Gulzar, the ace Bollywood lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director, turned 86 on Tuesday. Born as Sampooran Singh Kalra, but popularly known by his professional name ‘Gulzar’, the maestro has a career spanning 57 years. 

He has weaved magic with words in hundreds of songs, for which he has been awarded the National Award, Filmfare Award, not once but multiple times. He has also won an Academy Award and a Grammy for his song ‘Jai Ho’ for the Academy Award-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

On his birthday, here are the iconic songs by the master lyricist:

Aanewala Pal, Jaanewala Hai

Tujhse Naraaz Nahi Zindagi

Chaiyya Chaiyya

Tere Bina

Jai Ho

Gulzar has been a recipient of the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award, Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award.