Majrooh Sultanpuri, an Urdu poet, lyricist and songwriter, was born in 1919. Majrooh Sultanpuri had been one of the most powerful musical forces in Indian Cinema during the 1950s and early 1960s. Majrooh Sultanpuri was an important figure in the Progressive Writers` Movement. He was born as Asrar ul Hassan Khan in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Majrooh Sultanpuri`s father was a police sub-inspector and he could not afford the expensive English education for his son. He instead completed the seven year course of Dars-e-Nizami in Arabic and Persian language and went on to attain the degree of becoming an Alim. Majrooh Sultanpuri then joined Lucknow`s Takmeel-ut-Tib College of the Unani System of Medicine. Majrooh Sultanpuri became an established Hakim when he once recited one of his ghazals at a mushaira in Sultanpur. The ghazal became well known with the audience and Majrooh Sultanpuri decided to drop his affluent medical practice and begin writing poetry in full-fledged. Very soon, he became a fixture at mushairas and also great friends with the renowned Urdu poet, Jigar Moradabadi.

In 1945, Majrooh Sultanpuri went to Bombay and attended a mushaira at the Saboo Siddique Institute. Here his ghazals and poetry were highly commended by the audience and critics as well. Film producer A.R. Kardar was one of the impressed listeners and he contacted Jigar Muradabadi who helped him to meet Majrooh Sultanpuri. However, he initially refused to write for films because he didn`t think very highly of his capabilities. But Jigar Muradabadi convinced him, saying that films would pay him well and would help Majrooh Sultanpuri to support his family in much better way than he expects.

Kardar then took Majrooh Sultanpuri to music composer Naushad who put the young writer to a test. He gave Majrooh Sultanpuri a tune and asked him to write something in the same metre, and he wrote Jab Usne Kesu Bikhraye, Badal Aaye Jhoom Ke.... Naushad was over whelmed with what he wrote and Majrooh Sultanpuri was signed on as the lyricist of the film Shah Jehan (1946). The songs of the film became so immensely popular that K.L. Saigal wanted Jab Dil Hi Toot Gaya to be played at his funeral. But before Majrooh Sultanpuri could react to the large-scale popularity created by his written lines, he fell ill. The harsh Bombay weather compelled him to leave the city and return to his hometown in the North.

Majrooh Sultanpuri was considered the most notable ghazal writer and he won his only Filmfare Award for the song "Chahunga mein tujhe sham savere" in Dosti. He was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1993. Majrooh Sultanpuri was the first lyricist to win the prestigious award named after Dadasaheb Phalke.

Majrooh Sultanpuri and Nasir Hussain first stayed together on the film Paying Guest, which Nasir Hussain wrote. After Nasir Hussain became a director and later producer they went on to work together in several films, all of which were huge hits and are some of Majrooh Sultanpuri`s best-remembered works.

A list of Majrooh Sultanpuri`s masterpieces is as follows -

Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon	Pyar Ka Mausam	Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin	Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander
Teesri Manzil	Caravan,	Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai	Akele Hum Akele Tum
Baharon Ke Sapne	Yaadon Ki Baraat,	Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak

Majrooh Sultanpuri was also influential in introducing R.D. Burman to Nasir Hussain for Teesri Manzil, the trio worked in 7 of the above-mentioned films. RD Burman also worked in 2 more films subsequent to Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai. Majrooh Sultanpuri had a severe attack of pneumonia and expired in Bombay on May 24, 2000 at the age of 78.