Suraiya
Encyclopedia
Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh was a singer and actress of the Indian films
in the 40s and 50s, and was popularly known by her first name Suraiya..
, Punjab
, (which is in Pakistan
since 1947), and was the only child of her parents. She was not formally trained in music; yet she went on to become a successful singing actress.
She attended New Girls' also known as J.B. Petit High School for Girls, in Fort
, Bombay (Mumbai). She received religious teachings in Persian
at home.
in Taj mahal, selected Suraiya to play that role.
Music director Naushad once heard Suraiya's voice on All India Radio
while she sang for a children's program, and chose her to sing as a 13 year old for Mehtaab in Kardar's film Sharda
(1942). He was Suraiya’s mentor and she sang some of the best songs of her career under his baton. Later he gave hits after hits when Suraiya became full fledged singing star in Anmol Ghadi
(1946), Dard
(1947), Dillagi
(1949) and Dastaan
(1950). Naushad composed approximately 51 songs for Suraiya, coming at 2nd place after Husnlal Bhagatram for composing the highest number of songs for Suraiya.
As an adult, Suraiya initially played secondary roles in K. Asif
's Phool (1944
), Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi
(1946
), which was written by Aghajani Kashmeri
also Kashmiri, and Dard (1947
). She got a break as a heroine for the film Tadbir (1945
) at the recommendation of K. L. Saigal, who liked her voice during a rehearsal. She went on to costar with Saigal in Omar Khayyam (1946
) and Parwana (1947
). Although by then she had a couple of hit songs, but the four solo songs which she sang in Parwana made her a genuine singer star. She considered Composer of these songs, Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
as her favorite Music Director for whom she sang just thirteen songs during 1943 to 1949. More opportunities arose for Suraiya after reigning actresses Noor Jehan
and Khursheed Bano migrated to Pakistan
following the 1947 partition
of British India.
As an actress, Suraiya had an edge over her contemporaries Kamini Kaushal
and Nargis
because she could sing her own songs. After three hits Pyar ki jeet (1948
), Badi Behen, and Dillagi (1949
), she became the highest paid female star. But her reign at the top was brief; her films started flopping in the 1950s. She made a comeback in Waaris and Mirza Ghalib (1954
). Rustom Sohrab (1963
) was her last film.
. The two of them costarred in six films between 1948 and 1951. During the shooting of the song Kinare kinare chale jayen ge of the film Vidya
1948, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. After this incident Suraiya fell in love with him. Dev Anand also responded.
On the sets of the film Jeet
1949, Dev Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000 but her maternal grandmother opposed the relationship as they were Muslim and Dev Anand was a Hindu, therefore, this romance could not reach the boundaries of joy. Out of this grief Suraiya decided to remain a spinster all her life. They stopped acting together, after her grandmother opposed, so Do Sitare 1951, turned out to be the last film of the pair to release.
Suraiya lived in her apartment on Marine Drive
in Mumbai
until her death in 2004 at age 75.
She was interred at Badakabarastan
in Marine Lines
, Mumbai
.
Suraiya was declared the first Melody Queen (Malika-e-Tarannum) in the sub-continent.
Her greatness can be judged by these comments. "You have put life in the soul of ‘Mirza Ghalib’", were the remarks of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
, the Indian Prime Minister when he saw film Mirza Ghalib.
The Hollywood legend Gregory Peck
was keen to meet Suraiya. In connection with the shooting of some film he happened to visit Bombay (Mumbai) where he honoured the great actress by sparing his precious time to meet her.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
in the 40s and 50s, and was popularly known by her first name Suraiya..
Early life
Suraiya was born in GujranwalaGujranwala
Gujranwala is a industrial city in the north-east of the Punjab province. It is the sixth largest city in Pakistan with a population of approximately 2,661,360 as on 24 June 2011...
, Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, (which is in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
since 1947), and was the only child of her parents. She was not formally trained in music; yet she went on to become a successful singing actress.
She attended New Girls' also known as J.B. Petit High School for Girls, in Fort
Fort (Mumbai precinct)
Fort is a business district in Mumbai, India. The area was the heart of the city during the 18th century. The area gets its name from the defensive fort, Fort St. George, built by the British East India Company around Bombay Castle...
, Bombay (Mumbai). She received religious teachings in Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
at home.
