Robin Ghosh’s death on Feb 13 left many saddened, including one of his most frequent collaborators, playback singer A. Nayyar. “Robin bhai baap thay … he was like my father.” Hardly able to control his emotions, he added, “Since his death I have been in mourning … with his death, music in Pakistan is dead. He was a thorough gentleman who not only loved his wife (film actress Shabnam) dearly but also respected us. I used to spend a lot of time with him and Shabnam baji, they were practically family to me.

“As a music composer, he was way ahead of his time; I sang for him in quite a number of films from Amber, Bandish to Aahat and all the songs are still popular. On his last visit to Pakistan few years back, he was invited as a guest at the Governor’s House; others would not remember their colleagues but Robin bhai inquired from the organisers why I wasn’t invited. He said that Ikhlaq (Ahmed) is no more; Alamgir is ill so you should have asked A. Nayyar, he was also one of my singers.”

Robin Ghosh introduced and helped shape the careers of many vocalists in Pakistan. One of the singers he introduced to films was pop singer Mohammad Ali Shyhaki. “He was a fine classy gentleman with an incredible aptitude and talent for composing songs, especially for films. My first playback with him was way back in 1978. I was mesmerised by his personality and the way he guided me to sing his composition Yeh Samaa Pyaar Ka (film: Anmol Mohabbat) was like a dream come true for me. I’m really saddened to hear about his death as I planned to meet up with him and sing some more of his melodies. He always told me that I was a playback singer first and I remain indebted to him for it.”

Robin Ghosh was one of the finest film music composers during the last five decades. Along with Sohail Rana and Nisar Bazmi, he belonged to the rare breed of composers who believed in quality rather than quantity

Robin Ghosh began his career in East Pakistan in the early ’60s, and after assisting music composer Moslehuddin he branched out and began his solo career with Chanda and Talaash. The big break came when he composed songs for the Waheed Murad-starrer Bhayya and actor Nadeem’s Launchpad Chakori; the rest is history. From Ahmed Rushdi to Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana to actor Nadeem, Ikhlaq Ahmed to A. Nayyar, Firdausi Begum to Naheed Niazi, Mala to Runa Laila and later Nayyara Noor and Mehnaz, he used top tier playback singers for his songs — except Madam Noor Jehan and Naheed Akhtar for reasons unknown.

There are those who met him, were guided by him but couldn’t work with him. Veteran actor and director Jawed Sheikh said that he has worked in seven consecutive films (as director) with Amjad Bobby but Robin Ghosh remains his all-time favourite composer. “When I resumed my film career in 1983, Robin Ghosh was on top as a music composer. Shabnam and I used to act in films at that time and Robin bhai was always there to guide me in film selection etc. After two of my earlier films (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Bobby) became hits, I developed a good rapport with Amjad Bobby and when I directed my first movie Mushkil in the mid-90s, I opted for Amjad Bobby. But believe me, Robin Ghosh’s influence was always there and when I was making Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa, I wanted Robin Ghosh as a musician but it didn’t happen.

“Everyone including myself have his songs stored on their iPads and MP3 players, and they are as fresh today as they were at the time of their release. I plan to give tribute to these wonderful maestros of the Pakistan film industry in my upcoming directorial venture Wujood, so that people know their services and how great they are.”

Jawed Sheikh also lamented the recent deaths that have rocked the showbiz fraternity. “The songs of Yeh Dil Aapka Huwa were written by Nida Fazli who died after he had written a song for my upcoming venture. Bajia, Nida sahib and Robin Ghosh belong to the golden era of Pakistani cinema and not many directors, lyricists and writers of that era remain among us. It is up to us to educate the new breed of film-makers so they can carry the torch onwards.”

Producer-turned-director Shehzad Rafique was the last person to utilise the services of Robin Ghosh in his film Ghunghat some 20 years back. His next venture Salute is ready for release this May and he pays tribute to the legendary music composer by using the song Mera Khilona from Nahin Abhi Nahi. “Robin Ghosh was a legend during his lifetime; not many know but Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is a big fan of his work and when Dada (that’s what he was called by his friends) approached him for financial assistance during the final days of Ikhlaq Ahmed’s life, he obliged willingly. Ikhlaq Ahmed’s last words were in praise of Robin Ghosh since he believed that Dada had done more for him than anyone else.”

Shehzad Rafique went onto say that Rekha Bhardwaj, the wife of Indian film-maker and music composer Visha Bhardwaj, was also a fan of Dada. He made some other revelations as well. “Everyone who worked with Dada was mesmerised by his personality. When I paid him his fee for his song in Ghunghat, he immediately distributed it amongst the musicians. Music was his passion and he used it to satisfy his talent.”

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 28th, 2016