The music of Khayyam is the music of the soul. Except for the occasional Gapuchi Gapuchi Gam Gam (Trishul) and Mausam Mausam Lovely Mausam (Thodisi Bewafai), Khayyam never indulged in frivolity. His songs were steeped in the ethos of pathos and pulsating pace of passion.
One of Khayyam’s earliest triumphs was the evocative Ghazal Sham-e-Gham Kis Kasam in the Dilip Kumar-Meena Kumari experimental film Footpath in 1953, followed by the anthemic song that represented post-Nehruvian optimism about the future — Woh Subah Kabhi To Aayegi sung by Mukesh and Asha Bhosle. Actress Mala Sinha who lip-synced this song with Raj Kapoor on screen revealed in the past that this was the most important song she sang on screen.
