Ek Fankaar, any artist's life, filmography, Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh, S D Burman, Options

[rashmi mehta]

page no : 1
SURAIYAJI
S. D. BURMAN
MADHUBALA
SARASWATI RANE
NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN
SHAUKAT DEHELAVI NAASHAD
DEVIKA RANI CHAUDHURY
SUDHA MALHOTRA
RAJKUMARI DUBEY
JATIN LALIT
BULO C RANI

page no : 2

SHARMILA TAGORE
INDEEVAR
SHAKTI SAMANTA
M E E N A K U M A R I
S A N J E E V K U M A R
SRI DEVI
GEETA BALI
MAJRU SULTANPURI
KAIFI AZMI
RAJA MEHDI ALI KHAN

page no : 3

RAJENDRA KRISHAN
TANUJA SAMARTH
MALA SINHA
AAMIR KHAN
KATRINA KAIF



suraiyaji


Born Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh
June 15, 1929 (1929-06-15) (age 79)
Gujranwala, Punjab, now Pakistan
Died January 31, 2004 (aged 75)

Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh (June 15, 1929 - January 31, 2004) was a singer and actress in Indian films, and was popularly known as Suraiya in the film industry. She became a superstar in the 1940s and 50s during the time when actors sang their own songs. IF SHANTA APTE brought spontaneity and refreshing directness in her singing and song-delivery style, Suraiya marked a completely dif­ferent but equally important breakaway from tradition. Born Suraiya Jamal Sheikh in Lahore, she introduced the typical 'adakari' of North Indian Muslims into Hindi films. Expertly combining gestures, music, speech and eloquent eyes, she paved the way for later hearthrobs like Rekha and Madhuri Dixit with her bewitching song delivery. Alhough Noorjehan and Khurshid also brought the same Muslim adakari onscreen with their films, it was Suraiya who shone out as the epitome of that style. Save for her arresting, almond-shaped eyes, Suraiya was not a classic beauty; nor did she trained in classical music. Suraiya , the lovely melody queen created aura with her popular numbers like 'tu mera chaand, main teri chandani' ,'dil-e-nadan, tujhe hua kya hai' and 'woh paas rahe ya door rahe' . Her sultry looks and al­luring eyes matched her melodious voice and distinc­tive style to make her one of the greatest feminine icons of her time, attracting a gen­eration of young women who sought to emulate her and young men who mooned for her.

Early life

Suraiya was born in Gujranwala, Punjab now in Pakistan and was the only child of her parents. She was a dark plain looking girl and was not trained in music, however she went on to become a successful actress and singer.

She had been educated in New Girls' High School in Bombay. Simultaneously she was given religious teachings in Persian at home.

Career

Like many leading ladies of the past, Suraiya's entry into the world of movies was more accidental, than otherwise

Suraiya made her debut as a child artist in Usne Kya Socha (1937). Her films as a child artist ran between 1937 and 1941. She got a break in films with the help of her uncle Zahoor, who was a popular villain of his time. In 1941 during a holiday from school, she accompanied her uncle to Mohan Studios to see the shooting of the film Taj Mahal (1941), a film by Nanubhai Vakil. Vakil noticed the 12-year old girl and chose her to play the role of a young Mumtaz Mahal as they had nobody else to play the role. During her school days she used to participate in "Children Program" on Radio along with Shammi and Rajkapoor. She could sing some popular songs of that time with melody and fidelity . Naushad had heard her voice on the All India Radio where she sang for a children's programme at the insistence of friend Raj Kapoor and neighbour Madan Mohan. From radio, Suraiya moved on to playback singing -- App.reciating her singing talent, a song "Boot karun mein polish" was recorded in her voice by Naushad Sahib in 1942 for the film "Nai-Dunia". In the same year she performed a role in film "Station Master" Other films of her playback singing with music by Naushad Sahib were "Sharda" (Punchi Ja- pechey raha hae bachpan mera), "Qanoon" and "Sanjog"Her singing career soon found a mentor in music maestro Naushad chose her to sing as a 13 year old for Mehtaab in Kardar's Sharda (1942). Suraiya had to stand on a stool to reach the mike to croon Panchi ja, picturised on the much-older heroine, Mehtaab.
She was effectively launched as a singing star in Bombay Talkies Humaari Baat (1943).

She initially started by playing secondary roles in films like K. Asif's Phool (1944) but She made her presence felt in perhaps India's first multi-starrer, played strong supporting second lead roles to Noorjehan in Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi (1946) and Munawar Sultana in Dard (1947). Suraiya had her moments with Socha Tha Kya, Main Dil Mein Dard Basa La Aayee and Man Leta Hai. She got the break as a heroine for the movie Tadbir (1945) at the recommendation of K. L. Saigal who liked her voice during a rehearsal. She went on to co-star with Saigal for two more films Omar Khayyam (1946) and Parwana (1947). More opportunities appeared for Suraiya after reigning actresses Noor Jehan and Khursheed Bano migrated to Pakistan during the 1947 partition. the last remembered for her haunting rendition of Jab Tumhi Nahin Apne.Her pairing with the then superstar Dev Anand was a huge hit and the two went on to star in many successful movies together - Afsar, Shayar and Jeet etal.

Nadira, who later costarred with Suraiya in Waris, says, "My father went repeatedly to the theatre to watch Suraiya sing Socha tha kya. He would walk out the moment the song ended."

Suraiya had an edge over her contemporaries Kamini Kaushal and Nargis because she could sing her own songs. The years 1948-49 were the best of her career - The 1948-49 phase saw her rise to her peak. After three hits Pyar Ki Jeet (1948), Badi Bahen and Dillagi (1949), she became the highest paid female star. At her peak, Suraiya generated hysteria comparable only to Rajesh Khanna in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Shop owners would down their shutters to see her starrers on the first day itself, crowds would throng outside her residence at Marine Drive in Bombay just to get a glimpse of her and actor Dharmendra recalls going to see Dillagi 40 times! Her songs from the above films Tere Nainon Ne Chori Kiya, O Door Jaanewaale (Pyar ki Jeet), Woh Paas Rahe Ya Door Rahe, O Likhnewaale Ne, Bigdi Bananewaale (Badi Bahen) and Tu Mera Chand, Murliwaale Murli Bajaa (Dillagi) were hummed in every nook and corner of the country. Her reign at the top was brief and her films started flopping in the 1950s. She made a comeback with Waaris and Mirza Ghalib (1954) in which she played the role of the married Ghalib's lover.She made a short-lived comeback with Waaris (1954) and Mirza Ghalib (1954). The latter saw her finest dramatic performance as she made alive and vivid the role of the married Ghalib's lover, a courtesan. Ghalib also saw some of her finest singing - Aah ko Chaihiye Ek Umar, Nuktacheen Hai Gham-e-Dil, Dil-e-Nadaan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai, Yeh Na Thi Humari Kismet etc. Her singing is till date regarded as the definitive Ghalib. In fact India's then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru paid her the ultimate compliment by telling her " Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki Rooh ko Zinda Kar Diya" (she had brought Mirza Ghalib to life). In Nitin Bose's Waris (1954), Suraiya costarred with singing star Talat Mehmood (incidentally, she played heroine opposite another singer who tried to be an actor, Mukesh, in 1953's Mashuqa, too). With the sonorous melody, Rahi matwale, Anil Biswas and Suraiya proved their continuing relevance in a new age. Her last film was Rustom Sohrab (1963) following which she kept away from films. A spate of indifferent films followed. Suraiya had grew bulkier but her songs were still exquisite --- Aap se pyar hua jaata hai in Shama (1961), or the serene duet with Talat, Man dheere dheere gaye re in Maalik (1958). In 1963, to the strains of Yeh kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayee hai, the Sajjad jewel from Rustom Sohrab, Suraiya bade farewell to the studios. Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh's legend has endured for over four decades after her retirement post Rustom Sohrab (1963). It is fuelled by her one-time Dev Anand association, her repertoire of lilting songs and an air of mystique.

She stayed at "Krishna Mahal", her Marine Drive residence in Mumbai til her death. The walls and mirrors of Krishna Mahal flat on Marine Drive, are the only objects that set their eyes on this star of yesteryears. But she broke her self-imposed exile when she made a rare appearance at the Screen Videocon awards when Sunil Dutt presented her the Lifetime Achievement award. Radiant in a white salwar kameez she carried herself with the grace of a much younger woman.

The gentle sway of her hips spoke of her delicate style of dancing. The only thing that had remained completely unchanged was her voice. Tremulous with emotion, Suraiya's voice was choked with emotion when she took her award. She spoke of her long association with the film world and she was deeply touched that audiences still remembered her. But when Javed Jaffery pressed her to sing or just hum -- she refused. As a star shestill remembers the meaning of letting a legend live. Heroines are captured forever on the silver screen and the public's memory must never be updated.

