Showing posts with label shamshad begum.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shamshad begum.. Show all posts

Wednesday 14 April 2021

Shamshad Begum - The Highest Paid Female Playback Singer from 1940–1955.

 


Shamshad Begum’s debut in Hindi films came in 1941 in Khazanchi, a year before Noorjehan’s in Hindi films in Khandan (1942), both under Ghulam Haider. The song 'Sawan Ke Nazare Hain' made her instant famous and became favourite of every household.  In the next year the song Duniya mein garibon ko aaram nahi milta from Zameendar (1942), and Gaaadiwale dupatta uda liya jaye re  from Poonji (1943) made all the successful music directors of that era to approach her to sing their compositions 

Naushad acknowledged in an interview that he was indebted to Shamshas Begum in reaching the top. It was Begum's solo and duet songs sung for Naushad in the late 1940s and early 1950s which made Naushad famous. Naushad was floored on the clarity of her toneShe sang 60 songs under his direction. She was the lead singer in Anokhi Ada, Mela (1948) and Chaandni Raat (1949).

Two of the most iconic songs of our films – Ana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday and Mere piya gaye Rangoon – are C Ramchandra-Shamshad Begum creation, She sang nearly 60 songs for C Ramchandra. He used her voice for the first time in a film Safar, 1946, in a duet with him. She is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday", this made her the most sellable female voice. She kept getting more offers to sing songs and was the highest-paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post-Mother India in 1957 to 1964.
 In 1946, S D Burman asked Shamshad Begum to sing in his debut Hindi film as music director, Shikari (1946), with the song, "Kuch Rang Badal Rahi". In 1949, came Shabnam, in which Burman asked her to sing duets named "Pyar Main Tumne" and "Kismat Bhi Bhichadna" with Mukesh, which became popular. Shabnam was Burman's biggest hit to that date with Filmistan In 1954, when Nayyar got a break as a composer, he approached Begum to record songs for Mangu. Nayyar described her voice as resembling a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. He worked with her until the late 1960s and gave her many hit songs, including "Ab To Jee Hone Laga" from Mr. & Mrs. '55"Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar", "Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana", "Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re" – CID (1956); "Main Jaan Gayi Tujhe" from Howrah Bridge, "Zara Pyar Karle" from Mangu, "Saiyan Teri Ankhon Mein" from 12' O Clock, "Thodasa Dil Lagana" from Musafirkhana, and many others.
She stopped recording her songs in the year 1955 after her husband's death, the songs released between 1955 and early 1957 including songs from films such as CIDNaya AndazBaradariMr. & Mrs. '55 and other hits continued to be popular. At this juncture, Mehboob Khan approached her in 1957 and said he wanted a full-throated voice for Nargis in Mother India. The first song she sang after returning to her career was "Pee ke ghar aaj pyari dulhaniya chali" for Mother India. She made a successful comeback and subsequently recorded many notable songs for films such as Howrah BridgeJaali NoteLove in SimlaBewaqoofMughal-e-AzamBluff MasterGharana and Rustom-E-Hind.
You would be surprised to know that Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar were part of a chorus in a few songs of Shamshad Begum.  From 1949 to 1960, beginning with the song "Dar Na Mohabbat Karle" from Andaz, Mangeshkar and Begum have sung many duets together, with the most famous being "Pyar Ke Jahan Ki" from the 1949 film Patanga, "Bachpan Ke Din" from 1951's Deedar; their last song together was Mughal-e-Azam's song "Teri Mehfil Mein Qismat" in 1960
 She sang over 6,000 songs in Hindi and Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Punjabi languages and of the 1287 songs were Hindi film songs.
Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94 that time. Her melodious voice with powerful lyrics gave us songs that have remained popular even today.
Song of Khazanchi (1941 film) 

Song of Shahjehan (1946)

Song of Dard (1947 film)

Song of Shehnai 1947


Song of Patanga 1949

Song of  Babul 1950

Song of  Bahar 1951

Song of Awaara (1951)



Song of Aar Paar 1954

Song of CID 1956



Song of Naya Andaz 1956;

