To his credit, he tried to create his own identity as a playback singer and tried not to follow the K. L. Saigal style of singing.

[citation needed] Ghulam Mustafa Durrani was born in Peshawar, British India in 1919.

He should not be confused as a direct descendant or have any relation with H.M Ahmed Shah Durrani -Founder of Afghanistan His mother passed away when he was very young.

His father was educated and of artistic mind, but very strict, and the only ally at the home was his loving grandmother.

Jyoti was the younger sister of actress Wahidan, who acted in many movies, including Alibaba.

But the artist within didn't stay long there and Durrani ran away from home to Lahore, with only 22 rupees in his pocket.

It was a ghazal, whose words were: "Mastonko shem farz hai peena Sharab ka,gutti mein meri padh gaya qatara sharab ka" The English Translation of this Ghazal: "The happy-go-lucky people imbibe liquor for euphoria but I drink because my first morsel of food had a drop of liquor in it.

Later, in 1939–40, when the concept of playback singing started, he was the first to lend his voice for a film titled Bahurani.

Durrani was then working as a full-time Singer in AIR (Akashvani (radio broadcaster)).

Durrani laid down some conditions, like; the recording should be fixed on a Sunday night so that no outsiders would be allowed to enter the studio.

[2] Thereafter, he sang for, among others, noted music directors such as Khawaja Khurshid Anwar, his friend Naushad, Shankar Rao Vyas and A. R. Qureshi, (Better known as Alla Rakha, Pandit Ravi Shanker's famous tabla accompanist), for films like Mirza Ghalib, Humlog, Magroor, Shama, Namaste, Sabak and scores of others.

In fact, in 1944, Rafi recorded what he considered his first Hindi language song for the film Gaon ki Gori (1944) for Shyam Sunder, "Aji Dil Ho Kaaboo Mein To Dildaar Ki Aisi Taisi", with G. M. Durrani and chorus.

[7] Geeta Dutt[8] also started her career in her breakthrough movie, Do Bhai, with the song "Aaj Preet Ka Naata Toot Gaya", a duet with G. M. Durrani, for S. D. Burman.

Similarly, "Haye Chorre Ki Jaat Badi Bewafa", a duet with G. M. Durrani, was Lata's first song for composer, Naushad.

[3] Durrani tried to make his own identity as a playback singer and not try to follow the K. L. Saigal style of singing.

Mohammed Rafi was influenced most notably, by G. M. Durrani,[9] on whose style he based his singing.

He sang with his idol in some of the songs such as "Humko Hanste Dekh Zamana Jalta Hai" (Hum Sab Chor Hain, 1956) and "Khabar Kisi Ko Nahiin, Woh Kidhar Dekhte" (Beqasoor, 1950).

[2] The legendary Filmmaker, Writer, Director and Music composer Khawaja Khurshid Anwar took G. M. Durrani in his first film, Kurmai (Punjabi-1941) as his assistant.

Durrani tried to make his own identity and style as a playback singer and not try to follow the K. L. Saigal type of singing.

[101] A few songs are here: Manna Dey says on page 190-191 in Memories Come Alive: "Durrani-ji had a mellifluous voice, but lacked staying power and failed to survive as a singer.

I realized that when a producer spends a fortune on his film, he expects everyone in his team to put in his best effort to make it a success.

"[2]- Manna Dey |} G. M. Durrani had become spiritually inclined because of which he slowly left the industry.

Finally, he shifted to a small house and opened a general merchant shop after taking a loan.