Personal life

But her luck did not hold out in her personal life and Suraiya faced her biggestdisappointment. She first met Dev Anand in 1948, when she was just 19 years old. They were co-starring in the film Vidya and on the second day itself cupid struck. During the shooting of a song, a boat capsized and Dev Anand saved Suraiya from drowning. . And when he saved her from drowning during the filming of the song `Kinare Kinare Chale Jayenge', Suraiya was convinced that she had met her cosmic mate. She fell in love with him. Suraiya was romantically involved with actor Dev Anand and the two of them did six films together between 1948 and 1951. but her grandmother opposed the relationship. They were romantically linked and were all set to marry when her strict grandmother put her foot down and broke their relationship. She banned meeting, telephone calls and even talking on the sets. The entire affair was conducted in a clandestine manner with friends like Durga Khote and Kamini Kaushal going out of their way to engineer secret rendezvous. On the sets of the film Jeet, Dev Anand finally proposed to Suraiya and gave her a diamond ring worth Rs 3,000 -- a princely sum for a fledgling star. But even that memento was snatched away from her when her grandmother saw the ring and threw it away into the sea. She also burnt all of Dev Anand's letters in front of Suraiya's eyes. Her objection to the romance: (Dev Anand is a Hindu while Suraiya is a Muslim). A hunt for a Muslim husband began but marriagewas not in Suraiya's fate. In 1951, Dev Anand married Kalpana Kartik -- ending one of the silver screen's greatest romances. The heartbroken Suraiya never married though many leading men of her time were interested in her.Surraiya's idol was Gregory Peck and he visited her by surprise during a night of 1954 while in transit at Mumbai on his way to Srilanka for shooting. He was much impressed by her simplicity.Dev Anand molded himself in postures of Gregory Peck but after long awaiting he married Kaplna Kartak.Suraiya remained unmarried all her life.

Dev Anand accepts his love for Suraiya

the unmarried Suraiya lives alone in her plush Marine Drive apartment. Rarely does one see a bejewelled Suraiya at a party. Even after her strict grandmother, who kept suitors at bay and producers at arm's length, passed away, Suraiya continued to be inaccessible to the hoi polloi.

Her decision to reside in an ivory tower has added to her mystique, while her resolve to shun character roles ensured that she is always remembered as a heroine. Most quaintly, Suraiya also chose not to sing any new film song in the last 40 years.

Death

She died in 2004 of old age at 75. In 2004, during the Sansui Awards, actress Jaya Bhaduri received the Lifetime Achievement Award and while she was on stage, she was disappointed that no one gave a tribute to the legendary actress Suraiya who had passed right around that time.

Suraiya's dastaan, ajeeb but fascinating, continues to thrive on lore, speculation and memories.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suraiya

http://www.chakpak.com/celebrity/suraiya/biography/8847

http://www.bollymood.com/biography/suraiya/

http://www.indianmelody.com/suraiyaarticle1.htm


Filmography

Actress:

* 1960s
* 1950s
* 1940s

1. Rustom Sohrab (1963) .... Shehzadi Tehmina
2. Shama (1961) .... Roshan Ara

3. Malik (1958)
4. Trolley Driver (1958)
5. Mr. Lambu (1956)
6. Inaam (1955)
7. Bilwamangal (1954)
8. Mirza Ghalib (1954) .... Chaudvin
9. Shama Parwana (1954) .... Sahebzadi Aalam
10. Waris (1954) .... Shobha ... aka Heir
11. Mashooka (1953)
12. Deewana (1952)
13. Goonj (1952)
14. Khubsurat (1952) ... aka Khubsoorat (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
15. Lal Kunwar (1952)
16. Moti Mahal (1952)
17. Do Sitare (1951)
18. Rajput (1951)
19. Sanam (1951)
20. Afsar (1950) .... Bimala ... aka Officer
21. Badi Bahen (1950) ... aka Elder Sister
22. Dastan (1950) .... Indira
23. Kamal Ke Phool (1950)
24. Khiladi (1950)
25. Nili (1950)
26. Shaan (1950)
27. Jeet (1949) .... Jeet
28. Amar Kahani (1949)
29. Badi Bahen (1949)
30. Balam (1949)
31. Bombay (1949)
32. Char Din (1949)
33. Dillagi (1949) .... Heer ... aka Mischief (International: English title)
34. Duniya (1949)
35. Lekh (1949)
36. Naach (1949)
37. Shair (1949) .... Rani
38. Shayar (1949)
39. Singaar (1949)
40. Aaj Ki Raat (1948)
41. Gajre (1948)
42. Kajal (1948) ... aka Eyes (International: English title)
43. Pyaar Ki Jeet (1948)
44. Rang Mahal (1948)
45. Shakti (1948)
46. Vidya (1948) .... Vidya
47. Bhatakti Maina (1947)
48. Dak Bangla (1947)
49. Dard (1947)
50. Do Dil (1947)
51. Do Naina (1947)
52. Naatak (1947)
53. Parwana (1947) .... Gopi
54. 1857 (1946) ... aka Eighteen Fifty-Seven
55. Anmol Ghadi (1946) .... Basanti ... aka Precious Time
56. Chehra (1946)
57. Jag Biti (1946)
58. Main Kya Karun (1945)
59. Phool (1945)... aka The Flower
60. Tadbir (1945) .... Saguna
61. Hamari Baat (1943)
62. Ishara (1943)
63. Station Master (1942) .... Usha
64. Tamanna (1942)
65. Taj Mahal (1941) .... Child Mumtaz

Music Department:

* 1960s
* 1950s
* 1940s

1. Do Dil (1965) (playback singer)
2. Rustom Sohrab (1963) (playback singer)
3. Shama (1961) (playback singer)
4. Malik (1958) (playback singer)
5. Taqdeer (1958) (playback singer)
6. Trolley Driver (1958) (playback singer)
7. Mr. Lambu (1956) (playback singer)
8. Bilwamangal (1954) (playback singer)
9. Mirza Ghalib (1954) (playback singer)
10. Waris (1954) (playback singer)
... aka Heir
11. Mashooka (1953) (playback singer)
12. Deewana (1952) (playback singer)
13. Goonj (1952) (playback singer)
14. Khubsurat (1952) (playback singer)... aka Khubsoorat (India: Hindi title: alternative transliteration)
15. Lal Kunwar (1952) (playback singer)
16. Moti Mahal (1952) (playback singer)
17. Rajput (1951) (playback singer)
18. Sanam (1951) (playback singer)
19. Afsar (1950) (playback singer)... aka Officer
20. Badi Bahen (1950) (playback singer)... aka Elder Sister
21. Dastan (1950) (playback singer)
22. Kamal Ke Phool (1950) (playback singer)
23. Nili (1950) (playback singer)
24. Shaan (1950) (playback singer)
25. Jeet (1949) (playback singer)
26. Amar Kahani (1949) (playback singer)
27. Badi Bahen (1949) (playback singer)
28. Dillagi (1949) (playback singer)... aka Mischief (International: English title)
29. Duniya (1949) (playback singer)
30. Lekh (1949) (playback singer)
31. Naach (1949) (playback singer)
32. Shair (1949) (playback singer)
33. Singaar (1949) (playback singer)
34. Gajre (1948) (playback singer)
35. Rang Mahal (1948) (playback singer)
36. Shakti (1948) (playback singer)
37. Vidya (1948) (playback singer)
38. Dak Bangla (1947) (playback singer)
39. Dard (1947) (playback singer)
40. Do Dil (1947) (playback singer)
41. Naatak (1947) (playback singer)
42. Anmol Ghadi (1946) (playback singer)
... aka Precious Time
43. Jag Biti (1946) (playback singer)
44. Tadbir (1945) (playback singer)
45. Kanoon (1943) (playback singer)
... aka The Law (International: English title)
46. Sharda (1942) (playback singer)

Soundtrack:

1. Malik (1958) (performer: "Man Dhire Dhire Gaye Re Malum Nahin Kyon")
2. Mirza Ghalib (1954) (performer: "Dil-e-nadan Tujhe", "Aah Ko Chahiye Ek Umar",

"Nukta Cheen Hai", "Jahan Koi Na Ho", "Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat")

Producer:

1. Shagoon (1964) (producer) (as Suraiya Mubin)

Thanks:

1. Lorie (1984) (grateful acknowledgment)

songs of suraiyaji movie details n lyrics

1] Anmol Ghadi (1946) starring Amir Banu, Anwari, Leela Mishra, Murad, Noor Jehan, Suraiya, Surendra & Zahoor.
Lyrics composed by Tanvir Naqvi.
Music composed by Naushad Ali.
This movie had some very popular songs sung by Noor Jahan and Suraiya. Here are the Suraiya songs:

[1]mai dil mei dard basaa laayi

lyrics for mai dil mein dard basa laayi, nainon se nain mila aayi, unko apne man ki baatein bina kahe samjha aayi.

[2]man leta hai angdayi jawani chhayi

lyrics for man letaa hai a.Nga.Daaii, jIvan pe javAnI chhaaI.

lyrics in Hindi for man letaa hai a.Nga.Daaii, jIvan pe javAnI chhaaI.

[3]sochaa thaa kyaa, kyaa ho gayaa

lyrics for sochaa thaa kyaa kyaa ho gayaa. apnaa jise samjhe the hum afsos vo apnaa na thaa.

lyrics in Hindi for sochaa thaa kyaa kyaa ho gayaa. apnaa jise samjhe the hum afsos vo apnaa na thaa.

2] Badi Bahan (1949) starring Suraiya, Geeta Bali, Rehman & Pran.
Lyrics composed by Rajinder Krishan.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]tum mujhko bhool jaao ab hum na mil

[2]wo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazron

lyrics for vo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazaron me.n samaaye rahte hain. itnaa to bataa de koii hame.n, kyaa pyaar isii ko kahate hain.

lyrics in Hindi for vo paas rahen yaa duur rahen nazaron me.n samaaye rahte hain. itnaa to bataa de koii hame.n, kyaa pyaar isii ko kahate hain.