Career
Suraiya made her debut as a child artist in Usne kya socha (1937). She got a prominent role as a child artist with the help of her uncle Zahoor, who was then a popular villain actor. During a holiday from school in 1941, she accompanied him to Mohan Studios to see the shooting of the film Taj Mahal which was being directed by Nanubhai Vakil. Vakil noticed Suraiya and not having in his mind at that time any particular young girl to play the role of young Mumtaz MahalMumtaz Mahal
Mumtaz Mahal born as Arjumand Banu Begum was a Mughal Empress and chief consort of emperor Shah Jahan...
in Taj mahal, selected Suraiya to play that role.
Music director Naushad once heard Suraiya's voice on All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
while she sang for a children's program, and chose her to sing as a 13 year old for Mehtaab in Kardar's film Sharda
Sharda
Sharda Rajan Iyengar or Sharda was a playback singer in Hindi films in the 1960s and 70s. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the cabaret "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" in Jahan Pyar Miley , though she is most remembered for her song "Titli Udi" in Suraj...
(1942). He was Suraiya’s mentor and she sang some of the best songs of her career under his baton. Later he gave hits after hits when Suraiya became full fledged singing star in Anmol Ghadi
Anmol Ghadi
Anmol Ghadi is a 1946 Hindi film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan.The film was musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, which have hits like, Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai, Jawaan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana and Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na...
(1946), Dard
Dard
-People:* Khwaja Mir Dard, 18th century Urdu poet.* Dard Hunter, born William Joseph Hunter , an American authority on printing, paper, and papermaking—especially by hand....
(1947), Dillagi
Dillagi
Dillagi is a 1999 Bollywood film directed by Sunny Deol and also starring Sunny Deol alongside his real-life brother Bobby Deol and Urmila Matondkar. The film was a box office flop but Deol's first attempt at directing was appreciated....
(1949) and Dastaan
Dastaan
Dastaan is a music album produced by Pakistani pop singer, Ali Haider. It was a blend of Pop and Rock style music which Haider tried for a new genre type of music.-Track listing:#"Dastaan"#"Jaania"#"Koi Darwazah"#"Maria"#"Meri Jaan"#"Papa Mummi"...
(1950). Naushad composed approximately 51 songs for Suraiya, coming at 2nd place after Husnlal Bhagatram for composing the highest number of songs for Suraiya.
As an adult, Suraiya initially played secondary roles in K. Asif
K. Asif
K. Asif was a film director, film producer and screenwriter who was famous for his work for the Hindi epic motion picture, Mughal-e-Azam .-Early life:...
's Phool (1944
1944 in film
The year 1944 in film involved some significant events, including the wholesome, award-winning Going My Way plus popular murder mysteries such as Double Indemnity, Gaslight and Laura.-Events:*July 20 - Since You Went Away is released....
), Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi
Anmol Ghadi
Anmol Ghadi is a 1946 Hindi film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan.The film was musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, which have hits like, Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai, Jawaan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana and Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na...
(1946
1946 in film
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
), which was written by Aghajani Kashmeri
Aghajani Kashmeri
Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi Syed Wajid Hussain Rizavi (Urdu: , Hindi: सैय्यद वाजिद हुसैन रिज़वी, (16 October 1908 - 27 March 1998), better known by his Bollywood film name, Aghajani Kashmeri (Urdu: , Hindi: आग़ाजानी कश्मीरी) or Kashmiri (Urdu: , Hindi: कश्मीरी), also Agha...
also Kashmiri, and Dard (1947
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
). She got a break as a heroine for the film Tadbir (1945
1945 in film
The year 1945 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Paramount Studios releases theatrical short cartoon titled The Friendly Ghost, featuring a ghost named Casper.* With Rossellini's Roma Città aperta, Italian neorealist cinema begins....
) at the recommendation of K. L. Saigal, who liked her voice during a rehearsal. She went on to costar with Saigal in Omar Khayyam (1946
1946 in film
The year 1946 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*November 21 - William Wyler's The Best Years of Our Lives premieres in New York featuring an ensemble cast including Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, and Harold Russell.*December 20 - Frank Capra's It's a...
