Mehdi Hassan (born: Mehdi Hassan Khan) was a Pakistani ghazal and playback singer. Widely regarded as the "King of Ghazal", he was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with Tamgha-E-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-E-Imtiaz.
Born on July 18, 1927 in Luna, Rajasthan, in a family of Dhrupad musicians, he began his musical training under his father, Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle, Ustad Ismail Khan. His family moved to Pakistan after the Partition when he was 20 years old.
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Mehdi Hassan started his career as a mechanic. Despite financial hardships, he did not let go of his passion for music. His persistence paid off and in 1957, he got the opportunity to sing thumris on Radio Pakistan. His passion for poetry and growing interest in light classical music lead to his transformation to a ghazal singer and it is for this form of music that he became primarily known.
He had a taste of mainstream success in 1962 when his rendition of "Jis Ne Mere Dil Ko Dard Diya" from "Susral" became a superhit. He never looked back after that and went on to dominate the film music scene in Pakistan with songs like "Ranjish Hi Sahi", "Jab Bhi Aati Hai Teri Yaad" and "Patta Patta Boota Boota".
He retired from the music scene in the 1980s following severe illness. However, in 2010, he fulfilled his wish to sing with Lata Mangeshkar when HMV released their duet, "Tera Milana" in the album "Sarhadein", composed by Mehdi Hassan himself.
Mehdi Hassan passed away on June 13, 2012.
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