Karachi (Showbiz Desk): Fans are commemorating 14 years since the passing of legendary ghazal singer and “Shahenshah-e-Ghazal” Mehdi Hassan.
The “Sultan of Melody” passed away on June 13, 2012 in Karachi. He was born on July 18, 1927 in the village of Luna in Rajasthan, India, into a family deeply rooted in classical music traditions.
He received his early musical training from his father, Ustad Azeem Khan, and his uncle, Ustad Ismail Khan. According to him, he belonged to the 16th generation of the Kalawant musical lineage.
After migrating to Pakistan with his family in 1947, he initially worked as a bicycle mechanic in Chichawatni and later as a motor and tractor mechanic, while continuing his deep connection with music.
His formal musical career began in 1952 at Radio Pakistan Karachi studio, where he developed his unique style of ghazal singing.
During his career, he recorded thousands of songs and ghazals. Various estimates suggest he contributed to more than 25,000 film and non-film songs and lent his voice to hundreds of films.
He sang for around 441 films in Urdu and Punjabi cinema. Many of his songs were picturized on legendary actor Muhammad Ali.
Mehdi Hassan also made a brief appearance in the 1968 film Sharik-e-Hayat.
For his extraordinary contributions, he received numerous national and international honors, including the Nigar Awards, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance, Sitara-e-Imtiaz, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz.
Internationally, he was awarded the K.L. Saigal Award in 1979 and the Gorkha Dakshina Bahu Award in 1983. In 2001, Pakistan Television honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
His voice remains an enduring symbol of classical ghazal music across the subcontinent.