3] Bilwamangal (1954) starring Suraiya, Ulhas, Nirupa Roy & Asha Mathur.
Producer: Minal Movies
Director: D. N. Madhok
Lyrics: D. N. Madhok
Music Director: Bulo C. Rani

[1]hum ishq ke maaron ko do dil diye

[2]parwane se preet seekh li shamaa se

4] Dillagi (1949) starring Suraiya, Shyam, Amar, Amir Banu & Chanda Bai
Producer & Director: Kardar
Lyrics: Shakeel Badayuni
Music Director: Naushad

[1]char din ki thi chandni phir andher

[2]duniyaa kyaa jaane meraa afsaanaa

3]le ke dil chupke se kiyaa majboor

[4]murliwale murli bajaa sun sun murli

[5]niraalaa mohabbat kaa dastoor dekha

[6]tera khayaal dil se bhulaya na jaye

5] Gajre (1948) starring Suraiya, Agha, Geeta Nizami, Maruti, Moti Lal & Sangeeta
Director: RD Mathur
Lyrics: G. S. Nepali
Music Director: Anil Biswas

[1]duur papiha bola raat adhi rah gayi

[2]jalne ke siwaa yahaan kya rakha hai

[3]reh reh kar teraa chaand rulata hai

6] Goonj (1952) starring Suraiya, Suresh, Bhagwan, Madan Puri, Manju, Randhir, Ravikant & Sapru.
Lyrics composed by D. N. Madhok.
Music composed by Sardul Kwatra

[1]chale ja rahe ho jo nazren churaaye

[2]dil me umangen sajan nainon me rang

7] Jeet (1949) starring Suraiya, Dev Anand, Bhagwan, Durga Khote, Habib, Kanhaiya Lal & Madan Puri
Director: Mohan Sinha
Producer: Raj Kirti Chitra
Lyrics: Prem Dhawan
Music Director: Anil Biswas

[1]ban jao hindustani ab kaisi manmani

[2]kaam karo bhai jag me apna naam kar

[3]kuch phool khile armaano ke par jee

[4]tum mann kee peedaa kyaa jaano

[5]tum meet mere tum shyam mere yug ke

8] Mirza Ghalib (1954) starring Suraiya and Bharat Bhushan.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
The movie was about the legendary poet Mirza Ghalib and his poems have been sung here.

[1]aah ko chaahiye ek umar asar hone

[2]nuktachin hai gam-e-dil usko sunaye

[3]rahiye ab aisi jagah jaha koi na ho

[4]ye na thee hamaari kismat ki wisal

9] Mr. Lambu (1956) starring Suraiya, Minu Mumtaz, Helen, Bhagwan, N. A. Ansari & Sheikh Mukhtar
Director: NA Ansari
Producer : Sheikh Mukhtar Prod.
Lyrics: Jan Nisar Akhtar
Music Director: O. P. Nayyar

[1]yaad karun tori batiyaa ro ro bitau

10] Nayi Duniya (1942)starring Suraiya
Lyrics: Tanveer Naqvi
Music Director: Naushad Ali

[1]boot karun mai polish babu boot


11] Pyar Ki Jeet 1948) starring Suraiya & Rehman.
Lyrics composed by Rajinder Krishan.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]o duur jaanewaale wada na bhul jana

lyrics for o duur jaane vaale vaadaa na bhuul jaanaa. raate.n huI andherii tum chaa.Nd ban ke aanaa.

lyrics in Hindi for o duur jaane vaale vaadaa na bhuul jaanaa. raate.n huI andherii tum chaa.Nd ban ke aanaa.

[2]tere naino ne chori kiya mera chota

lyrics for tere naino.n ne chorI kiyA, morA chhoTA sA jiyA paradesiyA.

lyrics in Hindi for tere naino.n ne chorI kiyA, morA chhoTA sA jiyA paradesiyA.

[12] Rustom Sohrab (1963) starred Suraiya as the shehzadi. Prithviraj Kapoor portrayed her husband Rustom & Premnath portrayed her son Sohrab. Mumtaz was also in the movie.

This was Suraiya's last film. After this she retired.
Lyrics composed by Qamar Jalalabadi.
Music composed by Sajjad Hussain.

[1]ye kaisi ajab daastaan ho gayi hai

lyrics for ye kaisi ajab daastaan ho gayi hai, chhupaate chhupaate bayaan ho gayi hai.

13] Shaan (1950)starring Suraiya & Rehman
Lyrics: Rajinder Krishan
Music Director: Hansraj Behl

[1]o pardesi balma ab na tadpa o zalim

[2]tadap ai dil tadapne se zara aarsam

[3]kaho ji kis ki sachchi shaan
majboor hoon mai nashaad hoon mai

14] duets Suraiya sang with Mohammad Rafi in the movie Shaan:

[1]dil ke dhoke mei na aanaa

[2]hum bhee akele tum bhee akele

[3]hum tum se wafa karte tum hum se wafa karte

15] Shama (1961) starring Suraiya, Nimmi, Kumud Tripathi, Leela Mishra & Vijay Dutt
Producer : Tasweeristan
Director: Lekhraj Bhakri
Lyrics: Kaifi Azmi
Music Director: Ghulam Mohammed

[1]mast ankhon mei shararat kabhi aisi

16]Shama Parwana (1954)starring Suraiya & Shammi Kapoor.
Lyrics composed by Majrooh Sultanpuri.
Music composed by Husnlal Bhagatram.

[1]meraa dildaar naa milaayaa

[2]o jaan-e-tamannaa alvidaa alvidaa

17] Vidya (1948) starring Suraiya, Dev Anand, Amirbai Karnataki, Cuckoo & Madan Puri.
Director: G. Tridevi
Producer: Jeet Prod.
Music Director: S. D. Burman
Lyrics: Shanti Swaroop and Y. N. Joshi

[1]aaj meraa dil kisi pe aa gayaa

[2]jhoom rahi khushiyon ki naaow aaj

[3]kinare-2 chale jayenge jeewan naiya

[4]kise maalum tha 2 din me sawan beet

[5]o Krishna Kanhaai aashaon ki duniya

[6]laayi khushi ki duniyaa hanste hue

Suraiya was joined by Mukesh in the above song. One of the few duets they sang together.

18]Waris (1954) starring Suraiya, Talat Mahmood and Nadira.
Lyrics: Qamar Jalalabadi
Music Director: Anil Biswas

Suraiya and Talat Mahmood sang the songs both on and off screen. Please note that the duet version of this song is more popular and can be found at the Suraiya and Talat Mahmood duets page by using the following link.

[1]raahi matwaale tuu aa jaa ek baar

19] Dard (1947) starring Suraiya, Shyam, Badri Prasad, Husn Bano, Munawar Sultana & Nusrat.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Naushad.

[1]beech bhanvar mei aan phasa hai dil

lyrics for beech bhanvar mein aan phansa hai dil ka safeena shaah-e-madeenaa

[2]chale dil ki duniya jo barbad karke

[3]dil dhadke aankh mori phadke

lyrics for dil dhadke aankh mori phadke. chale jaana na dekho ji bichhad ke.

20] Dastan (1950)starring Suraiya, Raj Kapoor, Murad, Pratima Devi & Veena.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Naushad.

[1]aayaa mere dil mei tu ban ke dil ki

[2]ai shamma tu bata tera parwana kaun

The song 'ai shamma tu bata tera parwana kaun hai' is preceded by some dialogues. Raj Kapoor's voice seems to be heard here.

[3]mohabbat badhaa ke judaa ho gaye

[4]naam tera hai zubaan par yaad teri

[5]naino mei preet hai hothon pe geet

[6]ye mausam aur ye tanhaai

21]Maalik (1958) starring Talat Mehmood & Suraiya.
Lyrics composed by Shakeel Badayuni.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
Suraiya and Talat Mehmood sang the song and it was also filmed on them.

[1]mann dhire gaye re malum nahin kyon

lyrics for man dheere dheere gaaye re, maaloom nahi kyon. bin gaaye raha na jaaye re, maaloom nahi kyon.

22] Mirza Ghalib (1954) starring Suraiya and Bharat Bhushan.
Lyrics were composed by Mirza Ghalib in late 18th century.
Music composed by Ghulam Mohammad.
Suraiya sang her own songs and Talat Mehmood was playback singer for Bharat Bhushan.

[1]dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai akhir

lyrics for dil-e-naadaa.n tujhe huaa kyaa hai. aakhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai

lyrics in Hindi for dil-e-naadaa.n tujhe huaa kyaa hai. aakhir is dard kii davaa kyaa hai

23] Waaris (1954) starring Talat Mehmood With Suraiya & Nadira.
Lyrics composed by Qamar Jalalabadi.
Music composed by Anil Biswas.
There was no playback singing since both Talat Mehmood & Suraiya sang for themselves.

[1]duur hote nahi jo dil me raha karte

[2]ghar tera apna ghar lage jaye kahan

[3]raahi matwaale tu ched ek baar mann

lyrics for raahii matavaale, tuu chhe.D ik baar, man kaa sitaar. jaane kab chorii-chorii aaii hai bahaar chhe.D man kaa sitaar.

lyrics in Hindi for raahii matavaale, tuu chhe.D ik baar, man kaa sitaar. jaane kab chorii-chorii aaii hai bahaar chhe.D man kaa sitaar.

