मुखराम शर्मा

Pandit Mukhram Sharma (1909-2000) entered Hindi cinema as a lyricist but went on to become one of the most bankable story and screenplay writers of the 1950s. Born in Poothi village in Meerut district, he worked as a Hindi and Sanskrit teacher and published poetry under the pen name 'Ashant' before moving to Pune, where he joined the Prabhat Film Company on a modest salary. His breakthrough came with the Hindi-Marathi bilingual Das Baje (1942), directed by Raja Nene, for which he wrote the story, dialogue and all the songs set to Keshavrao Bhole's music — lyrics such as 'Kahe Ko Muskayi Kali Ri', 'Aaj Ki Duniya Kal Se Nyari' and 'Dukh Ki Aandhi Aayi' carry the credit Mukhram Sharma 'Ashant', a pen name he dropped soon after. Writing, rather than song-making, became his calling: Aulad (1954) won him the very first Filmfare Award for Best Story, and he won the same award again for Vachan (1955) and Sadhna (1958). Socially minded hits like Talaq (1958), Dhool Ka Phool (1959) and Ek Hi Raasta made his name a box-office draw in its own right — posters sold films on 'Pandit Mukhram Sharma' the way they sold stars. He retired after Sau Din Saas Ke (1980), received a Zee Cine Lifetime Achievement honour in 2000, and died in Meerut the same year.