Anand Bakshi was a prolific lyricist of the Hindi film industry. In an exemplary career spanning over forty-five years, Bakshi penned over five thousand songs, received 40 Filmfare Award nominations, and won four of them for top movies like Apnapan (1977), Ek Duje ke Liye (1981), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (1995) and Taal (1999).  Besides this, he worked in several blockbuster hits like the Sridevi starrer Chandni (1989), Hum (1991), Mohra (1994),  Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Heer-Ranjha (1992), Mohabbatein (2000), and the Sunny Deol blockbuster Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001).

Born in 1920 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Bakshi nursed a childhood dream of becoming a playback singer. In the face of his family's opposition to his plans to move to Mumbai and join the film industry, he ran away from home and joined the Navy.  Later, he joined the army and subsequently worked as a telephone operator and made several visits to Mumbai.  During one such visit he met the actor Bhagwan who gave Bakshi his first opportunity to write four songs for Brij Mohan's Bada Aadmi (1961). But it was his collaboration with actor-filmmaker, Raj Kapoor in Mehndi Lagi Mere Haath (1962) and the 1965 hit Jab Jab Phool Khile (1965) that established Bakshi within the film industry. Later he gave several hits with music composer duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal in films like Ek Duje Ke Liye (1981), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Bobby (1973), Do Raaste (1969), and Farz (1967). Bakshi also collaborated with celebrated music director R D Burman in films like Sholay (1975), Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), Amar Prem (1971), and Kati Patang (1970).

In the next few decades that followed, Bakshi wrote many memorable songs like 'Dum Maro Dum' from the film Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972), 'Chingari koi bhadke' from Amar Prem (1971), 'Om Shanti Om' from Karz (1982), amongst many others. The simplicity of Bakshi's poetry made his songs very accessible to the masses and he made successful collaborations with veteran filmmakers like Yash Chopra, Subhash Ghai, Rajiv Rai and Aditya Chopra. Their long partnerships ensured they worked together in several films.

At the age of 82, Bakshi died of organ failure on 30 March 2002 at Mumbai's Nanavati Hospital. He worked on films Chori Chori (2003) and The Hero: Love Story of a Spy (2003) before his death and his last released film was Afzal Khan's Mehbooba (2008). His composition “Chandni” was remixed in the film Chaar Din Ki Chandni (2012), ensuring that Bakshi lives on in the soul of Indian cinema.