[url=http://suraiya-songs.tripod.com/]http://suraiya-songs.tripod.com/

This post has been edited by rashmi mehta: Jun 1 2011, 08:24 AM

[rashmi mehta]

M E E N A K U M A R I

Puuchhate ho to suno kaise basar hotii hai
Raat Khairaat kii sadqe kii sahar hotii hai

Saa.Ns bharane ko to jiinaa nahii.n kahate yaa rab
Dil hii dukhataa hai na ab aasteen tar hotii hai

Jaise jaagii huii aa.Nkho.n me.n chubhe.n kaa.Nch ke Khvaab
Raat is tarah diivaano.n kii basar hotii hai

Gam hii dushman hai meraa Gam hii ko dil Dhuu.NDhataa hai
Ek lamhe kii judaaii bhii agar hotii hai

Ek markaz kii talaash ek bhaTakatii Khushbuu
Kabhii ma.nzil kabhii tamhiid-e-safar hotii hai

- Meena Kumari

FAMILY

BABY MEENA

The Poet - Meena Kumari 'Naaz'

Meena Kumari 'Naaz' - Urdu Poetry Translation

Meena Kumari is so many things to so many peole today and she appears to live in their hearts even today. She is still s omany incarnations.

* The first face of Meena Kumari is the tragedy queen. She was great when in tears.

* The second incarnation is the great actress who could perfect any role given. Perhaps one of the contributing factors is that she started very early in life but she was highly talented also.

* The third Meena Kumari is the great human being she was. She was soft spoken and encouraging person. She was liked by anyone who came across her.

* The other Meena Kumari is the strong one. She decided to go it alone. She went. She decided to do tragedy roles. She did them. She decided to marry against family's wish. She did it. She left Kamal. And she left him totally. She kept promises and she followed her own rules strictly.

* The fifth Meena Kumari is the sincere one. She did justice to all her rules. She was agreeable and agreed for the sake of the performance.

* The sixth Meena Kumari is the poet. The great poet who wrote melancholy and romance as well. And she was great at it.


* The seventh Meena Kumari is the singer. She recorded an album called I write I recite in her own voice. This is a really beautiful piece of poetry and you will love it.

* The eigth Meena Kumari is the dress designer. She designed lehengas for Pakeezah and she made great lehengas.

* The ninth Meena Kumari is the financer of her family. She supported her father's family always. And this started at the age of six. She was a great daughter.

* And she was a great sister for her kins.

* Also she was a good wife as far as her peoformance here is concerned.

* And who said she was not a good mother. Kamal Amrohi's son Taajdaar was highly attached to his chhoti ammi - the younger mother - Meena Kumari.


THE REAL PERFORMER AND THE PERSON

The first response of Meena Kumari to working in films was "I don't want to work in films. I want to go to school,". But life wanted that she worked for films. She never liked films. But films always liked her since 6 years of age.

Meena Kumari, once walked out of a dilip kumar film Amar just because she didn't have time. For a heroine to actually walk out on Dilip Kumar was a daring act at that time but she lived on code made by herself and she did walk out of this film.

She did similar fete when she did a bathing scene in footpath against her husband's will.

During the shooting of Baiju Bawra, for the shooting of the song Tu Ganga ki Mauj, Meena Kumari was alone in a boat and from the shore and the camera. She wasn't looking at the direction she was going in, suddenly unit hands started shouting, but she couldn't hear them. She was excitedly rowing the boat, unaware of the fact that she was at the edge of a waterfall. A couple of unit hands who could swim, jumped into the water and started swimming towards her, luckily her boat was stopped by some boulders from going over.

By then one of the unit hands had been able to reach her boat, and climb aboard. Only then she realized just how close to death she had come.

After receiving the Filmfare award for Kaajal from President Radhakrishnan, she had dined with him and conversed at length with him in her faltering English. Meena was very excited upon receiving a letter from the Pesident within a week of their meeting. She immediately wrote back to him, and didn't let anyone correct her language in the letter, as she had wanted him to know that she had written the letter on her own.

The actress was also awed when she was looking out for a bungalow and found that the one suited her requirements was inhabited by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930. She was so excited by this that she made it a point to find out from the old gardner, where Bapuji used to sit, where he kept his charkha, where he used to meet his visitors and hold evening prayers etc.

She was unwell even while the film was being shot. Meena Kumari rushed out of the sets and started crying when she couldn't dance on Thare rahiyo o banke yaar ve. "I can't do it... it is too late." Kamal Amrohi got Padma Khanna to do the song in place of Meena Kumari but of course in a ghunghat. Meena Kumari had a chat with Padma before the picturisation. The perfectionist that she was, she wanted Padma to walk like her in the music pieces. Padma had to practise for hours before she got the nod from Meena Kumari.

Her first role was as a child-artiste in Farzand-e-Watan (renamed Leather Face) by Vijay Bhatt of Prakash Studios. Her first ever scene didn't have lines. There was a scene in which a cat was supposed to lick her cheeks. She was terrified but the cat's tongue was less terrifying than the whip lashing words of her mother.

Meena Kumari, born Mahjabeen and the legendary tragedy queen of Indian cinema was one of the most beloved actresses of all times in Bollywood cinema and she continues to live deep into the hearts of people even today.

She is invariably called the "Tragedy Queen" and her work is considered immortal..

She was also one of the great urdu poets of the land and has written beautiful sad poems in her lonely days! She also recorded an album of her own poetry in her own voice which was her dream project of life. She has significant contributions as an actress as well as a child actress baby Meena.

Cameras and flashlights - that is where little Mahjabeen learned ABCs of life at the age of six in 1939 when she worked in the film called Leatherface as Baby Meena. Films, therefore, was not her choice career and she had to work for the family which had financial problems.

Hence film world was where she learnt her the ABCs of life - with Mahesh Bhatt's Leatherface in 1939. The fortune and future of this star was not known - not even to Meena Kumari herself.

Her roles included roles of many types which included light hearted to serious ones. And she could perform some outstanding roles which is admired even today.

She later on concentrated on serious roles and performaned excellent feats.

And, most important, her films reflected her personal life where tragedy had found a new home in Meena Kumari. So striking was this phenomenon that some of her films reflect her own life. She herself has stated that she felt like the chhoti bahu of Saheb , Biwi aur Ghulam in real life.

Though she has projected tragedy like no one else this does not mean that she was not good at light hearted roles and fact is that she was excellent in her lighter movies as well and there are several examples of it. She could smile equally well and her smiles, though rare in her later films, are a sunshine. She is really radiant even her smiles. And even one smile in a film was sufficient for the viewer. Perhaps we can classify roughly half her movies as sad and that is what gave her more fame and recognition and she slowly and steadily changed into the famous "tragedy queen".

So famous that today the name Meena Kumari and tragedy are synonymous in the Indian heart and mind.

The magic of Meena Kumari has been such that today every star wants to become Meena Kumari in her performances though she has been unique in her own style. Probably the synonym tragedy queen is not fully justified on her but one would rather say that she was excellent at tragedy roles and she was good at many many roles. That is what is Meena Kumari. That she did and chose tragedy roles gives us no right to give a new name to her and she would rather be the beautiful Meena Kumari who was a beautiful actress.

Though the relationship with films was a love hate one, it is very difficult to separate the real life of Meena Kumari due to the same fact as films have apparently "followed her" till her death and since she started to just speak properly. Her later life saw mixing the personal life with her tragic performances - a danerous feat and that is what makes Meena Kumari immortal and immortalized in films as she herself was her films.

The Happiness of Being Meena Kumari

aaGaaz to hotaa hai a.njaam nahii.n hotaa
jab merii kahaanii me.n vo naam nahii.n hotaa
jab zulf kii kaalik me.n ghul jaaye koii rahii
badanaam sahii lekin gumanaam nahii.n hotaa
ha.Ns ha.Ns ke javaa.N dil ke ham kyo.n na chune Tukare
har shaKhs kii qismat men inaam nahiin hotaa
din Duube hai yaa Duubii baaraat liye kishtii
saahil pe magar koii koharaam nahiin hotaa

-Meena Kumari

Indeed there was no anjaam. She continues to live on. She lived a long life although we may not see her today. But she does live and will live. In her performances and her poetry.

Talk about Meena Kumari and what reminds is a large mountain which can stand the test of time and still delivering performance, beautiful, stable and constant. Meena Kumari was highly respected due to her qualities of integrity, her agreeability and her sweetness.

She was a highly independent person with a rare quality of presentation. Being a good person, she was highly respected and loved by the people who came across and her encouragement is remembered by many.

Names given to her were Meena Kumari, Manju and many others. She was born Mahjabeen in 1933 in Mumbai (then Bombay). Her family then was made up of her father, her mother and her two elder sisters. She was born in a muslim family.

Meena Kumari, born Mahjabeen and the legendary tragedy queen of Indian cinema was one of the most beloved actresses of all times in Bollywood cinema and she continues to live deep into the hearts of people even today. She is invariably called the "Tragedy Queen" and her work is considered immortal.. Her classic contributions include Parineeta, Baiju Bawra, Saheb Biwi aur Ghulam and Pakeezah. She was also one of the great urdu poets of the land and has written beautiful sad poems in her lonely days! She also recorded an album of her own poetry in her own voice which was her dream project of life. She has significant contributions as an actress as well as a child actress baby Meena who started at the age of just six years

With Meena Kumari, came the grievance and pain into Hindi cinema. She was an epitome of these and a blend of talent and beauty. What she did not get in real life, she tried to achieve from her movies. She was a dreamer, a poet who found solace in loneliness and pain.

Visibly tender, she was a strong person and would not compromise on her own rules even if it meant death and her life is full of examples of it. Highly idealistic, she even compromised with what we call practical even today.

