Talat Aziz

Talat Aziz was born on November 11, 1956, in Hyderabad, into a household steeped in Urdu poetry and music, where regular mehfils featuring poets and artists like Jagjit Singh and Jan Nisar Akhtar sparked his early interest in singing. Initially a passionate cricketer, he shifted to music in his late teens after his family urged him to learn singing, leading him to train under maestros of the Kirana Gharana and later under ghazal legend Mehdi Hassan. His debut album, “Jagjit Singh Presents Talat Aziz,” launched in 1979–80 under the guidance of Jagjit Singh, marked the beginning of his musical journey. From there, he made his mark on Bollywood with immortal ghazals such as “Zindagi Jab Bhi Teri Bazm Mein” (Umrao Jaan, 1981) and “Phir Chhidi Raat Baat Phoolon Ki” (Bazaar, 1982)—the latter a duet with Lata Mangeshkar that remains deeply beloved by ghazal aficionados. Over the decades, Talat Aziz produced a wealth of albums—among them Images, Ehsaas, Suroor, Manzil, Tasavvur (the first ghazal video album in 1987), Caravan-e-Ghazal, and a tribute album to his guru Mehdi Hasan—demonstrating both traditional finesse and willingness to innovate. He also composed music for TV serials and a feature film on poet Majaz Lakhnawi, branching into composing beyond performance. Alongside his music, Aziz explored acting across television and stage. His acting roles spanned serials like Sailaab, Ghutan, and Noorjahan in the 1990s, and more recently he appeared in Modern Love: Mumbai, the film Fitoor and portrayed Hrithik Roshan’s father in Fighter (2024). Through teaching and performing live, Talat Aziz continues evolving with the times, ensuring his music resonates with both traditional ghazal lovers and newer audiences.