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His was a voice like the rustling of winds on a full-moon night. At a time in the Hindi film industry when three men dominated the screen, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand, Talat Mahmood’s was a voice which layered their romantic and tragic personas. Sunil Dutt singing ‘Jalte hain jiske liye’ to Nutan over the phone, Dilip Kumar singing ‘Sham-e-gham ki kasam’ at the candle lit dinner, Dev Anand sitting at Juhu beach murmuring ‘Jayen to jayen kahan’ and Raj Kapoor flirting with Nargis over the piano with ‘Dil matwala lakh sambhala’. His good looks also made him Independent India’s first singing star. The Definitive Biography tracks the very start of his career from his first few Ghazal recordings in AIR Lucknow as a teenager that made his voice a rage. The 1940s bustling town of showbiz in Calcutta where he broke into the Modern Bengali music as Tapan Kumar. And finally, the Golden Era film star for Hindi films in Bombay. He also acted opposite top heroines such as Nutan, Suraiya and Mala Sinha. A pioneer who also helped establish the independent Ghazal music industry of the country and fondly called the Ghazal Shahenshah ! The book covers all highlights of his global concerts since he was the first singer from India to start world tours in 1956. There is also Talat, the activist, who took a tough stand on royalty payment for playback singers. This is the journey of tracing the Padma Bhushan legend’s legacy by his own grand-niece, Sahar Zaman.
Sahar Zaman
SAHAR ZAMAN is an award-winning television news journalist, author and cultural curator. She is recognized for her work in television, print and digital, for over 20 years as newscaster, news editor and features correspondent on prime-time news media across India's top networks. She is the Founder of ‘Hunar TV’ and the Chief Curator of ‘Jashn- e-Talat’.
As her debut book, this is an extension of her journalistic work which required deep research, analysis of history, fact checks, interviews and the art of story-telling of an iconic life. Her insights as the legend’s grand-niece and skills as a journalist give an edge to this voluminous tome that brings together an impactful narration to both personal and professional aspects of his life. The book has won two prominent awards -
- ‘Popular Choice Award 2024’ by Auther Awards presented by Times of India and JK Paper Ltd – “To encapsulate the life of a man often described the ‘King of Ghazals’, though he was much more than that, is no easy task. For daring to undertake this endeavour, Sahar Zaman deserves our applause. As his grandniece, she has skilfully depicted the life and era of Talat Mahmood. Congratulations for adding yet another feather to your cap.”
- ‘Biographer of the Year 2024’ by Bollywood Film Journalists’ Awards presented by Power Brands – “The book is a rare treasure and a labour of love penned down by Sahar Zaman.”
