O. P. Nayyar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids O.P.Nayyar
Nayyar on a stamp of India
Background information
Birth name	Omkar Prasad Nayyar
Born	(1926-01-16)16 January 1926 Lahore, Punjab, British India
Died	28 January 2007(2007-01-28) (aged 81) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Genres	Film score
Occupation(s)	Singer, record producer, music director
Instruments	Piano, Dholak, Keyboard, Drums
Years active	1951–1994

Omkar Prasad Nayyar (born January 16, 1926 – died January 28, 2007) was a famous Indian film music composer, songwriter, and musician. People remember him as one of the most rhythmic and tuneful music directors in the Hindi film industry. He won a big award, the 1958 Filmfare Award for Best Music Director, for his work in the movie Naya Daur.

O. P. Nayyar worked a lot with popular singers like Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhosle, and Mohammed Rafi. However, he never worked with the very famous singer Lata Mangeshkar. He also recognized Kishore Kumar's talent early on. They worked together on films like Baap Re Baap (1955) and Raagini (1958).

Early Life and Music Journey

O. P. Nayyar was born in Lahore, which was part of British India back then. Today, Lahore is in Pakistan. He received special training in music to become the talented composer he was.

Starting His Career in Films

Nayyar began his film career by creating background music for the movie Kaneez in 1949. His first movie as a full music director was Aasmaan in 1952. After that, he composed music for Chham Chhama Chham (1952) and Baaz (1953).

A famous film producer and director, Guru Dutt, chose Nayyar to compose music for several of his movies. These included Aar Paar (1954), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955), and C.I.D. (1956).

Working with Singers

In his early days, Nayyar's songs were mostly sung by Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt, and Mohammed Rafi. He introduced Asha Bhosle in the film C.I.D.. Even though he never worked directly with Lata Mangeshkar, one of her songs was used in a film he directed the music for later.

Nayyar had a favorite musical scale, or Raga, called Pilu in Hindustani classical music. This Raga inspired many of his beautiful songs.

Challenges and Popularity

In 1957, a director named Nasir Hussain wanted Nayyar to create romantic music for new actors like Shammi Kapoor. Nayyar's music was featured in Hussain's films Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957) and Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1964).

During the 1950s, the government radio station, All India Radio, banned many of Nayyar's songs. They thought his music was too "trendy" or modern for the time.

Collaborations and Famous Songs

Nayyar worked with many lyricists, who write the words for songs. Some of them were Majrooh Sultanpuri and Sahir Ludhianvi. He also worked with newer lyricists like Jan Nisar Akhtar.

He was known for giving full, three-minute songs to comedians in films. For example, Johnny Walker sang Nayyar's famous song "Aye Dil Hai Mushkil Jeena Yahaan" in CID.

One of his most famous songs, "Yeh Desh Hai Veer Jawaanonkaa", was from the film Naya Daur (1957). This song helped him win the 1958 Filmfare Best Music Director Award.

Nayyar played a big part in making Asha Bhosle a successful singer. They worked together for many years until 1974. After that, he worked with other singers like Dilraj Kaur and Vani Jayaram.

In the 1970s, Nayyar was less active in music. He didn't compose as much for new actors like Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan. He worked with many well-known actors and actresses throughout his career, including Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Madhubala, and Sharmila Tagore. Besides Hindi films, he also composed music for a Telugu film called Neerajanam in 1989. He made a short return to music in the 1990s with a few more films.

Personal Life and Legacy

In his later years, O. P. Nayyar kept in touch with only a few people. One of them was Gajendra Singh, who invited him to be a judge on his TV show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Nayyar passed away on January 28, 2007, in Mumbai, India. Many famous people from Bollywood shared their sadness and paid tribute to him. In 2013, India Post released a special stamp to honor him. His granddaughter, Niharica Raizada, is also an actress.

Filmography

Albums

• The Best Of O. P. Nayyar Vol. 1 to Vol. 6
• Parichay – Introduction To India's Musical Geniuses
• Golden Collection – O. P. Nayyar (compilation)