बॉलीवुड ने ठुकराया तो जिंगल्स बनाकर किया गुजारा, 1 एल्बम ने बना दिया ‘गजल सम्राट’

Jagjit Singh’s specialty was his simplicity and deep emotions hidden in his songs. Be it the celebration of love, the pain of separation or the feeling of impermanence of life, his songs expressed every color very well. From ‘Tumko Dekha To Ye Khayal Aaya’ to ‘Chiththi Na Koi Sandesh’ and ‘Hosh Walon Ko Khabar Kya’, every song told a story. His voice spread magic in Hindi cinema also. His ghazals were seen making many films memorable. Jagjit Singh said goodbye to this world on 10 October 2011, but his ghazals are still alive in every heart.

Bollywood was forced to bow down
Very few people know that Jagjit Singh turned to ghazal after being rejected in Bollywood. This incident has been mentioned in writer Satya Saran’s book ‘Baat Niklegi To Phir’. In this, writer Satya Saran tells how rejection from the film industry inspired her to create a parallel music empire, which forced Bollywood to bow down. This story dates back to the last years of the 1960s, when Jagjit Singh, who had come to Mumbai from Jalandhar, was struggling to establish himself in the world of film music. Jagjit Singh’s voice, which was perfect for expressing the deep emotions of the ghazal, did not meet the popular standards of film music of that era.

Jagjit Singh made Ghazal famous among the masses.

made a living by making jingles
Big music directors often rejected Jagjit’s voice as ‘too heavy’ or ‘too serious’ for film songs. His dream was to become a playback singer, but he was continuously disappointed. After continuous rejections from Bollywood, Jagjit Singh had to find creative ways to make ends meet in Mumbai. He and his wife Chitra Singh together started making advertising jingles. These jingles became his important source of income during his struggling days.

Jagjit Singh became famous with the album ‘The Unforgettables’
Jagjit Singh took the Bollywood boycott as an opportunity to change the direction of his art. He decided that if the film industry would not give him a place, he would take his ghazals among the general public. He and Chitra Singh took the ghazal out of its classical and difficult boundaries, gave it simple tunes and used western instruments in it. After this, the album ‘The Unforgettables’ released in 1976 proved to be such a huge commercial success that it became a ‘milestone’ in the history of Ghazal in India. After this, Jagjit Singh stopped knocking on the doors of Bollywood and when he became the ‘Ghazal Emperor’, the film industry not only accepted him but also respected his style.