Song of Naya Daur 1957

Song of Mother India 1957















Thursday 23 April 2020

Shamshad Begum- Unique voice and style



Her unique voice and style of singing set her apart from contemporaries such as Geeta Bai, Amirbai Karnataki, Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. She sang some of Hindi cinema's best-loved numbers between the 1940s and 1950s.
She was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry and voice behind hit songs like 'Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon', "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday" 'Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar ' and 'Kajra Mohabbat Wala '. She captivated the hearts of her listeners with the enchanting depth of her voice.
 Shamshad Begum( 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013 ) was at the peak of her career right from 1941 to 1955 and was the most in-demand female singer and highest-paid female playback singer. It was the composer Ghulam Haider who took her to Bombay in 1944 for singing in the Hindi films. Before this, she sang for Punjabi film Yamla Jatt in 1940. Haider used her voice skilfully in some of his earlier films such as Khazanchi (1941) and Khandan (1942). After partition, Haider moved to Pakistan but Shamshad Beghhum stayed in Bombay. She sang for other music directors like  Naushad AliO. P. Nayyar, C Ramchandra and S. D. Burman who were emerging. It was Begum's solo and duet songs sung for Naushad in the late 1940s and early 1950s which made Naushad famous.
In this blog, I am taking some of her hit songs under the music direction of Naushad.
The first song under Naushad was from the 1946 film Shahjehan 
Song of Shahjehan 1946


Song of Mela (1948)


Song of Anokhi Ada (1948)


Song of Chaandni Raat (1949)


Song of  Dulaari (1949)


Song of  Baabul (1950)


Song of  Deedar (1951)


Song of  Jadoo (1951)


Song of  Aan (1952)


Song of  Mother India (1957)

Her last song for Naushad was the iconic qawwali-muqaabala – Teri mehfil mein kismet aazma kar hum bhi dekhenge (Mughal-e-Azam , 1960).


Song of Mughal-e-Azam , 1960



Tuesday 14 April 2020

Shamshad Begum- Kishore Kumar sang as chorus boys for her songs


You will be surprised to know that In the late 1940s, the great composer Madan Mohan and Kishore Kumar sang as chorus boys for her songs at the Filmistan Studio. Begum promised at this time that she would sing songs composed by Mohan once he started his career as a music director and would accept a lower fee. She also predicted that Kumar would become a great playback singer. She later recorded duets with Kishore Kumar, including "Gori ke Nainon Mein Nindiya Bhari" from Angarey and "Mere Neendon Me Tum" from Naya Andaz.
The credit of discovering Shamshad Begum’s talent, polishing her singing and bringing her to the limelight goes to the music director Gulam Haider. Her first song" Sawan Ke Nazare Hain" from Khajanchi(1941) was a hit. She became a favorite female singer of the composers of that era including Naushad AliO. P. NayyarC. Ramchandra and S. D. Burman from 1946 to 1960. 
Shamshad Begum was born on 14 th April 1919 and died on 23 rd April 2013. Her talent was first spotted by her principal when she was in a primary school in 1924. Impressed by the quality of her voice, she was made head singer of classroom prayer. At 10, she started singing folk-based songs at religious functions and family marriages.
She began her singing career from All India Radio (AIR) in Peshawar and Lahore from 1937.It was from here Ghulam Haider was popularly known as the Materji, who was the music director of Xenophone picked her and signed her for 12 songs at Rs 12.50 per song, a big sum that time. She was about 13 then.
Shamshad Begum’s debut in Hindi films came in 1941 in Khazanchi, a year before Noorjehan’s in Hindi films in Khandan (1942), both under Ghulam Haider. In the next year the song Duniya mein garibon ko aaram nahi milta from Zameendar (1942), and Gaaadiwale dupatta uda liya jaye re  from Poonji (1943). Mehboob Khan liked her voice since Khajanchi so  Khan used Begum's voice in Taqdeer (1943), where he introduced Nargis as the heroine. Begum was soon singing for other composers including Rafiq Ghaznavi, Ameer Ali, Pt. Gobindram, Pt. Amarnath, Bulo C. Rani, Rashid Atre and M. A. Mukhtar, in the pre-independence era.
Readers would be surprised to know that this popular song of Pakeezah was originally sung by Shamshad Begum way back in 1941 film Himmat, composed by Pt. Gobindram and written by Aziz Kashmiri.
 Naushad acknowledged in an interview that he was indebted to Begum in reaching the top. It was Begum's solo and duet songs sung for Naushad in the late 1940s and early 1950s which made Naushad famous. Naushad was floored on the clarity of her toneShe sang 60 songs under his direction. She was the lead singer in Anokhi Ada, Mela (1948) and Chaandni Raat (1949). After using Lata Mangeshkar as the lead singer in Andaaz (1949), Naushad came back to Shamshad Begum with a bang in Baabul (1950) and Jadoo (1951). Her last song for him was the iconic qawwali-muqaabala – Teri mehfil mein kismet aazma kar hum bhi dekhenge (Mughal-e-Azam , 1960).
Two of the most iconic songs of our films – Ana meri jaan meri jaan Sunday ke Sunday and Mere piya gaye Rangoon – are C Ramchandra-Shamshad Begum creation, She sang nearly 60 songs for C Ramchandra. He used her voice for the first time in a film Safar, 1946, in a duet with him. She is credited with singing one of the first Westernised songs, "Meri jaan...Sunday ke Sunday", this made her the most sellable female voice. She kept getting more offers to sing songs and was the highest-paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post-Mother India in 1957 to 1964.
 In 1946, S D Burman asked Shamshad Begum to sing in his debut Hindi film as music director, Shikari (1946), with the song, "Kuch Rang Badal Rahi". In 1949, came Shabnam, in which Burman asked her to sing duets named "Pyar Main Tumne" and "Kismat Bhi Bhichadna" with Mukesh, which became popular. Shabnam was Burman's biggest hit to that date with Filmistan
 In 1954, when Nayyar got a break as a composer, he approached Begum to record songs for Mangu. Nayyar described her voice as resembling a "temple bell" for its clarity of tone. He worked with her until the late 1960s and gave her many hit songs, including "Ab To Jee Hone Laga" from Mr. & Mrs. '55"Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar", "Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana", "Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re" – CID (1956); "Main Jaan Gayi Tujhe" from Howrah Bridge, "Zara Pyar Karle" from Mangu, "Saiyan Teri Ankhon Mein" from 12' O Clock, "Thodasa Dil Lagana" from Musafirkhana, and many others.
Her songs from the 1940s to the early 1970s remain popular and continue to be remixed. She sang over 6,000 songs in Hindi and Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Punjabi languages and of the 1287 songs were Hindi film songs.
Shamshad Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94 that time. Her melodious voice with powerful lyrics gave us songs that have remained popular even today.
Song of Khazanchi (1941 film) 


