975, and sings only private songs in functions now.
Bashir Ahmad, indeed, was a man of talent, which very few possess, having the qualities of being a good lyricist, an able music composer, a nice singer, but he did not achieve the rank, he in fact deserved.