G. M. Durrani

Ghulam Mustafa Durrani
درانى مصطفى غلام
ग़ुलाम मुस्तफ़ा दुर्रानी
Native name دراني مصطفی غلام
Also known as GMD, Durrani Ji, Durrani Sahab, G.M. Sahab
Born 1919
Peshawar, British India
Origin India
Died 8 September 1988
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres Bhajan, Filmi Devotional songs, Ghazal, Qawwali, Playback singing, Classical music, Patriotic song
Occupation(s) Singer, Music director, Composer, Actor, Radio Drama Artist
Instruments Vocalist, Harmonium, Tanpura
Years active 1935–1977

Ghulam Mustafa Durrani (1919 – 8 September 1988) (Hindi: ग़ुलाम मुस्तफ़ा दुर्रानी, Urdu: درانى مصطفى غلام‎, Pashto: دراني مصطفی غلام‎, Punjabi: ਗੁਲਾਮ ਮੁਸਤਫਾ ਦੁੱਰਾਨੀ) was a popular and legendary[1] Indian playback singer, Actor and Music Director. To his credit, He tried to make his own identity as a playback singer and not try to follow the K. L. Saigal type of singing. G M Durrani was notable for sad songs, romantic songs, patriotic songs, qawwalis, ghazals and bhajans.

He was also the most senior Punjabi singer-actor at that time after K. L. Saigal. He was Singer and Radio Drama Artist of Lahore station, Delhi station and Mumbai station of AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)). His native language was Pashto but he had a strong command over Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi. He sang in many Indian languages including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto language in Indian movies in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. After the 50s Durrani sang very few songs.

Early life

Ghulam Mustafa Durrani was born in Peshawar in 1919. He was a Pathan and belonged to the Mohammad Zahid Durrani Kabila. His was from a conservative family where even tea was not taken. Milk and lassi were the drinks of choice. When he used to go to those shops and some songs used to be heard, he used to hum along with them. Everyone used to say this boy should go to Bombay (Mumbai) as his voice was very good. The thought of becoming an actor entered his mind as well. He soon ran out of money to make ends meet.

Family and Marriage

The famous actress Jyoti who sang with him was impressed by the handsome pathan (G. M. Durrani) with the wonderful voice. Her real name was Sitara Begum. They fell in love and both got married soon. Jyoti was the younger sister of actress Wahidan who acted in many movies including Alibaba. Wahidan's daughter Nimmi was to become a big actress in the 1950s too.[2]

Career

In Peshawar

The last job Durrani did in Peshawar was of at a painter’s shop where an artist always used to hum the tunes of the songs composed by Rafique Ghaznavi. He also started imitating those songs and got appreciation from the colleagues which inspired him. Durrani started practising Rafique Ghaznavi’s songs and assumed him as his master. During this time, his father took him to another job at his uncle’s motor-part shop. But the artist within didn’t stayed long there and Durrani ran away from the home to Lahore with only 22 rupees in his pocket.

In Lahore

In Lahore, Durrani did odd jobs along with singing on radio. This brought him fame and passion for radio singing which took him to Delhi first then to Bombay. He came to Bombay (now Mumbai) on 14 April 1935. In Mumbai, he got somehow job at Mumbai Radio Station and from here he got recognition. Filmwallahs started calling him to sing.[3]

In Mumbai

His singing career started from AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)).[4] Durrani was discovered by film producer Sohrab Modi. Modi gave him his first chance around 1935-36 in the movie Saaed-e-Hawas, a historical under the music director, he classical musician Bundu Khan popularly known as "Taan-Talwar" Bundu Khan. It was a ghazal whose words went something like this "Mastonko shem farz hai peena Sharab ka, gutti mein meri padh gaya qatara sharab ka (The happy-go-lucky people imbibe liquor for euphoria but I drink because my first morsel of food had a drop of liquor in it).[5]

When Durrani came to Bombay playback system was not there and one had to act on screen. He didn't like running around trees and refused to work further. He faced a lot of difficulties and could not return as people would call him a “Kanjar”. Minerva was to close down soon too. He soon joined the Delhi Radio Station.

Durrani was working at the Delhi Radio Station where he got acquainted with poet Behzad Lakhnavi whose many ghazals had been sung by Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals) Begum Akhtar. He later shifted to the Mumbai Radio Station where he met a big personality at the time, whom he considered one of his ustad, Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari who helped the radio station come up a lot. His salary which was fixed at Rs 40 per month was soon fixed. Here he was working as a Drama Artist. He was soon counted as one of the best drama artist on the radio those days. Over a period of three years his salary had gone upto Rs 70 per month. But fate would soon call him back to films.

