Noorjehan ( 21 September 1926 – 23 December 2000 ), was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of all time, especially throughout South Asia. . American Queen of Pop Madonna once said that "I can copy every singer but not Noor Jehan".
She made her debut as a heroine in Khandan (1942) opposite Pran as the hero. The songs of Khandan (1942) composed by Ghulam Haider became instant hits and established her as the leading singer of films in India. Its success saw her immigrating to Bombay. At that time Shanta Apte was ruling the Hindi Films as a singing heroine.
Noorjehan got her first film in Mumbai as the second lead to Sharda Apte in the 1943 film Duhai, where she shared melodies with the singing star Shanta Apte. She had 2 solos in that film. After that, she gave 3 hits in a row. She became the darling of the masses. In 1945, she became the first Asian woman to sing Qawali in the film Zeenat. This film made her the Singing Superstar. In 1946 her film Anmol Ghadi was a super hit. The film was a musical hit and is still remembered for its music by Naushad, with hits like "Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai", "Jawaan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana" and "Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na Jaana". The film also featured playback singer, Mohammed Rafi's first notable song, "Tera Khilauna Toota Balak"
Noor Jehan's last film in India was Mirza Sahiban (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor's (Father of Raj, Shashi and Shammi Kapoor, Grandfather of Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, Great-Grandfather of Karisma Kapoor) brother Trilok Kapoor. Many of the songs were hits like 'Aaja Tujhe Afsana Judaai Ka Sunaye' and the duet with G M Durrani 'Haath Seene Pe Jo Rakh Do To Qarar Aaye'.
During partition in 1947, Noor Jehan decided to migrate to Lahore in the newly created Pakistan.After the holocaust of partition as things settled down, the film industry in Pakistan picked up the pieces and made a beginning with whatever was available. Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chanwey (1951) opposite Santosh, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat Hussain and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first lady director. The film was a runaway hit. Most of the songs rendered by Noor Jehan in the film became instant hits, not only in Pakistan but also in India, songs like 'Tere Mukhde Tey Kala Kala Til Ve' composed by Feroze Nizami.
After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut exclusively as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback singing for a Pakistani film was for the 1951 film Chann Wey, for which she was the film director herself. She received many awards, including the Pride of Performance in 1965 by the Pakistani Government. She sang a large number of duets with Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mujeeb Aalam.
Jehan suffered from chest pains in 1986 on a tour of North America and was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent bypass surgery. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalized in Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On 23 December 2000 She died as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi
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