Tanvir Naqvi (born Syed Khursheed Ali; 16 February 1919 – 1 November 1972), also spelled Tanveer Naqvi, was a British Indian and later Pakistani film songs lyricist and poet.

Tanvir Naqvi
Syed Khursheed Ali a.k.a. Tanvir Naqvi
Syed Khursheed Ali a.k.a. Tanvir Naqvi
Native name
تنویر نقوی
BornSyed Khursheed Ali
(1919-02-16)February 16, 1919
Lahore, British India
DiedNovember 1, 1972(1972-11-01) (aged 53)
Lahore, Pakistan
Pen nameTanvir Naqvi
OccupationLyricist, Poet
LanguageUrdu, Punjabi
NationalityPakistani
GenresGazal, Nazm
Notable awards3 Nigar Awards in 1959, 1960 and 1971
SpouseEidan Bai (Noor Jehan's sister) and Tasneem Naqvi
Children4 (2 sons and 2 daughters)
Musical career
OriginIran
OccupationSongwriter
Years active1946 – 1972

He wrote lyrics for over 200 films, including Lollywood and Bollywood films. He made his debut in Indian cinema with Swami film directed by Abdul Rashid Kardar,[1] and later remained active in Pakistani film industry for over fifteen years. Naqvi earned recognition after writing "Aawaz De Kaha Hai" song for Anmol Ghadi (1946 film) and "Rang Laayega Shaheedon Ka Lahoo" song covering 1965 India-Pakistan war.[2]

Early life and career

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He was born in 1919 in Lahore, British India (in modern-day Lahore, Pakistan). He originally belonged to a family of Persian writers from Iran and started writing poetry at the age of 15,[3] He later married notable singer and actress Noor Jehan's older sister, Eidan Bai. His first poetry collection, Sunehre Sapne, was published by the time he was 21, in 1940.[3]

As a film songs lyricist, he started his career around 1946 at early age, but after moving to Pakistan,[3] he wrote lyrics for Urdu and Punjabi language films, including Pakistan's first feature film Teri Yaad. He also wrote for Salma (1960), Noor Jehan's first film exclusively as a playback singer.[1]

In 1933, he went to Bombay when the film director Abdur Rashid Kardar invited him there. Prior to his debut in films, he was writing ghazals, but later wrote songs for Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi films. He is also credited for writing lyrics for Pakistan's patriotic song titled "Rang Laye Ga Shaheedon Ka Lahoo", sung by Noor Jehan. He wrote this song from one of his poems. During his career, he wrote two prominent naats such as "Shah-e-Madina Yasrab Ke Wali" and "Jo Na Hota Tera Jamal Hi".[2] Before the split of Indian subcontinent, Naqvi was recognized one of the greatest classical writers in Punjabi poetry and literature between 1950s and 1970s.[4]

After partition, the Pakistan film industry didn't produce many films, and by the end of 1952, it had made only five films. Later, Khwaja Khurshid Anwar, a Pakistani filmmaker and a music director teamed up with several other people, including Tanvir Naqvi as songwriter. The team succeeded in making some films between 1956 and 1959, focused on psychological issues experienced by actors due to multiple cultural conflicts.[5]

Filmography

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Key
Remarks denote a short description of the work where available.
# Title[1] Year Type/Credited as Remarks
1 Anmol Ghadi 1946 Lyricist Wrote the highly popular song Aawaz De Kahan Hai, composed by Naushad for this film[2]
2 Jugnu 1947 Lyricist
3 Teri Yaad 1948 Lyricist
4 Naata 1955 Lyricist
5 Anarkali[3] 1958 Lyricist Wrote the song Kahan Tak Sunoge, Kahan Tak Sunauon, sung by Noor Jehan and music composed by Master Inayat Hussain[3]
6 Jhoomer 1959 Lyricist Wrote the hit song Chali Re Chali Re, Barri Aas Laga Ke Chali Re, sung by Nahid Niazi and composed by Khwaja Khurshid Anwar
7 Neend 1959 Lyricist
8 Koel (film)[3] 1959 Lyricist Won Best Lyricist Nigar Award for film songs in Koel (1959)[6]
9 Shaam Dhalay[3] 1960 Lyicist Won Best Lyricist Nigar Award for film songs in Shaam Dhalay (1960)[6]
10 Salma[3] 1960 Lyricist Wrote the film song Zindagi Hai Ya Kisi Ka Intezar
11 Gulfaam 1961 Lyricist
12 Ghunghat 1962 Lyricist
13 Azra[3] 1962 Lyricist Wrote Jaan-e-Baharan-Rashk-e-Chaman film song, sung by Saleem Raza composed by Inayat Hussain[2]
14 Seema 1963 Lyricist
15 Hamraz 1967 Lyricist
16 Behan Bhai[7] 1969 Scriptwriter
17 Att Khuda Da Vair 1970 Lyricist Wrote the highly popular film song Jadon Hauli Jai Laenda Mera Naam, sung by Noor Jehan, music composed by Bakhshi Wazir
18 Dosti (Pakistani film)[3] 1971 Lyricist Won Best Lyricist Nigar Award for film songs in Dosti (1971)[6]

Death

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He died on 1 November 1972 in Lahore, Pakistan and was buried in Miani Sahib Graveyard in Lahore, Pakistan.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kahlon, Sukhpreet (1 November 2017). "Remembering the progressive poet and thinker Tanveer Naqvi". Cinestaan.com website. Archived from the original on 23 February 2020. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Parvez Mahmood (13 March 2020). "Maestro of Indo-Pakistani Cinematic Poetry". The Friday Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Iconic Urdu poet Tanveer Naqvi remembered on birth anniversary". Pakistan Today newspaper. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2024.
  4. ^ Amjad Parvez (17 March 2019). "Remembering the iconic music composer duo Bakhshi-Wazir". Daily Times newspaper. Archived from the original on 16 November 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ Khurshid Javaid. "Revolutionary musician". The News International newspaper. Archived from the original on 27 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Pakistan's 'Oscars': The Nigar Awards (scroll down to read awards for 1959, 1960 and 1971)". Film Reviews on Hotspot Online website. 24 November 2017. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Classic film 'Behan Bhai' to be screened on March 18". Associated Press of Pakistan. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
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