The deer eyed person with her own hairstyle was one of the finest actresses and performers the Indian land has produced. By deer eyed I mean the innocence reflected by her eyes. She always looked beautiful in any role. She preferred trdaitional dresses and had a difnified look. Her dignity would affect anyone who interacted.


In fact she was an encouragement in herself and just talking to her encourages you. Such was the personality of Meena Kumari. She was equally expresive in her happy roles, in pensive mood, in romantic and sad moods. She could carry out all her roles with ease. Expression never lost her and she did full justice to it.

Perhaps this was the effect of this uncompromising personality that her performances are unforgettable even today.

The film star was also a great poet and her works are published by Gulzar after her death who inherited them after she passed away. She also recorded an album in her own voice.

Fact is that she was far ahead of her time when it comes to the freedom of women. She could dare to live freely in the 1950s and 60s when so many of our Bollywood stars are conservative even today. She never doubted her drinking alcohol as she was driven by her own rules and she never harmed anybody albeit helping many come up. She decided to live her life alone when she was dumped by the nearest person whom she depended upon and she never tried to run away from the miseries given to her.

Meena Kumari tried to marry again in later stages of her life but failed to gain proper emotional support. Living alone and fighting the inconsistencies of the nearby people, she died at an early age of 39 when she got very sick due to alcohol abuse.

She will always be remembered. Not only as an actress, but also as a strong individual. And a good poet of course. She lives and she will live. In her performances and her poetry.

What is really great about Meena Kumari?

Meena Kumari has been an extraordinary phenomenon in herself and the analysis of her personality can be discussed on and on. But then if you so believe, she was as simple and everyday person as you and me. She has indeed been a phenomenon beyond compare.

A multi faceted personality capable of acting, writing as well as dress design, her contributions are made at a crucial turning point of cinema of this region of world.

The performances, which were are characterized more by perfection then drama were more importantly designed and borrowed from her personal life rather than just performed for the sake of fulfilment of direction.

The latter was indeed done always without fail. The former, ie, the perfection, was bonus for the team. That is what made her famous. That is what made her popular among the teams and that is what made her beloved so much.

A beautiful face with a tear ready to drop and a state of despair always ready to show up, Meena Kumari was the one of the most dedicated persons in the film industry at that time. However, the ever sensitive Meena Kumari of the childhood Baby Meena fame, remained sensitive till her last role. So much that she left herself to the hands of the tragedy of life. A tragedy which was perhaps designed by life for her.

Morover, her personality would so much dominate the film that it is difficult to find anyone else in the film. Meena Kumari's films were a lot of Meena Kumari and she would effortlessly be the central character of the film.

Meena Kumari was a person of integrity. She lived her code, kept her word and she kept her promises. Still a person who would not raise her voice and would be as agreeable as possible.

Also Meena Kumari is an example of a person who lived on the right terms, each moment of life being a battle as well as a dream and a deep feeling. She was a expression of nature and she knew it and lived it. She lived it positively and not tragically though her life was a silent battle of objectivism and the battle againt attitudes, not people.

Morover, her personality would so much dominate the film that it is difficult to find anyone else in the film.

In some ways Meena Kumari's life is a great example of "if life hands you a lemon, make a lemonade".In the end, in spite of this silent battle, the promise of Meena Kumari was kept at the cost her life and in the end she was a big Meena Kumari.

She remains an example of positiveness, confidence and fighting spirit and her constant battle is evidence to it.

On the left one can read a piece of poetry from Meena Kumari which has no sadness. She has written a number of such positive poetry from her heart.

But then she was a simple human being with normal human desires like all of us. She had her own positive and negative sides and she never hid them and was rather open about her feelings. She would tell you her problem, cry out to the heart's extent and would then offer her help to you. She was a simple, straight nice human being with her own problems and feelings.

If there is something to be seen in the life of Meena Kumari, it is the spirit positive energy. And we have our tributes to Meena Kumari.


LIFE OF MEENA KUMARI

It is very difficult to separate the real life of Meena Kumari from the reel life as films have been very close and apparently followed her since she started to just speak properly. Fact is that she was in films and that is where she learnt her the ABCs of it - at the age of six. And after that she never looked back - till the end. It is known that she did not want to work in films and she did not want to work even in her first film when she was just six but the question raised by father was simple - "what else?" Life was dictated by poverty. And she had to work. Talented as she was, she refined the art very much and after Baiju Bawra, was a super star and she was perhaps one of the topmost superstars. But the relation with films was a love hate one and she could not come out of films nor she could fully assimilate the idea though films liked her too much.

She is probably one of the dearest of all times to the film industry. Films saw every aspect of Meena Kumari. They saw her young, they saw her growing, they saw her marry, they saw her divorce, they saw her sorrows. They were her most faithful companions which gave her name, fame, money as well as company. And Meena Kumari could not do without them.

In 20s and 30s Prabhavati Devi, Sundari Devi's daughter had to struggle again in life to finally settle life with Ali Bux and earn a living by doing small drama and music in Mumbai. He was a Pathan and Sunni Muslim. He married Prabhavati Devi and gave her the name of Iqbal Begum. Ali Bux played harmonium and composed music for films like shaahi lutere. He also did bit roles in films like id ka chand.They were poor. They lived on small bits and pieces earned by him and Iqbal Begum. Bombay had seen many many such fortune seekers earlier and would witness much more in the future. Small timers who would do bit roles. Iqbal begum (Prabhavati Devi) was a dancer and stage actress with a screen name of Kaamni. The family could hardly earn the required bits and pieces for living.

The Ali Bux family used to live next to Rooptara studios in Mumbai (then Bombay). Ali Bux was very hopeful of getting a role in films in the Bombay film industry but it had never materialized.

In such conditions, this traveller of time who was destined to make a mark, was born on 1 Aug, 1933 in Mumbai (then Bombay) in a place called Dr Gadre's clinic. She was the third daughter in a row in the family and times were very difficult for her parents. So much was the problem that it is said that her father had to leave her in an orphanege as that was a better option in many ways. Hours later he went back to pick her up. In such conditions was this future star born and saw the light of day. She was christened Mahzabeen.

Ali Bux left her in an orphanage. He was frustated. But after a few hours passed, he went to pick her up. This was 1932, 1 Aug. The new baby became the youngest among Khursheed, Madhuri and Mahzabeen - the name given to her. Mahzabeen alias Meena Kumari had started seeing the world.

In such poor conditions was this family living that not much is known about their personal life in those times. The family could somehow managed to meet the ends. In such conditions Mahzabeen grew up and turned six when it was being discussed that she could earn for the family. Fact is that Ali Bux was not ready for Mahzabeen to work into films but Prabhavati Devi wanted it as a means of livelihood. Finally it was decided that she would work.

Vijay Bhatt understood her talent and liked her. She was selected for child actress role in the film Farzand-e-vatan. Little baby Meena was not interested in working in films. She was simply so little. She wanted to play and to go to school and learn like other kids. She did not want to act and work. But she was asked to work in a film. The film was renamed Leatherface later on.There was no escape. She had to work with the cat in the film in a scene. Although afraid, she had to do that role.

Mahzabeen had turned baby Meena. This was the beginning of a phenomenon called Meena Kumari. She was baby Meena in this Vijay Bhatt film. The same Vijay Bhatt would be her mentor once again when she gets her big break in Baiju Bawra in 1952.

At age of six, in 1939, it was decided that she would act in films, albeit againt her will and there was no other option. "What else" was the question of her parents when they insisted the six year old daughter to act in a film called Leatherface. Meena Kumari became the bread earner of the family since this age and had seen the ugly face of life early in life.

Till this time, she earned for the family and always lived for them. She had a love hate relationship with films which continued till her death.

Probably the seeds of making of a tragedy queen were sown at this time. Sensitive as she was, a lost childhood had started showing up. Childhood is the time when we learn and play. And not a time when we are into serious life. Childhood is the time when we take shape. We are definitely made up of our early years.

This phase of her life saw films like Veer Ghatokach, Shri Ganesh Mahima etc. She also made fantasies like Alladin and the Wonderful Lamp. This phase lasted until Baiju Bawra.

Although a good and dedicated performer, she was not exactly into limelight. She was just an average actress. For a period of 14 years since 1949. Her father was mainly her manager during this period. During this period Meena Kumari has grown into a fully grown young woman. She grew into a beautiful young lady. An unblemished beauty. She had grown into a hard working and soft spoken person capable of taking up great challenges.

Vijay bhatt, her mentor in Leatherface came into picture again when he gave her a chance in the film Baiju Bawra in 1950. Baiju Bawra was a musical love story where Gauri was the beloved. Meena Kumari Played the role of Gauri very well. She played the character of the woman dedicated to her lover. Meena Kumari Played the role very well. The movie was a superhit. Her performance as a dedicated woman was excellent and was loved by cinema goers. The role of Gauri was well played by Meena Kumari. The movie won the filmfare awards best actress award that year.

Sensitive and cheerful Meena Kumari fall in love after she met Kamal Amrohi on the sets of a film and she was head over heels for her as she herself has written about Kamal Amrohi-

Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya.

Although he was 15 years older than Meena Kumari, she liked him. Kamal Amrohi was married earlier too. Meena decided to commit her life to him. The marriage took place very soon and they went for a honeymoon.

Honeymoon plans were for a film that would be a love story reflecting the real life love story of Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari. A film that would be an epic of love. The story was conceived. Like a child was born.

And in such times she married Kamal Amrohi. A time when she was a top star and time was very good. They had a nice honeymoon, they planned and completed a film called daera which one of Kamal Amrohi's only 4 films and they planned Pakeezah.

