NEW DELHI: Renowned Urdu poet and Bollywood lyricist Nida Fazli passed away after suffering a heart attack on Monday, Times of India reported.

The 77-year-old Fazli, who wrote the famous couplet kabhi kisi to mukammal jahan nahin milta / kahin zameen to kahin aasman nahi milta, was one of the noted Urdu poets of his generation. He had also contributed to Indian film industry during 1980s.

Born in 1938 in Gawaliar, Fazli moved to Mumbai in 1964. His father too was a poet who got killed in 1960’s religious riots. All his family members moved to Pakistan but Fazli stayed in India.

On his foray into the filming world, the poet once told Indian magazine FilmFare that Kamal Amrohvi was directing ‘Razia Sultan’ and the movie’s lyricist Jan Nisar Akhtar’s sudden death forced Amrohvi to approach him. He wrote two songs for the movie, adding that other film makers started approaching him for work long before Razia Sultan’s release.

Fazli had five collections of poems to his credit, which include “Lafzon Key Phool” “Mor Naach” “Dunya Ek Khilona Hai” and “Khoya Hua Sa Kuch” — for which Indian government honoured him with the Sahitya Academy award in 1998.

He teamed up with the famous ghazal singer Jagjeet Singh in 1994 to bring an album named Insight which was widely praised for its soulful poetry and music.

Related: The allure of Jagjit Singh

Renowned Pakistani poet Pirzada Qasim while talking to TOI said, "You could immediately identify his work. Fazli saahb arrived on the scene in the 60s but his work evolved with the times enabling him to stay contemporary. He will always have a special place in the world of Urdu."

Condolences pour in