Although not strictly a Bollywood figure, Mehdi Hassan is one the biggest names in music on the Indian Sub-Continent. Hailing from an illustrious family of musicians that performed in Royal courts, Mehdi was taught Hindustani Classical music by his father at a very young age. He started his career singing classical songs for the Radio. Mehdi soon switched to Ghazal singing and went on to become one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, in his field. In addition to his elevated status in the world of Ghazal, Mehdi Hassan also occupies the position of Pakistani cinema's greatest male playback singer. He established himself in film music in the 1960s and made a swift rise to the top, where he remained for more than two decades, earning numerous awards, accolades and fans along the way.