Khayyam (his real name is Mohammed Zahur) is an accomplished music composer of the golden era of Hindi Film music. Khayyam moved from his native Punjab to Bombay in 1946 with a wish to become an actor. He acted in S. D. Narang's Yeh Hai Zindagi (1947). But as he didn't have any more assignments he settled down as an assistant. He assisted many music directors like Aziz Khan, Bulo C Rani, and Husnlal-Bhagatram. His musical hits include Footpath (1953), Phir Subah Hogi (1958), Shola aur Shabnam (1961), Sankalp (1974), Kabhi Kabhi (1975) and Shankar Hussain (1975).

Khayyam is another composer who is rarely considered to be associated with playback singer Geeta Dutt. It will be surprising to know that he sang a duet with her as early as in 1946. The song was “Kyon neh laga mukh mod liyaa” for the film Rasili composed by Pandit Hanuman Prasad. Khayyam was using the nick name Sharma ji those days. Two years later, Khayyam composed the music for the film Heer Ranjha (along with Rehman Verma as the co-music director) and Geeta sang as many as five songs for this film, including two duets with Khayyam himself. “Dil yoon yoon karata hain” is a sweet romantic melody and in “Ud pud jaaniya” she