The person who made Rekha’s ‘Umrao Jaan’ a blockbuster, gave a debut hit in 1948, donated 10 crores at the age of 90

Mumbai. Today is the death anniversary of Khayyam, who made the film industry and the Indian audience dance to his tunes. Khayyam was a musician who beautifully weaved the voices of Asha Bhosle, Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammed Rafi in films. His full name is Mohammad Zahoor Khayyam Hashmi but he is known by his pen name ‘Khayyam’. When Khayyam started understanding his surroundings, society and himself, music became everything for him. Born on 18 February 1927 in Punjab, Khayyam was always fond of films and music.

There are many stories about Khayyam’s early life. In some he is described as a soldier and in some as a true devotee of music. Apart from these stories, Khayyam was only about music. A musician who was no less than a magician in any sense. When Khayyam fell in love with music, he himself did not know that one day his faith would make him the ‘pole star’ of the ‘world of dreams’.

In many interviews, Khayyam had told that in his childhood, he used to face scolding from his family members due to his passion for films. When Khayyam moved to Bombay (now Mumbai), he had more faith in music than in himself. Before Bollywood, Khayyam understood music from the famous Punjabi musician Baba Chishti and started honing his notes. He was sure that something will happen, something good will happen and his belief became a reality in the form of the film ‘Heer Ranjha’ in 1948 and successfully took incarnation on the silver screen. With the music of this film, Khayyam won over everyone’s heart. Everyone was becoming his fan.

For Khayyam, ‘Umrao Jaan’ was no less than a challenge. The magic of the film ‘Pakeezah’ was ruling the minds of cinema lovers. The fan following for its songs, acting and storyline was increasing with each passing day. Somewhere, ‘Umrao Jaan’ was also a film of the same background. Khayyam started studying history before composing the music for ‘Umrao Jaan’. He devoted himself completely. His hard work paid off and Muzaffar Ali’s film was released in 1981.

There is such magic in Khayyam’s music that whoever listens to it, becomes his. Khayyam became immortal by giving music in films like ‘Shagun’, ‘Phir Subah Hogi’, ‘Noori’, ‘Kabhi Kabhi’, ‘Razia Sultan’, ‘Umrao Jaan’, ‘Bazaar’, ‘Aakhri Khat’, ‘Trishul’. He was honored with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. In the year 2011, Khayyam was also honored with the Padma Bhushan.

Khayyam, a powerful character in the world of music, was also a kind-hearted person. On his 90th birthday in 2016, Khayyam donated Rs 10 crore. It is said that this amount was 90 percent of his wealth. In the last phase of his life, Khayyam was surrounded by many physical problems. He was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai, where Khayyam breathed his last on 19 August 2019.