Daily Times

Pakistani music industry and singers remembered the famous music director of the 1960s M Ashraf on his 13th death anniversary on Tuesday. He was born in 1942. In the early 1960s, he first started as his career as a music director in the Pakistan film industry, by the end of his 45 years long career, he had composed more than 2,000 film songs for over 400 films compared to many other music directors in Pakistan.

Late composer M Ashraf got music lessons from his maternal grandfather who also happened to be uncle of veteran Pakistani music director Master Inayat Hussain.

He started his film career by directing the famous song “Tu jo nahin hay tau kuchh bhi nahin hay” which was sung by playback singer SB John.

He produced music for number of hit songs of 60s and 70s which won appreciation in the whole subcontinent, for instance Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan sung by Ahmed Rushdi and singer achieved his first Nigar Award for it.

M Ashraf was making music with his mate Manzoor Ashraf till 1967, but from Sajda he started solo work. Famous singers like Ahmed Rushdi, Shokat Ali, Masood Rana, Alamgir, Muhammad Ali Shehki, Naheed Akhtar and Nayyara Noor, the legendary singers were introduced by him in the music industry of Pakistan.

He continued his successful march in the 1980s despite the downfall of Urdu films and a dominance of Punjabi films. “M. Ashraf’s musical journey ended with Tere Bin Jiya Na Jaye in 2005 During his career, M Ashraf won the Nigar Award for ‘Best Music’ in 6 different films- film Gharana (1973), film Mera Naam Hai Mohabbat (1975), film Shabana (1976), film Qurbani (1981), Punjabi-language films Dhee Rani (1985) and Qismet (1986).

M Ashraf also won 14 Graduate Awards of the Pakistan film industry. He died of a cardiac arrest on 4 February 2007 in Karachi, Pakistan at the age of 65.