Talat Mahmood

Talat Mahmood (24 February 1924 – 9 May 1998) was an Indian playback singer who is considered one of the greatest and most popular Indian male film song and ghazal singers. Although he tried his luck as a film actor, he did not succeed a great deal in acting.

Talat Mahmood received the Padma Bhushan award in 1992, in recognition of his artistic contributions in the spheres of cinematic and ghazal music.

He was particularly famous for singing soft and sombre ghazals in his quivering and silky voice. Romantic and tragic were the moods he liked most and he contributed a great deal in shaping the style and method of modern ghazal singing in India during the 1950s and 1960s.

Coming from a conservative Muslim background, singing was not encouraged. Talat had to choose between working in films and continue living at home. Despite his parents' objection, he opted for the films, though his family accepted the fact only about a decade later when he gained some respect in the Indian film industry. Suman recorded her first Hindi film songs in 1954 and, in the same year, sang her first duet with Talat, "Ek Dil Do Hain Talabgaar", for the film Darwaza (1954), composed by Nashad.

Laxmikant Pyarelal composed a melodious duet with Lata Mangeshkar in 1971 film Woh Din Yaad Karo, this happened to be his last song in Hindi films. Later he was heard in an Urdu Movie, Vale-E Azam in 1987, along with Hemlata.

Commemorative postage stamp

India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp to honor him in 2016.

Acting career Talat Mahmood acted in over a dozen films with actresses of the time like Nutan, Mala Sinha, Suraiya and others. Later he decided to give up acting to concentrate on singing.

1947 Tum Aur Main

Personality People, who were close to Talat, describe his nature as a quiet one. It is often remarked that he was a decent man, and his velvety and silky voice also reflected that decency and sense of calmness. Music directors, who worked with him, claimed that while listening to him, one would develop the feeling that Talat was a soft-hearted man. Dilip Kumar termed Talat as "a perfect gentleman". Veteran Indian film music director Mohammed Zahur Khayyam is reportedly quoted as saying, "He was a perfect gentleman. With him there was no loose talk. He was always well-dressed: his shoes shining and his trousers perfectly creased."

In 2018, an event was arranged in New Delhi to pay tribute to Talat Mahmood on his 20th death anniversary.