Nuktacheen Hai Gham-E-Dil.....

Nuktachin Hai Ghm-e-Dil-Suraiyya-Film Mirza Ghalib 1954-lyrics  Mirza Ghalib- Music Ghulam Mohammad.

In 1954,  Sohrab Modi's film 'Mirza Ghalib' was released, with all lavishness associated with all Modi's Minerva Movietone Films. The film depicted the poignant romance between a poet Mirza Ghalib and a daughter of courtesan,  Choudavin , that ended in tragic note. The title role was played by Bharat Bhushan and Choudavin was played by Suraiyya.

Suraiyya and Shamshad Begum were the only other female singers who could withstand the onslaught of Lata Mangeshkar. Although Lata's voice was well established in Hindi Film Music by 1954, this film does not have any song in her voice. All the female songs were sung by Suraiyya. This movie was on the life of Mirza Ghalib, and hence a hero oriented film, yet it had more female songs in Suraiyya's voice. Thus it was in fact ,a Suraiyya dominated movie.

The romance of Mirza Ghalib and Choudavin ( meaning moon faced -as he fondly calls her) unfolds on the setting of medieval India under Mughal occupation. The period is when last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Jaffar is on throne. Mirza Ghalib is a gifted poet in his court. Choudavin,(Suraiyya), a daughter of a courtesan (Durga Khote) is awestruck by his poetry. Mirza is already married to a pious woman (Nigar Sultana), who suffers from the agony of loosing her infants before infancy. She suggests Ghalib to remarry to have children. Yet she is is tormented by his love with Choudavin.

Choudavin has other suitor, Kotwal hashmat Khan (Ulhas), who gives Rs.2000/- to her mother to marry with Choudavin. However. when her mother sees that Choudavin's heart is tormented with Ghalib's love, and as a result her trying to commit suicide, her heart melts and she returns the money. Meanwhile Mirza Ghalib offers to pay the money for getting married to Choudavin. However he has no money. In addition, his landowner starts demanding rent for house. He starts gambling and surprisingly is successful in getting the money required.

The movie then proceeds to portray his trials, tribulations, triumphs, and ultimate descent to poverty, and then to prison; and his tragic and ill-fated love with a beautiful courtesan named Chaudvin.

Directed and produced by Modi on his usual lavish scale, the film magically re-creates the poignant love story of the Poet and the Dancer in the atmosphere of the magnificent court of the last of the Mogul emperors. He has with deftness preserved the atmosphere of the times and those aspects of life which inspired the wistful ghazals of Ghalib. Bharat Bhshan plays the role of Mirza Ghalib with restraint and dignity. He effectively brings out the tormented mind of a poet torn between two women.

Suraiya beautifully brings to life the fascinating Chaudavin, drawing every ounce of sympathy through the character she portrays. The skill she displays in her rendering of Ghalib’s exquisite ghazals together with the flexibility of her voice enables her to reach the depths of meaning in the poet’s words and draw out their subtlety to the full.

नुक्ताचीं है, ग़म-ए-दिल उसको सुनाये न बने
उसको सुनाये न बने
क्या बने बात जहाँ बात बनाये न बने
नुक्ताचीं है, ग़म-ए-दिल
ग़ैर फिरता है लिये यूँ तेरे ख़त को के अगर
कोई पूछे के ये क्या है तो छुपाये न बने
नुक्ताचीं है, ग़म-ए-दिल
मैं बुलाता तो हूँ उसको मगर ऐ जज़्बा-ए-दिल
उस पे बन जाये कुछ ऐसी कि बिन आये न बने
नुक्ताचीं है, ग़म-ए-दिल
इश्क़ पर ज़ोर नहीं है ये वो आतिश ग़ालिब
कि लगाये न लगे और बुझाये न बने
नुक्ताचीं है, ग़म-ए-दिल उसको सुनाये न बने

In a career spanning three decades she acted in a number of films, sang her own songs and lent her voice for playback singing. Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, after seeing “Mirza Ghalib” , was so impressed that he told Suraiya, “You have put life in the soul of ‘Mirza Ghalib’”

Mazar-e- Ghalib at Delhi[/caption]

Mirza Ghalib 1954
Star Cast: Bharat Bhushan, Suraiyya, Nigar Sultana, Durga Khote, Murad, Mukri, Ulhas, Kumkum,Iftikar
Lyrics: Mirza Ghalib, Shakeel Badayuni.
Music: Ghulam Mohammad.
Story Sadat Hassan Manto
Dialogues by Rajendra Singh Bedi.
Screen Play: J.K.Nanda.
Cinematography V.Avadhoot.
produced and Directed by Sohrab Modi