Naushad Ali is regarded as one of the greatest Music Directors of Indian
Cinema. He was born in 1919 in Lucknow. Since early childhood, he was an avid
listener to the live orchestras accompanying silent films. He studied under
Ustad Ghurbat Ali, Ustad Yusuf Ali and Ustad Babban Saheb. Before coming to
Bombay, he repaired harmoniums and composed for amateur theatricals. He moved to
Bombay in the late 1930s to try his luck as a musician but had to really
struggle and saw days of acute deprivation.