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Jailed Lyricist Penned Iconic Song for Raj Kapoor, Mukesh's Voice Still Superhit After 60 Years
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News18•21-09-2026, 07:01
Jailed Lyricist Penned Iconic Song for Raj Kapoor, Mukesh's Voice Still Superhit After 60 Years
- •Revolutionary lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri was imprisoned for two years due to his politically charged poems.
- •While Sultanpuri was in jail, his wife was pregnant, and his family faced severe financial hardship.
- •Raj Kapoor learned of Sultanpuri's plight and decided to help, commissioning him to write the opening lines of a song.
- •Kapoor paid Sultanpuri 1000 rupees, a substantial sum in 1948-49, as a discreet way to offer financial assistance.
- •Though the song's credit went to Hasrat Jaipuri, the iconic opening lines 'Duniya banane wale...' were penned by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
Key Questions Answered
Majrooh Sultanpuri and his friend Balraj Sahni were sentenced to two years in prison after people in power and administration disliked a revolutionary poem he recited at a laborers' meeting.
Knowing that the lyricist and his pregnant wife were facing severe financial hardship and that Majrooh was too self-respecting to accept direct charity, Raj Kapoor visited him in jail and gave him 1,000 rupees in exchange for writing two song opening lines.
Although Majrooh Sultanpuri wrote the famous opening lines, the film's producer Shailendra gave them to Hasrat Jaipuri to write the stanzas years later. When Majrooh was shown the completed song, he insisted the credit go to Hasrat Jaipuri.
