He was the man behind the success of some of Hindi cinema's masterpieces. And a pall of gloom descended on Bollywood when he bid his final goodbye. Born on January 16, 1926 in Lahore, Omkar Prasad Nayyar started his film music with the background score for the film Kaneez (1949).
Director Guru Dutt's Aar Paar (1954) was his first major success. This led to his successful partnership with Dutt on films like Mr And Mrs 55 and CID.
At the height of his reign as the leading composer of Hindi film music, he was was the first music director to command the figure of Rs 100,000 -- a very substantial sum in the early 1950s.
Extensive use of the typical Punjabi rhythm was the main characteristic of Nayyar's music, and among his evergreen tunes were Kahin Pe Nigahen Kanhi Pe Nishana (CID), Mang Ke Saath Tumhara (Naya Daur) and Ello Main Hari Piyan (Aar Paar).
Nayyar worked extensively with singers Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle and Mohammed Rafi, but never with Lata Mangeshkar. Though he mostly composed music for north Indian films, he also did the score for some southern films, including the Telugu film Neerajanam.
Before fading from the Bollywood scene in the early 1970s, he did the music for hits like Naya Daur, Ek Musafir Ek Hasina and Kashmir Ki Kali. He attempted a comeback in the 1990s with the film Andaaz Apna Apna and appeared in the musical reality television show Sa Re Ga Ma, on which he was accorded a standing ovation during an episode dedicated to his songs.
Nayyar passed away at the age of 81. His music will live on in the hearts of millions, forever.
Photograph: Jewella C Miranda
Also read: Nayyar's nine nuggets
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