Parinda completes thirty-two years of its release today. The Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed crime drama is considered to be one of the most iconic films made in the history of Hindi cinema. Upon its release, the film had limited commercial success but with time, it became a cult film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the film is revered by many, the soundtrack, too, remains etched in people\u2019s minds. When you look at the CD or LP record of the film or go through its credits online, you see the legendary R. D. Burman being credited with composing the four-song soundtrack for the film. While R. D. Burman is one of the most celebrated Hindi film composers, not many would be familiar with the name Khursheed Hallauri, the man who is credited with writing all the songs for the film.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Khursheed Hallauri<\/strong> is one of the most respected names in the Urdu poetry circle but the reason why a lot of Hindi cinema buffs are not familiar with his name is because of the limited amount of work he did in cinema. In this interview, the poet and lyricist talks about writing the iconic songs of \u2018Parinda\u2019, working with the likes of RD Burman, Laxmikant \u2013 Pyarelal and Mehdi Hassan, being underutilized in Hindi cinema and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n How did you come on board to write the songs for \u2018Parinda\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I had a friend called Imtiaz Hussain who was writing the dialogues for \u2018Parinda\u2019. Vidhu Vinod Chopra was looking for a new lyricist who could bring some freshness to the music with his words. Imtiaz recommended my name for writing the lyrics. Though I had never written for a film, I had written qawallis <\/em>and songs for several non-film albums. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How was the experience of working on the film?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I met Vidhu Vinod Chopra and he briefed me about the story and the situations where songs could be placed. He had a good ear for music and it was wonderful working with him. He wanted me to write the friendship song (\u2018Kitni Hai Pyari Pyari\u2019) first. He told me two friends were meeting after a long time. One of them was coming back from America after several years. I had to write the kind of lines that would showcase their joy of meeting each other after a long gap. After getting the brief from him, I wrote the lines \u201cKitni pyari pyari dosti humaari, jo yaar ki khushi woh khushi hai humaari\u2026\u201d<\/em> instantly. Vidhu Vinod Chopra liked these lines and told me that I will write all the songs for the film. The most popular song from the film was \u2018Tumse Milke\u2019 which was inspired from an English song. They liked the tune of the song and wanted to adapt it for the film. My favourite song from the film was \u2018Pyaar Ke Mod Pe\u2019. It had a lot of depth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n