Anwar Sagar was an Indian Hindi film lyricist and poet, best remembered for his popular songs of the 1980s and 1990s. He wrote lyrics for films including Khiladi, Dil Ka Kya Kasoor, Sapne Sajan Ke, Vijaypath, Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yaarana. His most famous song is “Waada Raha Sanam” from Khiladi (1992).
He wrote songs for numerous Hindi films and worked with music directors including Nadeem-Shravan, Rajesh Roshan, Jatin-Lalit and Anu Malik.
Anwar Sagar was born on 30 August 1949. Some biographical sources identify his birthplace as Lucknow, although major film databases do not consistently document his birthplace.
He entered the Hindi film industry as a lyricist in the early 1980s. His early credited work included Zakhmi Insaan (1982). He spent several years working in the industry before achieving widespread recognition in the early 1990s.
His major breakthrough came with Khiladi (1992), for which he wrote the hugely popular song “Waada Raha Sanam.” The song, sung by Alka Yagnik and Abhijeet Bhattacharya, became one of the memorable romantic songs of the 1990s.
Anwar Sagar subsequently wrote lyrics for several successful films, including Dil Ka Kya Kasoor (1992), Sapne Sajan Ke (1992), Vijaypath (1994), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Yaarana (1995), Baazi (1995) and The Don (1995).
Other popular songs associated with his writing include “Yeh Dua Hai Mere Rab Se,” “Dil Ka Kya Kasoor,” “Mera Piya Ghar Aaya,” “Rahon Mein Unse” and “Gaa Raha Hoon Is Mehfil Mein.”
His later work included films such as Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar (2001) and Kitne Door Kitne Paas (2002). Kitne Door Kitne Paas, featuring the song “Rulati Hain Mohabbatein,” is generally regarded as his last major Bollywood work.
Anwar Sagar died on 3 June 2020 in Mumbai at the age of 70. Reports stated that he was brought to Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.