Later 1939-40, when the concept of playback singing started he was the first to lend his voice for a film titled Bahurani. The film was made by Sagar Movietone and its music director was Rafique Ghaznavi. Durrani was then working as a full-time artist in AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)). Those were British days and they were not allowed to do any private recordings. But Ghaznavi insisted. Durrani laid down some conditions, like; the recording should be fixed on a Sunday night so that no outsiders would be allowed to enter the studio. Secondly, he said that his name shouldn't appear in credit titles or on discs. The song was a duet with Miss Rose, an Anglo-Indian, who didn't have much experience as a singer. He was paid Rs.75 for the song as against his salary of Rs.70 a month at AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)). He then chucked up his job on 31 December 1940 and decided to concentrate fully on his film career.[6]

Thereafter he sang for, among others, noted music directors like Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, Naushad, Shankar Rao Vyas and A. R. Qureshi (Better known as Alla Rakha, Pandit Ravi Shanker's famous tabla accompanist) for films like Mirza Ghalib, Humlog, Magroor, Shama, Namaste, Sabak and scores of others. He became very popular. Many singers started their careers with him and he inspired many others too.[7]

He was the idol of Mohammed Rafi who imitated him in the initial days. Now what could be a better tribute to singer than that, that the symbol of divinity in the Indian Music Industry, Mohammad Rafi, followed him. In fact, in 1944 Rafi recorded what he considered his first Hindi language song for the film Gaon ki Gori (1944) for Shyam Sunder, "aji dil ho kaaboo mein to dildaar ki aisi taisi" with G. M. Durrani and chorus.[8] Similarly, Haye Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa, a duet with G. M. Durrani, was Lata's first song for composer, Naushad. Geeta Dutt [9]also started her career in her break through movie Do Bhai with the song Aaj Preet Ka Naata toot gaya for S. D. Burman.

Durrani has sung many songs during his career. His output later reduced. According to a story he was influenced not to sing for some time after his Hajj visit and Rafi then helped him get back to singing but by then his career was over. Music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar in his first film Kudmai (Punjabi-1941) took Durrani as his assistant and later gave him the film Angoori (1943) as music director.

It is said that many years later someone heard an old man singing in a recording studio for jingles in a corner. When he went to tell the old man what a lovely voice he, was surprised to see it was Durrani who had fallen on hard times.[10]

Popularity

G. M. Durrani was very famous as Radio Drama Artist of Delhi station and Mumbai station of AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)).

In the period of K. L. Saigal – Surinder, Khan Mastana and G.M. Durrani were also famous. G. M. Durrani was one of the 40s famous playback singers.[3] Durrani tried to make his own identity as a playback singer and not try to follow the K L Sehgal type of singing. G. M. Durrani was a legendary Bollywood playback singer.[4] His singing style was to inspire Rafi and others in the years to come. Later G. M. Durrani became a model to many playback singers who followed then. The soulful renditions of Durrani were to be reminded of by Talat's singing as well.

Mohammed Rafi was influenced most notably, by G. M. Durrani[11] on whose style he based his singing. He sang with his idol in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai" (Hum Sab Chor Hain, 1956) and "Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekhte" (Beqasoor, 1950).

As an Actor in Films

As Music Director

The legendary Filmmaker, Writer, Director and Music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar took G. M. Durrani in his first film Kudmai (Punjabi-1941) as his assistant.[12]

G. M. Durrani composed the songs in these films:

As a Singer

Songs for Film Actors and Heroes

Durrani's voice were picturised on heroes like:[3]

Songs with Music Directors

Durrani sang for noted music directors like:[6]

Songs for Lyricist

Durrani sang for noted Lyricist like:

His Few Songs

Solo Songs

Songs with Other Playback singers

Most of all the big playback singers of his time sang duets with him like:[16]

Songs with Amirbai Karnataki

Songs with Asha Bhosle

Songs with Bhupinder Singh (musician)

Songs with Faiyaz Mohammed

Songs with Geeta Dutt


Songs with Iqbal Begum

Songs with Kishore Kumar

Songs with Khan Mastana

Songs with Lata Mangeshkar

Songs with Mahendra Kapoor

Songs with Manju Das

Songs with Mohammed Rafi

Songs with Mukesh Chand Mathur as Mukesh (singer)

Songs with Noor Jehan

Songs with Parol Ghosh


Songs with Rajkumari Dubey

Songs with Sandhya Mukhopadhyay

Songs with Shamshad Begum

Songs with Sitara Devi

Songs with Sudha Malhotra

Songs with Sulochana Kadam

Songs with Suraiya

Songs with Talat Mahmood

Songs with Trilok Kapoor

Songs with Uma Devi (Tun Tun)

Songs with Zeenat Begum

Songs with Zohrabai Ambalewali

Famous Songs

Few of his famous songs are:[3]

Patriotic Songs

Devotionals Songs

Punjabi Songs

In 40s and 50s G.M. Durrani was the senior Punjabi singer-actor from Mohammad Rafi. K.L. Saigal died on January 18, 1947. Then G. M. Durrani was the most senior Punjabi singer-actor after K.L. Saigal.[26] Few songs are here:

