Bollywood’s ‘Ghazal King’ drowned his sorrows in alcohol and died at 51, was fired from B-grade movie in his final years

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Like many others during that time, he wanted to be a ‘singing star’, someone who could carry musicals on his shoulders. It was in the 1950s that he devoted himself fully to singing. “The mysteries of the mind, the interpretations of dreams and the monumental probing into certain aspects of my thoughts provoked me to concentrate on film music. Music was in my blood. Nothing could curb it from coming out. Destiny decided that I part with my musical gift to music lovers,” he said, explaining his preference for music over acting.

Always a melancholic man, Madan Mohan valued the importance of a sad song. “A light song, even the most popular one, hardly lasts for a year while a sad song survives for decades.” He also made it a point to not overextend himself, and worked, on an average, on three films a year. “Working at a stretch, day after day, is not my way of working. I need at least an interval of two months to abandon the mood of one film and take up another,” he said.

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By the early 1960s, his career had taken off, with films such as Anpadh (1962), Manmauji (1962), Aap Ki Parchhaiyan (1964) and Ghazal (1964). He was also acclaimed for his work in the film Haqeeqat (1964). In that same year, he saw the release of eight films featuring his music; these were titles such as Jahanara, Pooja Ke Phool, Suhagan, and Woh Kaun Thi? Madan Mohan forged enduring partnerships with Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, and Talat Mahmood. He won the National Award for best music direction for his work in the film Dastak. By the mid-70s, however, the industry had changed. Amitabh Bachchan was the biggest star in the country, and his action-packed social dramas the biggest blockbusters.

Music director Madan Mohan. Express archive photo

In an interview with Siddharth Kannan recently, Anu Malik’s brother, Daboo, recounted a story that Madan Mohan’s son told him once. “He said that Mohan Choti, who was making a very small film, signed him as a music composer. This was the final phase of his career. Distributors said that Madan Mohan makes slow music, and it wouldn’t suit the comedy film that they were making. He was removed from that B-grade film, and that was the biggest setback of his life.”

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Madan Mohan’s eldest son, Sanjeev, once recalled in an article published on his father’s official website, “I realised later that it was the lack of mass adulation that always caused him anguish and, over the years, embittered him. The man who was acknowledged as a genius by people who understood and appreciated music was never at the top rung in the hit parades or with the big banners or the big stars. One of the few times he made it to number one on the Geetmala was with ‘Jhumka Gira Re’, which even though a very popular song, was probably one of his lesser compositions.”

Sanjeev continued, “His films were rarely successful and often only remembered for their songs. Films that he worked hardest for, often ran only for a week at the box office and this harsh reality broke his heart – this was true for Jahanara, Dulhan Ek Raat Ki and even Chirag. He never got to work with the biggest stars – he never did a Dilip Kumar film, and only did a couple of films of Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand with small banners that are not even remembered today. His biggest hits are not visually remembered – but the songs have indeed endured the test of time.”

Hollywood actress Shirley MacLaine and music director Madan Mohan.

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Reflecting on his father’s love for alcohol, which would later consume him completely, he said, “Of course he enjoyed his evening drink – always the best Scotch whiskey for him, which he would pour for himself and his friends in the most expensive cut glasses. A particular musical decanter with a couple waltzing to music was his favourite and used to fascinate me as a child – and I would watch him drink, for the style with which he did it. I, of course, remember, that he would always make an exception, at the behest of my mother, to abstain on important religious occasions and also on the day of karva chauth.”

Sanjeev also recalled that his father would be ‘deeply hurt’ when a song of his didn’t receive the plaudits he felt it deserved. By 1970, when he won the National Award for Dastak, he had no interest in accepting the honour. “He almost didn’t want to go to New Delhi to receive his award. He agreed only when Sanjeev Kumar, who also won for the same film, cajoled him,” Sanjeev said.

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He wondered if his father’s ‘principles and self-esteem’ became hurdles in his path to commercial success. “Since he would not compromise with his melody, maybe he would choose to discontinue working with some filmmakers and this led to him losing out on some banners. In his last few years, while he did have a few good films, including Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Bawarchi, Gulzar’s Koshish and Mausam, Chetan Anand’s Hanste Zakhm, and HS Rawail’s Laila Majnu, he even found it difficult to get recording dates in studios. The young guard had arrived in the late 60s and was dominant in the early 70s. The number of films these composers were doing were many, and hence the few recording studios available, were booked by them for months consecutively. The Famous Tardeo Studios, Film Center, and the Mehboob Studios, where most of his gems were recorded, now had no dates to give him. This delayed his recordings and films and added to his bitterness, which remained in him till his sad and untimely demise.”

Music director Madan Mohan, music director Naushad and Anil Biswas standing behind is SM Ebrahim. Express archive photo on 15.02.1957

Madan Mohan’s younger son, Sameer, recalled noticing when his father’s health began to decline. “A year before he passed away, his health failed him. Three weeks before his death was his 51st birthday. He was in his music room. I called him up and wished him: ‘Father, you have crossed 50, we must have a big party’. To this he replied: ‘Son, you should have thought of this earlier. It’s too late now’. Somewhere he must have sensed that his time had come. His dependence on the bottle was growing by every passing day.” Sameer continued, “One day, when I came home from school I saw my father’s assistant Ghanshyam seated next to my mother. He told my mother that my father’s liver problem had resurfaced in the morning and he had to be admitted to Nanavati Hospital. My mother left immediately for the hospital but before she could reach there, my father had breathed his last. I went totally numb.”

Madan Mohan was only 51 when he died of liver cirrhosis. Sanjeev reignited interest in his father’s music and legacy when he recomposed old songs for Yash Chopra’s 2004 film Veer-Zaara. Lata Mangeshkar, who took it upon herself to look after Madan Mohan’s daughters after his passing, returned to sing the majority of the songs. In 2023, Pritam remixed a version of ‘Jhumka Gira Re’ for the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, directed by Karan Johar.