In a career spanning more than six decades, Gulzar, one of India’s most renowned poets and lyricists, has profoundly influenced the landscape of Bollywood music and Indian literature. At 92, the Mumbai-based artist continues to write daily, maintaining a disciplined routine that has contributed to a vast and critically acclaimed body of work.
Born Sampooran Singh Kalra in the village of Dina—now in Pakistan—Gulzar grew up during the upheaval of the 1947 Partition, a traumatic event that shaped both his life and artistic outlook. After losing his mother in infancy, he was raised in a large family and moved to Delhi with his father, where he spent evenings reading Urdu detective novels and poetry by light of a lantern. Early exposures to Urdu literature and the works of Rabindranath Tagore profoundly influenced his literary sensibility.
Gulzar’s work spans poetry, children's literature, short stories, film direction, screenwriting, and songwriting. He has contributed lyrics to over 150 Bollywood musicals, including iconic songs such as “O Saathi Re,” “Mera Kuchh Samaan,” “Chaiyya Chaiyya,” “Jai Ho,” and “Dil To Bacchha Hai Ji.” His lyrics often explore themes of love, the beauty in everyday life, and emotional complexity, blending playfulness with melancholy.
Over the years, Gulzar has received numerous awards recognizing his contributions to Indian art and culture. Despite his achievements, he remains grounded, holding a childlike curiosity and joy for the world around him. This perspective was evident during a recent interview at his Mumbai home, where the sounds of monsoon rain underscored his reflections on the city and his creative process.
In addition to his own poetic creations, Gulzar recently completed “A Poem a Day,” a decade-long project compiling works by nearly 300 poets from across India’s linguistic spectrum, translated into Hindi and English to reach a broader audience. This anthology aims to revitalize poetry among younger generations who view it as distant or irrelevant.
Gulzar’s role in Bollywood has allowed him to transcend regional and linguistic divides, helping foster a shared cultural identity in a nation of almost two billion people. He credits cinema with providing a platform to express nuanced stories and emotions, although he has observed shifts in storytelling styles due to changing audience attention spans.
His personal history as a Partition survivor informs much of his work’s sensitivity and depth, offering a lens into India’s turbulent history through art. Colleagues and translators emphasize his empathetic nature and his ability to find wonder in everyday moments—qualities that have endeared him to audiences and peers alike.
Gulzar’s disciplined work ethic remains a hallmark of his creativity. Until recently, he played tennis nearly every morning, a testament to his enduring vigor. His admiration for contemporary athletes like Roger Federer reflects an ongoing engagement with the world beyond literature.
As India continues to evolve culturally and socially, Gulzar’s voice endures—an artistic bridge connecting the past with the present, and the personal with the universal.