Song of Khandan (1942)


Song of Taqdeer (1943)


Song of Humayun (1945)


Song of Shehnai (1947)


Song of  Mela 1948 


Song of Patanga 1949


Song of Shabnam 1949


Song of Babul 1950


Song of Awaara (1951)


Song of Baiju Bawra (1952)


Song of Aar Paar 1954


Song of "C.I.D." 1956


Song of Naya Andaz 1956; 


Song of Mother India (1957)


Song of Mughal-E-Azam 1960


Song of Kismat (1968)








Sunday 23 April 2017

Immortal Songs by Shamshad Begum-A Tribute on her 4th Death Anniversary


 A distinctive voice and  a versatile artist, singing over 6,000 songs in Hindi and Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil and Punjabi languages and of them 1287 songs were from Hindi films.Shamshad Begum was born on 14 th April 1919 and died on 23 rd April 2013.
Her talent was first spotted by her principal when she was in primary school in 1924. Impressed by the quality of her voice, she was made head singer of classroom prayer. At 10, she started singing folk-based songs at religious functions and family marriages.
She began her singing career from All India Radio (AIR) in Peshawar and Lahore from 1937.Shamshad Begum sang extensively for composers including Naushad AliO. P. NayyarC. Ramchandra and S. D. Burman from 1946 to 1960. Her peak period in the Hindi film industry was from 1940 to 1955 and again from 1957 to 1968.She was the highest paid female singer from 1940 to 1955 and again post Mother India in 1957 to 1964.Her song "Kajra Mohabbat Wala" from the 1968 film Kismat and Nathaniya Hale To Bada Maza from the 1971 film Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong remains popular.
She was conferred with the prestigious O. P. Nayyar award for her contribution to Hindi film music. She was also conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2009.Begum died at her Mumbai residence on the night of 23 April 2013 after a prolonged illness. She was 94.She was cremated in a small, dignified ceremony.

         IMMORTAL SONGS Of SHAMSHAD BEGUM

Song from Shama 1946


Song from Shehnai 1947


Song from Mela 1948


Song from Patanga 1949


Song from Shabnam 1949


Song from Babul 1950


Song from Babul 1950


Song from Awara 1951


Song from Baiju Bawra 1952


Song from Aar Paar 1954


Song from CID (1956)


Song from CID (1956)


Song from Naya Daur 1957


Song from Mother India (1957)




Song from Kismat (1968)


Song from Johar Mehmood in Hong Kong 1971