Acclaimed as one of the greatest music directors of Hindi cinema Madan Mohan Kohli is remembered for such enchanting compositions. He was born on 25 June 1924 at Baghdad, Iraq, Madan Mohan's father Rai Bahadur Chunilal worked as an Accountant General with the Iraqi Police. Later his whole family shifted to Mumbai. He has joined the Army but later quit it to join All India Radio in Lucknow, where he worked with such musical stalwarts as Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and Begum Akhtar. With time he began directing music in Bollywood.

Carrer of Madan Mohan
Madan Mohan made his debut as an Indian film music composer with Devendra Goel's 'Aankhen' With his second film, 'Madhosh', he formed a successful partnership with singers Lata Mangeshkarand Talat Mahmood. Madan Mohan's association with Lata Mangeshkar remains one of Hindi cinema's most creative collaborations. It resulted in such abiding melodies as 'Lag ja gale' (Woh Kami Thi), 'Tu jahan jahan chalega mem saaya saath hoga' (Mera Saaya), and 'Ruke ruke se qadam' (Mausam).

Another of Madan Mohan's most fruitful associations was with director Chetan Anand, for whom he composed memorable numbers in 'Haqeeqat', 'Heer Ranjha', and 'Hanste Zakhm.' In 1970, Madan Mohan received the National Film Award for the haunting musical score of Dastak. The early 1970s saw him work with such directors as Hrishikesh Mukherjee, in 'Bawarchi', and Gulzar, in 'Koshish and 'Mausam.'

Madan Mohan has been credited with composing some of the best ghazals of Hindi cinema, such as 'Aap ko pyar chhupane ki buri aadat hai' (Neela Akash) and 'Aap ki nazron ne samjha' (Anpadh). Though ghazals were Madan Mohan's forte, his compositions range from the fast paced 'Jhumka gira re' to the classical 'Nainon mein badra chhaye' (Mera Saaya).

At the time of his death, Madan Mohan was composing music for H.S. Rawail's 'Laila Majnu.' The film was completed by Jaidev and went on to become one of the biggest musical successes of Hindi Cinema. The Yash Chopra movie 'Veer Zaara' is credited with the music of Madan Mohan that he had composed before his death. even almost 29 years after his death the maestro successfully ruled the hearts of the people with timeless scores such as, 'Tere Liye', 'Main Yahaan Hoon' and 'Aisa Des Mera.'





Music Compositions of Madan Mohan

Ada	Gateway of India	Jahan Ara	Parwana
Madhosh	Aakhri Dao	Who Kaun Thi	Bawarchi
Anjaam	Adalat	Naya Kanoon	Koshish
Khubsoorat	Chandan	Neela Akash	Hanste Zakhm
Bagbi	Jailor	Rishte Naate	Hindustan Ki Kasam
Dhun	Khazanchi	Dulhan Ek Raat Ki	Asliyat
Ehsan	Chacha Zindabad	Ladka Ladki	Chowkidar
Ilzaam	Bahana	Mera Saaya	Mausam
Railway Platform	Sanjog	Ghar Ka Chirag	Laila Majnu
Bhai Bhai	Anpadh	Ek Kali Muskayi	Saheb Bahadur
Pocketmaar	Akeli Mat Jaiyo	Chirag	Inspector Eagle
Beti	Ghazal	Dastak	Chaalbaaz
Dekh Kabira Roya	Haqeeqat	Heer Ranjha	-