Nobody knew that Pakeezah would complete in as long as 14 years.

By now, she became the woman representing the suffering Indian woman of that time and she would represent the same for years to come. Meena Kumari was a hallmark and a phenomenon of her own kind. She became the magic word to make a film hit. There was no doubt about the capability and dependability of the person who would put in high quality hard work and guarantee the success of the film. She became a magnate and a phenomenon in herself. Meena Kumari's performance was not dependent upon the co star of the film but she would rather be the central character. Any film with Meena Kumari in it makes her the central character. Such was the power of Meena Kumari.

Perhaps the greatest challenge was Sharda where she has done a highly unusual role successfully. A role that she had dared to take up after there was no heroine ready to do the role. An unconventional role, Sharda remains one of the best performances of Meena Kumari. She could do justice to a difficult role. She was Raj Kapur's lover turned step mother.

This role that nobody else dared, Meena Kumari almost got another filmfare award. Filmfare awars she did not get but the journalists best actress award she did get for this film.

The second challenge was Saheb Biwi aur Gulam which became perhaps the best performance ever by any actress in Hindi cinema. The performance of Meena Kumari in this film is simply unforgettable and uncomparable.

Although everybody else liked every body else, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started developing disparity and the differences grew much larger as both of them were highly accomplished and successful characters. She would not like any interference in her work as she was an authority in herself. However, Kamal Amrohi was very much upset at her habit of following her own rules and decisions. Relations grew sour and sour.

In the meantime, the marriage with Kamal Amrohi had turned sour that it resulted into separation and divorce in 1964. This event shaped her personal life also. The once very happy Meena Kumari turned into the epitome of tragedy in a short time when she took refuge in alcohol (and poetry). She herself has expressed her sorrows and miseries in many places and most importantly in her poetry which is the best reflection of her feelings. The same person who wrote beautiful poetry about Kamal Amrohi said-

Tum kya karoge sunkar mujhse meri kahani,
Beluft zindagi ke kisse hain pheeke pheeke!

And at the time of divorce she had said

Talaak to de rahe ho
Nazre Kahar ke saath
Jawani bhi meri lauta do
Mehar ke saath

Life would never the same again and she was probably the saddest person as she could not stabilize later on in her life. It is known that Meena Kumari liked tragedy and wanted to lose herself into it, which she did so often. She could cry at any moment without any aids. We never know but probably she enjoyed it and wanted to be just tragic, enjoying every moment of it and finally turned her own life into a tragic story!

Probably she reflected the irony of the conservative woman in the changing scenario. Perhaps she was not at the right time as today's woman has more freedom. However, she was an excellent person and an artist.

A woman who keeps her promise silently and keeps the traditional values in a moderm middle indian family - she represented the difficult part the modern indian woman .who takes care of the family And she also kept promise in real life and was reliable and she did maintain values and principles. It is known that she would keep her words and promises and would live according to her own rules.

Emotional that she was, she used to write all her feelings in her poetry which was published by Gulzar later on.

In 1972 March, Meena Kumari was extremely sick and on 30th March, she had to be admitted in hospital. She was on oxygen and after 4 hours she required no more of it. She left mere apne, Gulzar's directorial debut, half done, and she also left some poetry in bits and pieces for Gulzar. She had completed Pakeezah which went superhit at the same time. Alcohol was not required any more.

After 40 years, there was the same day when there was no money left to pay for her hospital bills. Just like when she was born in 1933, there was no money for the doctor.

films

MEENA KUMARI, TRADITIONALLY KNOWN FOR PERFECTING THE role of the tragedienne in films, is actually the embodiment of the woman as Essence rather than flesh. In a career spanning three decades, she chiselled the contours of two role models and created some kind of an ideal in the mind of the viewer. This was the image of the woman as wife and the woman as mother.

She was renamed Baby Meena and her first film as a child artist was Farzand-e-Watan or Leatherface (1939), directed by Vijay Bhatt for Prakash Studios. She was the sole bread-earner of the family as she was given roles in films all throughout the 1940s. Her early adult work consisted of mainly mythological films like Veer Ghatotkach (1949), Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950) and fantasies like Alladin and The Wonderful Lamp (1952). She hit the big time with her mentor Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952).


With Baiju Bawra, the suffering Indian woman found a new face in Meena Kumari (For the film she adopted the name Meena Kumari). The heroine in the film is ever ready to negate herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loves and is even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. It was a strong performance and fetched her the inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1953.

The first role she almost perfected was in the Guru Dutt classic Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (1962) as the protagonist, Chhoti Bahu. Fighting for her rights in the 19th century feudal milieu of Bengal, Chhoti Bahu was the epitome of the pativrata nan (devoted wife). She may have been viewed as an iconoclast by her family members, but her iconoclasm too was born out of a desire to be the perfect spouse. Nothing more and nothing less. Languishing in her boudoir, while her husband Chhote Babu (Rehman), an autocratic, purely hedonistic zamindar followed the dictates of his manhood in distant brothels, Chhoti Bahu plots and schemes to bring the prodigal back to her. She rebels against social and religious injunctions, resorts to alcohol, dances and desperately tries to seduce her husband, so that he might remain faithful. But all along her profligate ways - drinking and aggressively seducing - were condemned by her own conscience. Even as she let down her hair and lifted the cup of liqour to her lips, she bemoaned the fact that she was breaking the behavioural code prescribed for good Hindu wives. Yet the fact that these transgressions were perpetrated in order to preserve a dharma that must be paramount in any woman's life - a good wife's dharma - deified her further. Here was a neglected woman who, in the sober 1960s, was throwing herself at a man's feet in a drunken stupor, aggressively demanding satiation.

But the fact that this act was depicted as a glorious sacrifice (Chhoti Bahu was sacrificing her religious virtuosity), not only sanctified it, it also created a prototype for the sixties Savitri (a typically faithful wife). For if the mythological Savitri could confront the angel of death for her husband's well- being, this celluloid Savitri could even compromise her religious sanctimony for the observance of a greater duty. That of the woman as wife.
Earlier, in Bimal Roy's Parineeta (1953), too, Meena Kumari had essayed a similar, all-consuming, unswerving devotion to Ashok Kumar, the man who had secretly married her. A victim of the rich-poor divide, Lalita is separated from her lover and is on the brink of a marriage of convenience - one that might help her poor uncle to repay the debt he owes to her beloved's father. Lalita refuses to marry, yet she is unable to bridge the class divide. Nevertheless, these superficial barriers cannot sully her wifely devotions. For Lalita, despite separation and misunderstanding, chooses to remain faithful to her secret husband. She is willing to lead a life of solitary abandonment, even though her husband is willing to marry again. Simply because both she and society believe that a wife must remain faithful, irrespective of similar reciprocation on the part of her husband.

Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960).

Like her character, she began to drink heavily, though she carried on. In 1962, she made history by getting all the three nominations for Filmfare Best Actress Award, for her roles in Aarti, Main Chup Rahungi, and Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. She won the award for Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam.

Upperstall.com wrote about her performance,


“ While each of the performances are spot on, if there is one person who is the heart and soul of the film, it is Meena Kumari. Her portrayal of Chhoti Bahu is perhaps the greatest performance ever seen on the Indian Screen. The sequence where Chhoti Bahu dresses for her husband singing Piya Aiso Jiya Main is a poignant exploration of a woman's expectations and sexual desire. And later on when she has become a desperate alcoholic, you cannot help but cry with her in the sequence where she pleads with her husband to stay with her and then angrily turns on him to tell him how she has prostituted her basic values and morals to please him. However the common factors between the actress's life and Chhoti Bahu are too dramatic to be merely coincidental - The estranged marital relationship, the taking of alcohol, turning towards younger male company, the craving to be understood and loved - all elements evident in Meena Kumari's own life.

It is a similar blend of devotion, pain and purity that weaves its way into her delineation of the beloved and the mother-figure too."

In S.J. Row Kavi's Bhabhi ki Chudiyan (1961), Geeta the foster-mother to her young brother-in-law, Mohan (Sudesh Kumar) is more than the mother the orphan could ever have had. As he sits and watches her paint the traditional rangoli pattern (graffiti made on festive occasions) in the courtyard of the modest family home, the clanging of her bangles fills his life completely. Mohan is never able to find happiness with another woman, for his sister-in-law's piety, domesticity and devotion have created an image of a nonpareil that cannot be matched by another earthly love. Here, the mother image born out of Meena Kumari's indefatigable nurturing of the family towers above all other relationships. So much so that Mohan is never able to form another satisfying bond with the opposite sex. Tireless and totally undemanding, Geeta spends her life and even relinquishes it in catering to the emotional and physical demands of her family.

This image is repeated in Dulal Guha's Dushman (1971) and Gulzar's Mere Apne (1971), albeit with a pronounced accent on righteousness. In both these films, Meena Kumari embodies the voice of conscience that surfaces amidst the moral blight of the men and brings back the prodigals to virtue. In Dushman, her propriety sets straight the man (Rajesh Khanna) who murdered her husband. Khanna, an alcoholic, a womaniser and a truck driver with tardy morals, is forced to stay with the widow and her family as punishment meted out by the courts. The sentence comes as a godsend. For the widow's virtuousness and unwavering propriety cures him, not only of his profligate ways, but it cleanses his soul too. The blackguard, under the benign influence of the maternal widow, metamorphoses into a shining white soul who works hard, doesn't drink, doggedly looks after the welfare of the victimised family and can never ever think of harming another living creature. In short, the ideal mother-figure metaphorically gives birth to an ideal, new man.