) and Parwana (1947
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
). Although by then she had a couple of hit songs, but the four solo songs which she sang in Parwana made her a genuine singer star. She considered Composer of these songs, Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
Khawaja Khurshid Anwar
Khwaja Khurshid Anwar was a filmmaker, writer, director and music composer who gained extreme popularity both in India and Pakistan...
as her favorite Music Director for whom she sang just thirteen songs during 1943 to 1949. More opportunities arose for Suraiya after reigning actresses Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan
Noorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan. Her career spanned seven decades...
and Khursheed Bano migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
following the 1947 partition
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
of British India.
As an actress, Suraiya had an edge over her contemporaries Kamini Kaushal
Kamini Kaushal
Kamini Kaushal is a Hindi film and television actress, most noted for her roles in films like Neecha Nagar which won the 1946 Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival and Biraj Bahu which won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1955.-Early life:Kaushal was born to a botanist and professor at...
and Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
because she could sing her own songs. After three hits Pyar ki jeet (1948
1948 in film
The year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
), Badi Behen, and Dillagi (1949
1949 in film
The year 1949 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, starring Bud Abbott and Lou Costello...
), she became the highest paid female star. But her reign at the top was brief; her films started flopping in the 1950s. She made a comeback in Waaris and Mirza Ghalib (1954
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
). Rustom Sohrab (1963
1963 in film
The year 1963 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* June 12 - Cleopatra starring Elizabeth Taylor, Rex Harrison and Richard Burton premieres at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City....
) was her last film.
Personal life
Suraiya was romantically involved with actor Dev AnandDev Anand
Dharam Dev Anand , better known as Dev Anand , is an Indian Hindi Cinema actor, director and film producer. Dev is the second of three brothers who were active in Hindi Cinema. His brothers are Chetan Anand and Vijay Anand. Their sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur, is the mother of renowned Hindi and...
. The two of them costarred in six films between 1948 and 1951. During the shooting of the song Kinare kinare chale jayen ge of the film Vidya
Vidya
thumb|[[Sarasvati]], Vidya goddess.Vidya, Vidhya is a Sanskrit name for knowledge. It is frequently used in Hinduism as honorific stemming from the Puranic conception of knowledge and learning. Vidya is an epithet of the Hindu goddess Sarasvati, consort of Brahma according to Hindu beliefs...
1948, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. After this incident Suraiya fell in love with him. Dev Anand also responded.
On the sets of the film Jeet
Jeet
Jeet is a Hindi term meaning "victory" or "win". It may refer to:* Jeet , Indian* Jeet , Bengali actor* Jeet , a Hindi film by Raj Kanwar...
1949, Dev Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000 but her maternal grandmother opposed the relationship as they were Muslim and Dev Anand was a Hindu, therefore, this romance could not reach the boundaries of joy. Out of this grief Suraiya decided to remain a spinster all her life. They stopped acting together, after her grandmother opposed, so Do Sitare 1951, turned out to be the last film of the pair to release.
Suraiya lived in her apartment on Marine Drive
Marine Drive
Marine Drive is a 3-kilometre-long boulevard in South Mumbai in the city of Mumbai. It is a 'C'-shaped six-lane concrete road along the coast, which is a natural bay. The road links Nariman Point to Babulnath and Malabar Hill. Marine Drive is situated over reclaimed land facing west-south-west...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
until her death in 2004 at age 75.
She was interred at Badakabarastan
Badakabarastan
Badakabarastan is a Muslim cemetery in the Marine Lines area of south Mumbai in India. One of the largest Muslim cemeteries in the country, it is also the final resting place of a number of icons from the Indian film industry....
in Marine Lines
Marine Lines
Marine Lines is an area in South Mumbai. It is also the name of a railway station on the Mumbai suburban railway on the Western Railway railway line. The name Marine Lines is named after the Marine Battalion Lines, a military establishment built by the British. The battalion was later converted to...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Suraiya was declared the first Melody Queen (Malika-e-Tarannum) in the sub-continent.
Her greatness can be judged by these comments. "You have put life in the soul of ‘Mirza Ghalib’", were the remarks of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, the Indian Prime Minister when he saw film Mirza Ghalib.
The Hollywood legend Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor.One of 20th Century Fox's most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s, Peck continued to play important roles well into the 1980s. His notable performances include that of Atticus Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird, for which he won an...
was keen to meet Suraiya. In connection with the shooting of some film he happened to visit Bombay (Mumbai) where he honoured the great actress by sparing his precious time to meet her.