Noor Jehan

Noor Jehan (September 21 1926 - December 23, 2000) was a famous Pakistani singer and actress.

Related Topics:
September 21 - 1926 - December 23 - 2000 - Pakistan

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She was born as Allah Wasai at Kot Murad Khan, Kasur in British India into a musician family. Her father was Madad Ali and her mother was Fateh Bibi and she was the seventh child of her parents. She showed an unusual interest in music in her childhood. She received early training in classical singing under Ustad Ghulam Mohammed Khan within the framework of dhrupad and khayal. In 1935 she moved to Calcutta with her sister Eidan, cousin Haider Bandi and, brother Shafi. Calcutta was an important centre for films and she acted as a child star, first on stage, and thereafter, doing bit roles in 11 films. Her first song for cinema was in the film Sheila or Pind Ki Kudhi. She remained in Calcutta for three years and returned to Lahore in 1938. Here she was signed up for Dalsukh Pancholi in 1939. She did four Punjabi films for him: Gul-e-Bakavali (1939), Sassi Punnu (1939), Yamla Jat (1940) and Choudhury (1940). In 1941, Pancholi launched Khandaan (1942 dir. Shaukat Hussain Rizvi) in Urdu. Noor Jehan was cast opposite Pran who went on to become one of the most hated villians of the Indian film Industry. On the sets of Khandaan (1942) a relationship developed between Shaukhat Hussain Rizvi and Noor Jehan. The success of their film took them to Bombay, though not together. They were married in 1944 after a much publicized and denied romance. The marriage produced three children: Akbar, Asghar and Zill-e-Huma.

Related Topics:
Kasur - British India - 1935 - Calcutta - Lahore - 1938 - 1939 - Punjabi - 1940 - 1941 - 1942 - Shaukat Hussain Rizvi - Urdu - Bombay - 1944

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She acted in most of Shaukat's film including Naukar (1943), and Jugnu (1947) which featured Dilip Kumar in the lead. But the duo's biggest hit was Eastern Pictures' Zeenat (1945), in which she popularized the Qawwali as never before with 'Aahien Na Bhari Shikwein Na Kiye' which she sang along with Zohrabai Ambalewali. Zeenat counts on India's earliest musical hits. She combined in herself a stricking presence a vibrant voice and a unique style of thumri singers. Her films like Dhuai (1943), Naukar (1943), Nadaan (1943), Dost (1944), Badi Maa (1945) and , Village Girl (1945) were superhits and soon, Noor Jehan conquered India's film capital and was at the top of the helm.

Related Topics:
1943 - 1947 - Dilip Kumar - 1945 - Qawwali - 1944 - India

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This was followed by Badi Maa (1945) where Lata Mangeshkar got and oppurtunity to work with the star she admired and even emulated in the early years. Lata chose to sing for her first audition, a song Noor Jehan had immortalized in one of her films.

Related Topics:
1945 - Lata Mangeshkar

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What Khandaan did in Lahore, Anmol Ghadi did in Bombay. Noor Jehan reached her peak in Bombay with Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi a super-hit romantic musical in which she starred with two other singing stars Surendra and Suraiya. The result was a sheer feast for the ears and music director Naushad composed some evergreen hits. After the partition, Shaukat Hussain Rizvi and Noor Jehan did not go to Pakistan immediately. However, by 1949 they were in Karachi, from where they decided to go to Lahore, a city where they had worked before. Together they set up Shahnoor Studios and Noor Jehan had the singular distinction of being the First Women Film Director in Pakistan. Her film Chan Ve was released in 1951. After much publicized and very acrimonous confrontations, the marriage fell apart. As part of the spoils she had to write off her share of Shahnoor Studios to S.H. Rizvi. She did not remain single for long. In 1959 she married Ejaz Durrani, a young actor. She had three daughters from him: Hina, Mina and Tina. It was after her marriage to Ejaz that she decided to quit acting and take up playback singing. The pressure of being a mother of six and the demanding wife of a hero forced her to give up her career as an actress.

Related Topics:
Lahore - Bombay - Mehboob Khan - Surendra - Suraiya - Naushad - Pakistan - 1949 - Karachi - 1951 - 1959 - Ejaz Durrani

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Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 War between Pakistan and India. The music, lyrics and style of singing those songs made her a real "Queen of Hearts" for all Pakistanis at the time and was known as Mallika-e-Taranum (Queen of Melody).

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Allegedly she also had a number of affairs. Her famous scandals were with President Yahya Khan and cricketer Nazar Muhammad.

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She was known as the "Elizabeth Taylor" of the Pakistan entertainment industry. She was the grand dame of the Pakistani film industry. When younger, she was a renowned actress, and even quite late in life she was the most in demand and popular female playback singer for lively Punjabi and Urdu songs.

Related Topics:
Pakistan - Punjabi - Urdu

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Since then she has received many awards, including with the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance award), Pakistan's top civil award and countless cultural awards.

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Now she lived her life on her own terms. Noor Jehan had done some of her finest singing in Pakistani films. The diva revisited India in 1982 to attend a function celebrating the golden jubilee of the Indian Talkie. The Mallika-e-Taranum or Queen of Melody as she was called, enthralled her fans on this side of the border with her ever green voice.

Related Topics:
India - 1982

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She died on December 23, 2000 in Karachi of Heart Failure.

Related Topics:
December 23 - 2000 - Karachi - Heart Failure

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