Noor Jehan-The Malika-e-Tarannum

Remembering Noor Jehan today on her 92nd Birth Anniversary in my this Blog I bring some memorable moments of her life. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of all time especially throughout South Asia and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum (the queen of melody) in Pakistan.

Pran and Noorjehan

Noor Jehan was first cast as a heroine in Khandan (1942) opposite Pran as the hero.The songs of Khandan (1942) compsed by Ghulam Haider became instant hits and established her as the leading singer of films in India. Its success saw her immigrating to Bombay where she shared melodies with the singing star Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). After that she gave 3 hits in a row.She became the darling of the masses.

The year 1945 was a turning point for Noor Jehan. The year brought Noor Jehan her first superhit in Bombay, Zeenat (1945). It was her inimitable rendition of "Bulbulo Mat Ro Yahan" that gained her the title Malka-e-Tarranum, Queen of Melody. In Master Vinayak's Badi Maa (1945) she played lead with "Baby Lata Mangeshkar" and "Baby Asha Mangeshkar" in supporting roles.
In 1946 Noor Jehan acted in the enduring classic Anmol Ghadi (1946) The superhit songs like 'Awaz De Kahan Hai', 'Jawan Hai Mohabbat', 'Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi', 'Aaja Meri Barbad Mohabbat' and 'Kya Mil Gaya Bhagwan' composed by Naushad to make her the undisputed queen of films.

In Jugnu (1947) she starred with Dilip Kumar, then a rising star. The duet 'Yahan Badla Wafa Ka Bewafai Ke Siva Kya Hai' catapulted the then struggling Mohammed Rafi, who also made a special guest appearance in the song 'Woh Apne Yaad Dilane Ko'. 

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.

Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dupetta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chanwey (1951). Such was the popularity of the musical score that no song based programme on Radio Pakistan, All India Radio or the newly introduced Hindi Service of Radio Ceylon, seemed complete without one or two of the film's numbers, which included songs such as 'Chandni Raatein', 'Tum Zindagi Ko Gham Ka' and 'Sanwariya Tohe Koi Pukare'. Dupetta (1952) was also actress Yasmin's first Pakistani movie. Yasmin later became Shaukat Hussain Rizvi's second wife.
Jehan bade farewell to film acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930–1963),she  made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu and four in Punjabi as a film actress.
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 hospitalised 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 

Song from Khandan (1942) 

Song from Zeenat (1945)

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from  Anmol Ghadi (1946) 

Song from Jugnu (1947) 

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

Song from Mirza Sahiban (1947)

Body Double and Duplicates of Bollywood Actors

In Hindi cinema, the job of a lookalike is not just to look like the original,but also copy their mannerism and be experts at mimicry.They single- handedly fight lions, jump from one skyscraper to the other with ease or fight with the villain.These stunt doubles live in anonymity for years, while the stars garner all the praise. Similarly Body doubles are used for Heroines in case of Bold Scenes.In the film "7 Khoon Maaf"A particular scene required Priyanka to drop her top and expose her back. The audience was made to believe that they were ogling at PeeCee's bare back while in reality it was somebody else's.

In 1974 a film 5 Rifles produced and directed by I. S. Johar was released,the USP of that film was that the film stars Rajesh Khanna's look-alike Rakesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor's look-alike Shahi Kapoor to encash the popularity of those stars that time,These duplicates were the lead actors of that film. 

Another duplicate Kishore Bhanushali, who played Junior Dev Anand in Dil worked in many films because he did the mimicry of Dev Anand.

We all know that Pakeezah took over 14 years to complete, mainly because of the famously tumultuous relationship between Kamal and Meena Kumari.Her health was not well during the completion of the film.Her condition became so bad that during the filming of the grueling emotional mujraa “Teer-e Nazar,” Meena Kumari collapsed. A body double, none other than filmi vamp Padma Khanna, was recruited to replace her! Meena Kumari personally trained her for the scene, and the song was filmed with the majority of the dancing done with an opaque chunni hiding Padma’s face!

Wahid Lala who was a son of stone quarry labourer He was the first in his family to make a career off daredevilry. He started in 1951, worked in seven Bimal Roy and nine Jugal Kishore productions, was Pran’s body double, and loved smashing cars more than Rohit Shetty does,” he grins. “My most dangerous stunt was in Chakkar Pe Chakkar [1977] — a two-minute chase ending with my car flipping over 10 times.”

Wahid Lala

Manjit Singh-Over three decades ago, Manjit Singh, who worked with action director Veeru Devgan father of Ajay Devgan, found himself at a unique advantage. He bore resemblance to Bollywood's biggest icon Amitabh Bachchan. And simply by virtue of this fact alone, Manjit become hot property in Hindi cinema.Manjit also did stunts for many other actors between 1975 to 2000 but his entire identity came from the fact that he was Amitabh's double. One interesting fact that his son Amrit now works as Abhishek Bachchan's double

Manjit Singh -the body Double of Amitabh Bachchan

Afzal Khan- a third generation stuntie, who has been a double for Salman Khan (Ek Tha Tiger, Jai Ho, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, and  Prem Ratan Dhan Payo) and Aamir Khan (PK). His grandfather, the late Fazal Khan, was a tall, strapping Pathan employed as a watchman at a south Bombay theatre in the 1950s, when he was cast opposite Dara Singh and Dharmendra in fight sequences. Later,his eldest brother Usman  did stunts and acted as a double for Raj Kapoor in Dharam Karam (1975) and Mera Naam Joker (1970).He was also Rishi’s regular double — from Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (1977) till 2015 film All is well.Usman performed stunts in women’s clothing. For Mere Apne (1971), Usman, as Meena Kumari, was hit by a car. He also performed stunts for Sadhana and Reena Roy, in female dress.

Fazal and Usman

Mansoor Khan-started his career when he was only 17 in 2007.With the support of his maternal uncles Nishant Khan and Sattar Ahmad, both veterans in this field, Mansoor began to train as a stunt.He received the MSAA card after a year and today, the 27-year-old is recognised as one of the best in the industry. With his gym-toned body and curly hair, he has boeen a double for Hrithik Rshan in Agneepath (2012), Bang Bang! (2014) and  Mohenjo Daro.

Mansoor Khan with Hritik

Geeta Tandon -This 31 years old claims to be the only stuntwoman to have successfully attempted car chases.Most women don’t like to perform stunts that involve long hours in the sun or getting dirty in the mud,” she says. “But I did it all. Recently, I did a car chase scene for Aishwarya Rai’s 'Jazbaa'. She has worked as a stunt double for many, including Parineeti Chopra, Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, and Deepika Padukone

Geeta Tandon with her children

 Sanobar Pardiwala is Another Stuntwoman who has done some brilliant stunts for top actresses like Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif.