He moved to Mumbai in search of a job in 1964. In the early days of his career, he wrote in "Dharmayug" and "Blitz" . His poetic style attracted the notice of filmmakers and writers of Hindi and Urdu literature. He was often invited to Mushairas, the prestigious recitation sessions of one's own poetry. He became known among readers and ghazal singers for his elegant presentation and exclusive use of colloquial language for ghazals, dohaas and nazms, while avoiding ornate Persian imagery and compound words to simplify his poetry. He wrote the famous couplet: 'Duniya jise kehte hain jaadu kaa Khilona hai Mil jaaye to mitti hai kho jaaye to sona hai'. Some of his famous film songs include "Aa bhi jaa" (Sur), "Tu is tarah se meri zindagi mein" (Aap To Aise Na The) and "Hosh waalon ko khabar Kya" ("Sarfarosh"). He wrote essays critical of contemporary poets of the sixties in his book "Mulaqatein" which outraged poets including Sahir Ludhianvi, Ali Sardar Jafri and Kaifi Azmi. As a result, he was boycotted in some poetic sessions. His career improved when Kamal Amrohi, a filmmaker, approached him. The original songwriter Jan Nisar Akhtar working on the film "Razia Sultan" (1983) had died before completing the project. Nida wrote the final two songs and attracted other Hindi filmmakers.