Lyricist Yogesh Gaur passes away Yogesh wrote the lyrics of hit songs "Kahin duur jab din dhal jaye" and "Zindagi kaisi hai paheli" that defined the superhit film Anand (1971).
He got his first break as a lyricist with the film Sakhi Robin (1962), in which he wrote six songs. He also wrote songs for films like Chhoti Si Baat (1976), Baton Baton Mein (1979), Manzil (1979), Rajnigandha (1974) and many more.
In an interview He had shared what inspired him to write. and said, "Call me old-fashioned but today’s songs come and go".
Yogesh stuck to slice-of-life films, mostly by Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee. After Anand, he developed a bond with music director Salil Chowdhury, who was looking for a new lyricist after Shailendra passed away. “Salil-da would be very patient and got out the best in me. In Rajnigandha and Chhoti Si Baat, he allowed me to experiment with words and phrases not commonly used,” he reminisces. Another success story was Chatterjee’s Baaton Baaton Mein (1979) with music director Rajesh Roshan. The songs ‘Na Bole Tum’, ‘Suniye Kahiye’ and ‘Utthey Sabke Kadam’ were hits. “I only did two films with S.D. Burman but Mili received a huge response,” he adds.
Once television became big, Yogesh wrote for serials like Chandrakanta, Hasratein, Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai and Gudgudee. “There too the subjects changed, and I slowed down. I worked on some films that never got released or which flopped,” he points out. The veteran lyricist admits he isn't happy with today’s film music scenario. He elaborates, “I don't even know the names of many composers, singers or lyricists. Call me old-fashioned but today’s songs come and go. Many people still remember and hum what we wrote years ago.”
Does he plan to write more, now that he’s made a comeback? “I would love to but the script should appeal to me. I don’t consider myself to be a great writer or poet. I have always been selective, as quality and passion come first,” he emphasises in conclusion.
His last big release was Bewafa Sanam (1995).