In Gulzar's Mere Apne, the mother-figure weaves her cleansing magic, not on an individual, but on groups of individuals. The old woman and her talisman of goodness makes her an oasis of peace in the midst of a city torn apart by gang warfare. When everything fails to cure the anarchic hoodlums of their overriding lust to kill, plunder and loot, it is the mother-figure who manages to purge the city and the humans of their evil. The warring gang leaders (Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha), prototypes for the nation's wayward youth, are brought back to order, ethics, family and country by Meena Kumari's motherly tutorials on the good life of glorious virtue.

Reverence then was the only virtue permissible to Meena Kumari's celluloid image. For Meena Kumari represented a rarefied concept of traditional womanhood that was divested of all its physical antecedents.

If beauty, not sensuality, was the defining characteristic of her physicality, then pain, not pleasure, was the predominant emotion which she opted for. Purity was the keynote of this metaphor for melancholia, where suffering and self-sacrifice became more pleasurable than satiation and self-appeasement.

It wasn't incidental that Meena Kumari perfected the role of the virginal nautch-girl in Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah.

With Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957) and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960), Meena went from strength to strength playing the suffering woman, the martyr to prefection. It is a pity that Meena was known for her tragic roles and she too chose more such roles to cultivate her image of being the great tragidienne because in the few light-hearted films she did in-between like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960) she displayed an unhibitedness that was refreshing to say at least. In these films, her physical moments are free and unrestrained and her dialogue delivery absolutely normal, a stark contrast to the studied mannerisms and passive postures of her tragic roles.

However, it was tragedy that saw Meena Kumari's greatest performance and immortalized her. The film was Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962). Produced by Guru Dutt, it was perhaps the greatest performance ever on the Indian screen. The sequence where Choti Bahu dresses for her husband singing is a poignant exploration of a woman's expectations and sexual desire. But Meena was on the road to gradual ruin. She began drinking heavily (like her character Choti Bahu) to a point of no return, but carried on. That year, Meena Kumari made history as she garnered all three Best Actress nominations for the Filmfare Award-For Aarti (1962), Main Chup Rahoongi (1962), and of course Shaib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)-for which she won the award.

However, the common factors between the actress's life and Choti Bahu are too dramatic to be merely coincidental-the estranged marital relationship, the taking of alcohol, younger male company, the craving to be understood and loved-all elements in Meena Kumari's own life. Elements which were mythicized in the film world in the 1960s. While on the professional front, the emphatic success of Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kajal (1965), and Phool Aur Pathar (1966) kept her a top star.

For four more years, Meena Kumari performed successfully in Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Kaajal (1965), and Phool Aur Patthar (1966). However, she relied more and more on intimate relationships with younger men like Dharmendra, and often dulled her senses with liquor. She spent the last years of her life playing the doomed woman. Because of heavy drinking, she increasingly lost her good looks, and began playing character roles in B-grade movies like Jawab (1970) and Dushmun (1972).

She developed an attachment to writer-lyricist Gulzar and acted in his directorial debut, Mere Apne (1971), Meena Kumari presented a strong portrayal of an elderly woman who got caught between two street gangs of frustrated, unemployed youth and got killed, her death making the youth realize the futility of violence. In 1972, she recognized that she had a limited time left on this earth, and so she went out of her way to complete at the earliest the cult classic, Pakeezah (1972). Initially, after its release in February 1972, Pakeezah opened to a lukewarm response from the public; however, after Meena Kumari's death less than two months later, people flocked to see it.

Throughout her life, Meena Kumari had a love-hate relationship with movies, and besides being a top-notch actress, she was a talented poetess, and recorded a disc of her Urdu poems, I write, I recite with music by Khayyam.

Three weeks after the release of Pakeezah, Meena Kumari became seriously ill, and passed away on March 31, 1972 of cirrhosis of the liver. At her death, she was in more or less the same financial circumstance as her parents at the time of her birth: It is said that when she died in a nursing home, there was no money to pay her hospital bills.

Relationship with Kamal Amrohi

In 1952, on the sets of one of her films, Meena Kumari fell in love with and married film director, Kamal Amrohi, who was fifteen years elder than her and was already married. She wrote about Amrohi:

Dil saa jab saathi paya
Bechaini bhi woh saath le aaya

When I found someone like my heart
He also brought sorrow with him

Soon after marriage, Kamal Amrohi and Meena Kumari produced a film called Daera (1953), which was based on their love story. They also planned another film, Pakeezah. However, it took sixteen years (1956 to 1972) before Pakeezah reached the silver screen. (The scenes in Pakeezah's popular song, Inhi logon ne, were originally filmed in black and white, and were later reshot in color.)

It is said that Amrohi did not want children with Meena Kumari because she was not a Syed. They raised Kamal Amrohi's son, Tajdaar, who was greatly attached to his chhoti ammi (younger mother).

Due to their strong personalities, however, Meena Kumari and Kamal Amrohi started to develop conflicts, both professionally and in their married life. Their conflicts, separation in 1960, and ultimate divorce in 1964 highly impacted Meena Kumari, who, once a happy woman, became depressed and found solace in heavy drinking.They remarried, but Meena Kumari had become an alcoholic by then.

She expressed her sorrows prominently in her poetry.

She was inclined towards Dharmendra and had a close intimate relationship with him.

For it was only Meena with her metaphorical sanctity and overriding penchant for tragedy who could infuse body and soul into cinema's biggest oxymorn. Naturally, a prostitute had to be pure, if she was played by Meena. The fact that she was the most popular dancing girl who caught the fancy of all the nawabs and the nouveau riche of the city hardly posed a threat to her intrinsic chastity. Despite being in a profession where display and artful seduction are inevitable, the hero (Raaj Kumar) was only allowed a fleeting glimpse of the dancing girl's foot in the first encounter. Even the sheer physical beauty of the screen diva was meant to be revered, not savoured in a more physical manner. At the most, the lover could dream of embarking on a sublime voyage to the moon with the moon-faced beloved 'Chalo dildar chalo, chand ke paar chalo', (Let us go beyond the moon, beloved) enthused Raaj Kumar on a love tryst, when he has the woman all to himself in sylvan surroundings. An overture that is fit and proper for a woman, whose femininity can only be serenaded from a distance. Through poetry and verse. Not passion.


For it was only Meena with her metaphorical sanctity and overriding penchant for tragedy who could infuse body and soul into cinema's biggest oxymorn. Naturally, a prostitute had to be pure, if she was played by Meena. The fact that she was the most popular dancing girl who caught the fancy of all the nawabs and the nouveau riche of the city hardly posed a threat to her intrinsic chastity. Despite being in a profession where display and artful seduction are inevitable, the hero (Raaj Kumar) was only allowed a fleeting glimpse of the dancing girl's foot in the first encounter. Even the sheer physical beauty of the screen diva was meant to be revered, not savoured in a more physical manner. At the most, the lover could dream of embarking on a sublime voyage to the moon with the moon-faced beloved 'Chalo dildar chalo, chand ke paar chalo', (Let us go beyond the moon, beloved) enthused Raaj Kumar on a love tryst, when he has the woman all to himself in sylvan surroundings. An overture that is fit and proper for a woman, whose femininity can only be serenaded from a distance. Through poetry and verse. Not passion.

Filmography

1) Gomti Ke Kinare (1972) .... Ganga

2) Pakeezah (1972) .... Nargis/Sahibjaan

3) Dushmun (1971) .... Malti R. Din

4) Mere Apne (1971) .... Anandi Devi/Auaji (Aunt)

5) Jawab (1970) .... Vidya

6) Saat Phere (1970)

7) Abhilasha (1968) .... Mrs. Meena Singh

8) Baharon Ki Manzil (1968) .... Nanda S. Roy/Radha Shukla

9) Bahu Begum (1967) .... Zeenat Jahan Begum

10) Chandan Ka Palna (1967) .... Shobha Rai

11) Majhli Didi (1967) .... Hemangini 'Hema'

12) Noorjehan (1967)

13) Phool Aur Patthar (1966) .... Shanti Devi

14) Pinjre Ke Panchhi (1966) .... Heena Sharma

15) Bheegi Raat (1965)

16) Jadui Angoothi (1965)

17) Kaajal (1965) .... Madhavi

18) Purnima (1965) .... Purnima V. Lal

19) Maain Bhi Ladki Hun (1964) .... Rajni

20) Benazir (1964) .... Benazir

21) Chitralekha (1964) .... Chitralekha

22) Gazal (1964) .... Naaz Ara Begum

23) Sanjh Aur Savera (1964) .... Gauri

24) Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) Seema

25) Dil Ek Mandir (1963) .... Sita

26) Kinare Kinare (1963)

27) Aarti (1962) .... Aarti Gupta

28) Main Chup Rahungi (1962) .... Gayetri

29) Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) .... Chhoti Bahu

30) Bhabhi Ki Chudiyan (1961) .... Geeta, Shyam's wife

31) Pyaar Ka Saagar (1961) .... Radha/Rani B. Gupta

32) Zindagi Aur Khwab (1961) .... Shanti

33) Bahaana (1960)

34) Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai (1960) .... Karuna

35) Kohinoor (1960)

36) Ardhangini (1959) .... Chhaya

37) Chand (1959)

38) Char Dil Char Raahein (1959) .... Chavli

39) Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) .... Ratna

40) Jagir (1959)

41) Madhu (1959)

