In 1943, Sahir settled in
Lahore. There, he completed
Talkhiyaan (Bitterness) (1945), his first published work in Urdu. He was member of
All India Students Federation. Sahir edited Urdu magazines such as
Adab-e-Lateef,
Shahkaar,
Prithlari, and
Savera Sahir's work as a lyricist in the film industry gave him financial stability beyond his earnings as a poet. He made his debut with four songs in the film
Azadi Ki Raah Par (1949). One of the songs was
Badal Rahi Hai Zindagi. The film and its songs went unnoticed. However, after
Naujawan (1951), with music by
S.D. Burman, Sahir gained recognition. Sahir's major success was
Baazi (1951) with composer Burman. Sahir was then considered part of
Guru Dutt's team. The last film Sahir made with Burman was
Pyaasa (1957). After this film, Sahir and Burman went their separate ways due to artistic and contractual differences. Sahir worked with other composers including
Ravi,
Roshan,
Khayyam and
Datta Naik. Datta Naik also credited as N. Datta, a
Goan, admired Sahir's poetry and their collaboration produced the score for
Milap (1955),
Chandrakanta (1956),
Sadhna (1958),
Dhool Ka Phool (1959),
Dharamputra (1961) and
Naya Raasta (1970). Sahir also worked with music director
Laxmikant–Pyarelal in the films like
Izzat (1968),
Man Ki Aankhen (1970),
Dastaan (1972) and
Daag (1973). From about 1950 until his death, Sahir collaborated with
Baldev Raj Chopra, a film producer and director. Sahir's last work for Chopra was for
Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980).
Yash Chopra, both while directing for B.R.films, and later as an independent director and producer, also engaged Sahir as the lyricist for his films, till Sahir's death. In 1958, Sahir wrote the lyrics for Ramesh Saigal's film
Phir Subah Hogi, based on
Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel
Crime and Punishment. The male lead was played by
Raj Kapoor.
Shankar–Jaikishan would be composing music for the film but Sahir demanded a composer with a more intimate knowledge of the novel. Consequently, Khayyam composed the film score. The song
Woh Subah Kabhi Toh Aayegi with its minimal background music remains popular. Khayyam collaborated with Sahir in many films including
Kabhie Kabhie (1976) and
Trishul (1978). Sahir was a controversial figure in that he was artistically temperamental. He insisted that the film score should be composed for his lyrics and not the other way around. He also insisted on being paid one
rupee more than
Lata Mangeshkar and this created a rift between them. He also insisted that
All India Radio credit film song lyricists in its broadcasts. == Personal life ==