In the world of Indian film music, some voices do not become old with time, rather they become deeper. Talat Mahmood had such a heart touching voice. There was pain, sweetness and also beauty of poetry in his singing, but very few people know that the voice which won the hearts of millions of people, once got only six rupees for his first song.
Talat Mahmood, who was fond of singing since childhood
Talat Mahmood was born on 24 February 1924 in Lucknow in an orthodox Muslim family. Music was not considered a good profession in his family, but Talat was fond of singing since childhood. He used to sit in the concerts which continued all night long and listen attentively to the great singers. There was a different kind of sweetness in his voice even at an early age. This sweetness later became his identity.
At the age of just 16, he started singing from All India Radio, Lucknow. He used to sing ghazals of poets like Mir and Daag. His first song was recorded in the year 1941. This song was for the gramophone company HFV and in return he got only Rs 6 as remuneration. In today’s time this amount seems very small, but that small payment started a big journey. His voice was liked so much that people started demanding more songs from him.
Musical journey started at the age of 16
In 1944, his song ‘Tasveer Teri Dil Mera Bahala Na Sakegi’ became quite popular. After this he went to Calcutta, where he acted in some films and also sang songs. During that period, he also used to sing under the name ‘Tapan Kumar’. In 1949, he came to Mumbai and from here his real golden period began. In the 1950s and 1960s, he became one of the most favorite singers of Hindi films. His songs like ‘Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha’, ‘Phir Wahi Shaam, Wahi Gham’, ‘Yeh Hawa Ye Raat’, ‘Milte Hi Aankhen Dil Hua Deewana’ and ‘Tasveer Banata Hoon’ fell into the hearts of people.
His voice especially suited actor Dilip Kumar. He lent his voice to many songs for Dilip Kumar, which include songs like ‘Humse Aaya Na Gaya’, ‘Ae Dil Mujhe Aisi Jahal Le Chal’, ‘Hum Dard Ke Maaron Ka’, ‘Koi Nahi Mera Is Duniya Mein’, and ‘Seene Mein Sulgate Hain Armaan’.
Sung for four decades and lent his voice to hundreds of songs.
The special thing about Talat Mahmood was that he used to read the lyrics of the songs very carefully. If he did not like the words, he would refuse to sing the song. However, with time the trend of music changed and fast, loud songs started being liked more. This slowed down his career a bit, but his recognition never diminished.
Talat Mahmood’s musical tunes still resonate on radio and TV.
He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India in 1992. This honor was a recognition of his long and brilliant contribution. He sang for almost four decades and lent his voice to hundreds of songs. He died on 9 May 1998 at the age of 74, but his voice is still alive in the hearts of radio, TV and music lovers.
