Ramlal – Bollywood music composer behind the classical gems of ‘Sehra’ and ‘Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne’

Ramlal Choudhary, best known as Ramlal is a forgotten music composer of Bollywood music in the beautiful era of 1950s and 1960s. He composed music for only 6 films in his entire career. He composed music for only two films in the 1960s, both directed by V. Shantaram – ‘Sehra’ and ‘Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne’, and both these works got noticed for its composers strongly based on Indian ragas. However the composer didn’t get any opportunity from Bollywood later. Ramlal also turned a film producer before he quit film scene. Extremely talented Ramlal remains one of the unsung heroes of 1960s who got only fewer opportunities in his professional career and luck factor didn’t favour him too.

Ramlal came to Mumbai in 1944 in search of work in the field of music. Initially he worked as assistant with composer Ram Ganguly for Prithvi theatre. For Raj Kapoor’s debut film Aag in 1948, he got his first break as a musician while working under Ram Ganguly who composed the film music. He played Indian musical instruments – Flute and Shehnai in many songs of the movie composed by Ganguly, and it was his first stint with Bollywood.

In 1950 he got his first break as an independent music composer through “Taangawala” with Raj Kapoor and Vyjayanthimala in lead. PL Santoshi offered him this project. However the project got shelved and Ramlal continued playing flute and shehnai for movies. As a music composer he got first break through Husn Bano in 1956 followed by Naqab Posh (1956), Naal Log (1957) and Maya Macchindra (1960). All these works went unnoticed. However he earned recognition through couple of movies produced and directed by V. Shantaram – ‘Sehra’ (1963) and ‘Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne’ (1964).

His name is also credited as Ramlal Heerapanna in a few sites (I am not sure if he has collaborated with any composer named Heerapanna for his early works). As a music composer, he has worked with Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammed Rafi, Mahendra Kapoor, Usha Mangeshkar and Hemant Kumar. Among lyricists he predominantly worked with celebrated lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri.

Some of his popular songs as a composer include Tum To Pyar Ho and Pankh Hote To Ud Aati Re from Sehra, Geet Gaaya, Aayiye Pathariye, Saasom Ke Taar Par and Tere Khayalon Mein from Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne. In the film industry, talent is not the only factor to survive in the industry, luck is equally important, and professional life of Ramlal in Bollywood cinema is the testimony to prove that. When you look back at the era of 1960s, you would feel how beautiful the songs of both these movies are, yet the composer didn’t get the true appreciation he truly deserved. During his last years he faced financial crisis and was forced to live a life of penury. He died in Mumbai in 2007.

Ramlal – Some interesting and less-known facts

‘Tere Khayalon Mein Hum’ – beautiful rendition by Asha Bhosle

1. He played musical instruments such as Shehnai and flute in many movies since mid-1940s.

2. For the movie, Goonj Udi Shehnai, the initial Shehnai piece was played by Ramlal.

3. Hasrat Jaipuri, who exclusively worked with the most successful music composer of 1950s and 1960s has penned lyrics for three of his four films. While Hasrat penned three songs for 1956 movie, Naqab Posh, he penned lyrics for all songs of Sehra (1963) and Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne (1964), except Aayiye Pathariye of Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne, which gained him recognition as a composer in Bollywood.

4. Both the musical films – Sehra (1963) and Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne (1964) were produced and directed by legendary V. Shantaram and his wife Sandhya played lead roles in both.

5. He used ‘Jaltarang’ as one of the main musical instruments to record the song, Pankh Ude To. Only a few music composers among his contemporaries have attempted so.

6. It can be said that he brought out the real talent of Asha Bhosle through Tere Khayalon Mein song from Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne, at a time when mainstream music composers hesitated to give lead heroines’ songs to her (only exception being O. P. Nayyar).

7. He recorded two songs in C. H. Atma’s voice in Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne, and also used the voice of Kishori Amonkar to record its solo title track.

8. Though he turned a producer, the movie got shelved as his co-producer left the project.

9. Movies – Leader and Sangham, composed by established music composers were released along with Sehra in the 1960s.

10. Though songs of Geet Gaya Pattharon Ne got appreciated by music fans, he never got musical offers from Bollywood later.

11. He met his future wife in 1956 and got married. She sings English songs. He has one daughter and two grand-daughters.