New Delhi: Lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar, best known for penning memorable hits like 'Tujhse Naaraaz Nahi' and 'Tere Bina Zindagi Se' besides directing critically acclaimed films like 'Aandhi' and 'Mausam', was today chosen for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award, the highest official recognition for film personalities in India. The 79-year-old writer, whose huge body of work includes 'Mere Apne', 'Koshish', 'Khushboo', 'Angoor', 'Libaas' and 'Maachis' will be the 45th recipient of the award.
The award consists of a Swarn Kamal (Golden Lotus), a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh and a shawl. Gulzar said he felt "fulfilled" to get recognised for his work. "I am happy and honoured. It is national honor. It is a feeling of fulfilment of not one song, screenplay, but the total work one does. I feel blessed to get this honor. "I am thankful to everyone for their love and support. I am thankful to the jury members. It is a way of respect which says your work is loved and you are on the right path," Gulzar said.
A seven member jury consisting of eminent artists, after due deliberations, unanimously recommended Gulzar for the award, a statement released by the I&B ministry said here. Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra in 1934 in Pakistan's Punjab in pre-independence India, Gulzar and his family were among the many victims of Partition. The family moved to Amritsar but Gulzar came to Bombay and began to work as a garage mechanic while writing poetry in his spare time.
Gulzar started his career in 1956 and as a lyricist and got his first break in Bimal Roy's 'Bandini' and the song 'Mora Gora Ang Lai Le..'., filmed on Nutan, became an instant hit. He has worked with leading music directors like Sachin Dev Burman, Salil Chowdhury, Shankar Jaikishan, Hemant Kumar, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Madan Mohan, Rajesh Roshan, Anu Malik, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Gulzar developed outstanding creative partnerships with Rahul Dev Burman, A R Rahman and Vishal Bhardwaj. Apart from lyrics, he has contributed to several films as script, story and dialogue writer.
He is widely known for his outstanding work on the small screen where he directed TV series like 'Mirza Ghalib' and 'Tahreer Munshi Premchand Ki'. He wrote lyrics for several Doordarshan serials including 'Hello Zindagi', 'Potli Baba Ki' and 'Jungle Book' which too became very popular. Gulzar was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2002, the Padma Bhushan in 2004. He has won a number of National Film Awards and 20 Filmfare Awards. He won the Academy Award for best original song for 'Jai Ho' with A R Rahman for 'Slumdog Millionaire' in 2009.
