Following some previous films not being released, he first directed the music for Chhote Nawab (1961)
Was nominated for a total of eighteen Filmfare Awards, winning Best Music Director three times - for Sanam Teri Kasam (1983), Masoom (1984) and 1942: A Love Story (1995)
A stamp bearing his face was published by India Post in May 2013
Composed the musical score for over 300 films
His compositions were mostly in Hindi, but also in Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Oriya and Marathi