42) Satta Bazaar (1959) .... Jamuna

43) Shararat (1959)

44) Farishta (1958)

45) Sahara (1958) .... Leela

46) Savera (1958)

47) Yahudi (1958) .... Hannah

48) Miss Mary (1957) .... Miss Mary/Laxmi

49) Sharada (1957) .... Sharada Ram Sharan

50) Bandhan (1956)

51) Ek-Hi-Rasta (1956) .... Malti

52) Halaku (1956) .... Niloufer Nadir

53) Mem Sahib (1956) .... Meena

54) Naya Andaz (1956)

55) Shatranj (1956)

56) Adil-E-Jahangir (1955)

57) Azaad (1955) .... Shobha

58) Bandish (1955) .... Usha Sen

59) Rukhsana (1955)

60) Baadbaan (1954)

61) Chandni Chowk (1954) .... Zarina

62) Ilzam (1954)

63) Daera (1953) .... Sheetal

64) Dana Paani (1953)

65) Do Bigha Zamin (1953) .... Thakurain

66) Foot Path (1953) .... Mala

67) Naulakha Haar (1953) .... Bijma

68) Parineeta (1953) .... Lalita

69) Aladdin Aur Jadui Chirag (1952)

70) Baiju Bawra (1952) .... Gauri

71) Tamasha (1952) .... Kiran

72) Hanumaan Pataal Vijay (1951)

73) Lakshmi Narayan (1951)

74) Madhosh (1951) .... Soni

75) Sanam (1951)

76) Anmol Ratan (1950)

77) Hamara Ghar (1950)

78) Magroor (1950)

79) Shri Ganesh Mahima (1950)

80) Veer Ghatotkach (1949) .... Surekha

81) Bichchade Balam (1948)

82) Piya Ghar Aaja (1947)

83) Bachchon Ka Khel (1946)

84) Duniya Ek Sarai (1946)

85) Lal Haveli (1944)

86) Pratiggya (1943)

87) Garib (1942)

88) Bahen (1941) (as Baby Meena) .... Bina

89) Kasauti (1941)

90) Nai Roshni (1941)

91) Ek Hi Bhool (1940)

92) Pooja (1940)

93) Leatherface (1939)

MEENA KUMARI'S IMPORTANT YEARS - AWARDS

1933 Birth Mahzabeen

1939 First Film

1952 Leatherface

1953 First Filmfare Best Actress Baiju Bawra

1954 Fimfare Best Actress Parineeta

1962 Marriage with Kamal Amrohi / Filmfare Best Actress Saheb, Biwi aur Gulam

1964 Divorce / Kaajal

1965 Recording- I write I recite

1972 Last breath / Pakeezah

1973 Dushman / Mere Apne

1978 A film on Meena Kumari by Sohrab Modi < AWARDS OF MEENA KUMARI

Meena Kumari won 4 filmfare awards and she created history in 1962 when she bagged all the filmfare awards nominations for the best actress. The awards are briefly described here.

1953
Filmare Award for Baiju Bawra
The first ever filmfare awards function saw Meena Kumari as the first ever best actress in Filmfare awards. Baiju Bawra also made her a star and a superhit actress.

1954
Filmfare Award for Parineeta
Parineeta was one of the only four movies made by her husband director Kamal Amrohi.

1957
Journalist's award for Sharda
For Sharda, she almost missed the filmfare awards as she just slipped it to Nargis for her performance in Mother India. But this was a difficult decision for the judges as Meena Kumari's performance in Sharda was excellent. It was discussed that both be given the prize but the prize was given only to Nargis. Meena Kumari later received the journalist's award this year for Sharda.

1962
Filmfare Award for Aarti
Aarti is one of the best performances from Meena Kumari.
1965
Filmfare Award for Kaajal
She grabbed all the nominations for best actresses title. Finally it had to be decided for which film should she be given the award.

Nominations

* 1955 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Azaad

* 1958 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Sahara (1958 film)

* 1959 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan

* 1962 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam

* 1962 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Main Chup Rahungi

* 1963 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Dil Ek Mandir

* 1966 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Phool Aur Patthar

* 1972 Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress - Pakeezah

Meena Kumari will always be remembered as the tremendous actress as she was and the load of pain she had to undergo. Some of her leading actors were Dilip Kumar, Raj Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Pradeep Kumar, Rehmaan and Guru Dutt. She still remains fresh in all her co-stars' memories. She still has some die-hard and loyal admirers left.

The droop of her kiss curl, the anguish-laden voice, the unblemished beauty made her the ultimate tragedy queen.

meenakumari


I Write I Recite : Meena Kumari gives invaluable gift via Khayaam

If you love music and especially hindi film and non filmi music and you don’t have music album, I Write I recite , then your collection, somewhere lacks something.

The Tragedy Queen, Meena Kumari , who was said to have owned the melancholy and extreme sadness, lonliness and pain in real life, was a poet also. In a way from her maternal side she belonged to clan of Great poet and Nobel Laureate Ravindra Nath Tagore.

Much has been written and discussed about her films but the poet residing inside her has got less attention. She and her sadness became mythological but her poetry truly reveals her creative side. So what if they are extreme expression of sadness. Her poetry has much substance.

She did “Mere Apne� with Gulzar in her last years and “Meena Didi� gave her diary, where she used to write her emotions in the form of poetry, to younger brother Gulzar. Gulzar later published those poems with the name of Naaz, pseudo name of Meena Kumari. The collection was Chand Tanha.

But her poetic skill had already come out with her collaboration with music composer Khayaam. Khayaam composed her poems and she sang her poetry in her own voice. She brings a sadness through her ghazals and through her singing in her surreal voice that not many songs and singers can do.

She hopes for an eternal lover and happiness and in the lack of that she disappears behind the clouds of dejection and then her only resort is to weave her emotions in the form of poetry. Her suffering is visible through her writings.

EMI/HMV had released the album, I write I recite. See some of her poems:

[Purists forgive for loose translation/meanings of the poems. Often they may not represent the exact meaning of the original but its just a try to give a clue to those who are not familiar with Hindi/Urdu].


(1)

Puchhate ho to suno kaise basar hotee hai
Raat Khairaat kee sadqe kee sahar hotii hai
Saans bharane ko to jeena nahin kahate yaa rab
Dil hee dukhataa hai na ab aasteen tar hotee hai
Jaise jaagii huii aankhon mein chubhen kaanch ke Khwaab
Raat is tarah deevaanon kee basar hotee hai
Gam hi dushman hai meraa Gam hi ko dil Dhundhata hai
Ek lamhe ki judaaii bhi agar hoti hai

[You ask me, How do I live ?
Night goes in begging and Prayers fill my morning
O lord! Living is not only breathing /
My heart senses no more pain and eyes hold no more tears
Breakable dreams pierce my sleepless eyes like thorns
I, mad lover, spend my nights in such a way
Sorrow is my enemy and yet my heart longs for sorrow
Whenever there is some happiness in my life]

2.

Aagaaz to hotaa hai anjaam nahiin hotaa.
Jab merii kahaanii mein vo naam nahiin hotaa.
Jab zulf kii kaalik mein ghul jaaye koii rahii.
Badanaam sahii lekin gumanaam nahiin hotaa.
Hans hans ke javaan dil ke ham kyon na chune tukare.
Har shakhs kii qismat men inaam nahiin hotaa.

[It begins but I see no avail, no end
Often I don’t see his presence in my life
When someone is deeply in love with someone
one may get bad name but does not go in oblivion
Why should not I collect with laugh, the pieces of my broken heart?
Afterall not everyone gets the reward]

3.

Chaand tanhaa hai aasmaan tanhaa.
Dil milaa hai kahaan kahaan tanhaa.
Bujh gaii aas chhup gayaa taaraa.
Tharatharaataa rahaa dhuaan tanhaa.
Zindagii kyaa isii ko kahate hain.
Jism tanhaa hai aur jaan tanhaa.
Hamasafar koii gar mile bhii kahiin.
Dono chalate rahe tanhaa tanhaa.
Jalatii bujhatii sii raushanii ke pare
Simataa simataa saa ek makaan tanhaa.
Raah dekhaa karegaa sadiyon tak.
Chhod jaayenge ye jahaan tanhaa.

[Moon is alone and sky is alone
My heart goes alone on the journey
Day has brought the light but the hope is lost
My existence trembles alone
Is this the life ,
Where body and soul walk separately?
Though I found companion during my journey
But we kept walking separately
Far away on other side of that dim light
I see a small, closed and confined heart
It will wait for me for ages
After I walk alone from this world]

Album has many such songs.
Khayaam has provided wonderful music, which not only matches up with the mood of the poems but enhances their impact. Album explores the sorrow and often may end up extracting out sadness hidden inside the listener and may help in cathartic way.
Whenever come across this music album, � I write I recite � buy it at once. It belongs to the category of rare collection!

http://passionforcinema.com/i-write-i-reci...ft-via-khayaam/

Songs of Meena Kumari -
http://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~navin/india/song...ena_kumari.html

for her biography

http://www.angelfire.com/film/meenakumari/
http://www.angelfire.com/film/meenakumari/
http://www.idlebrain.com/mumbai/legends/meenakumari/
http://in.movies.yahoo.com/artists/Meena-K...raphy-8427.html
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/Cultu...ema/MeenaK.html
http://listing-index.ebay.com/actors/Meena_Kumari.html
http://www.angelfire.com/film/meenakumari/personality.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meena_Kumari

This post has been edited by rashmi mehta: Apr 14 2009, 03:27 AM