Pashto Song

Filmi qawwali

Filmi-ghazal

Quran Khani

Singing for Films

  • Aaj Ki Raat (1948)
  • Aiye [49]
  • Aparadhi (1949 film)
  • Baghdad [52]
  • Bazaar (1949)
  • Bazooband (1954)
  • Bhai Jaan (1945)
  • Bharat Milap [42]
  • But Taraash (1951)
  • Chand (1944)
  • Chhed Chhad (1943)
  • Chhoti Si Duniya (1953)
  • Darshan (1941)
  • Doli (1947)
  • Dolti Naiya (1950)
  • Dukhiyari (1948)
  • Ek Din Ka Sultan [45]
  • Ek Roz (1947)
  • Gaon Ki Gori (1945)
  • Gokul (1946)
  • Hum Log [51]
  • Hum Sab Chor Hain [56]
  • Izzat [52]
  • Jalte Deep (1950)
  • Kaale Baadal (1950)
  • Khel (1950)
  • Koshish
  • Kudmai [41]
  • Kuldeep (1946)
  • Lakeeren (1954)
  • Lalkaar (1944)
  • Lara Lappa
  • Madhubala (1950)
  • Magroor [50]
  • Maang (1950)
  • Mirza Sahiban [47]
  • Nai Kahani [43]
  • Namaste [43]
  • Nargis [46]
  • Pehle Aap (1944)
  • Ramayan (1954 film)
  • Romeo And Juliet (1947)
  • Shair
  • Shama [46]
  • Sharda (1942)
  • Sohni Mahiwal (1946 film)
  • Sunehre Qadam [66]
  • Veer Arjun (1952)
  • Vikramaditya (film) [45]
  • Yateem (1945), etc.

Spirituality & Death

G. M. Durrani had become spiritually inclined because of which he slowly left the industry. In an interview with Ameen Sayani in 1978, He said that he got bored of the materialistic world (like bungalow, motors, cars and other luxurious items) of Bombay Film Industry and started avoiding the film career and film personalities. He started keeping a beard so nobody would recognise him. He sold his all luxurious items and started giving away money from the bank to various Faqirs. Finally, He shifted to a small house and opened a general merchant shop after taking a loan.[6] He died in Mumbai on 8 September 1988.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.hindilyrics.net/profiles/g.m.-durrani.html
  2. ↑ http://www.anmolfankaar.com/specials/ek-fankaar/112-g-m-durrani-the-forgotten-great-male-playback-singer-guzare-zamaane-ke-azeem-pratinidhi-gaayak.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://cinegems.in/g-m-durrani-biography/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.hindilyrics.net/profiles/g.m.-durrani.html
  5. ↑ "G.M. Durrani – Interview". cineplot.com.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 http://www.anmolfankaar.com/specials/ek-fankaar/112-g-m-durrani-the-forgotten-great-male-playback-singer-guzare-zamaane-ke-azeem-pratinidhi-gaayak.html
  7. ↑ http://www.veethi.com/india-people/g._m._durrani-profile-3529-24.htm
  8. ↑ http://www.sangeetmahal.com/hof/singers_rafi.asp
  9. ↑ http://www.geetadutt.com/gmdurani.html
  10. ↑ http://www.whopopular.com/G-M-Durrani
  11. ↑ http://www.mapsofindia.com/on-this-day/24th-december-1924-mohammed-rafi-legendary-playback-singer-was-born
  12. ↑ http://hindi-films-songs.com/k-anwar-2.html
  13. ↑ http://films.hindi-movies-songs.com/k-anwar.html
  14. ↑ http://shankarjaikishan.org/g-m-durrani/
  15. ↑ http://www.lyricsmasti.net/singers/g-m-durrani.html
  16. ↑ https://www.lyricsbogie.com/singer/g-m-durrani
  17. ↑ http://www.radjesh.com/Lata%20Mangeshkar/Lata_mangeshkar_1949.html
  18. ↑ http://www.gomolo.com/celeb/g-m-durrani-and-mohammad-rafi-songs-list/4786/28313
  19. ↑ http://www.lyricsious.com/mirza-sahiban-1947.html
  20. ↑ http://www.madamnoorjehan.com/her-life-and-art/her-filmography/her-films/110-mirza-sahiban.html
  21. ↑ http://www.shamshadbegum.com/her-career.html
  22. ↑ http://www.giitaayan.com/search.asp?s=G+M+Durrani&browse=singer
  23. ↑ https://www.lyricsbogie.com/movies/bharat-milap-1942/raghukul-rit.html
  24. ↑ https://www.lyricsbogie.com/movies/bharat-milap-1942/jhanananan.html
  25. ↑ https://www.lyricsbogie.com/movies/bharat-milap-1942/utho-utho-hey-bharat.html
  26. ↑ http://www.apnaorg.com/articles/aujla-9/
  27. ↑ http://www.lyricsindia.net/vyakti/478
  28. ↑ http://sabsongs.com/t-26781/quran-khani-songs-download.html
  29. ↑ http://www.sjmusic.org/music-score/singers/64

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