Shamshad Begum Pictures Ndtv Interview Options

[sbfan]

Hi

Most of the members must have seen the Shamshad begum interview on NDTV,Star news.I present pictures of her whcih i have taken from net.

[Pulkit]

Hi Ashish, Pradeep and Ummer

I'm very fond of Raj Kumari's voice. Before a year or two of her death she appeared in Zee's Sa Re Ga Ma and her voice had not lost even a bit of that sweetness, melody and sharpness which was her hallmark ages ago.

Ashish as far as the 'chorus' incident is concerned, she might even be referring to Madan Mohan. I think Shamshad ji did not get many individual lines to sing in 'naache ang ve, chhalke rang ve' in Heer Ranjha, but I'll have to listen to it again and confirm as it has been many years since I heard it last.

And here is a small write-up on Raj Kumari where Naushad shares his thoughts about her and a shocking incident....................

"Rajkumari was the first playback singer who was highly
respected"


Legendary composer NAUSHAD ALI pays tribute to singer
Rajkumari, who passed away recently.


It was in 1940. I was just starting out as a music director. Prakash
Pictures assigned me the job of compsing music for Station Master.
The film starred Prem Adib and Ratnamala. Suraiya was introduced as
the sister of the heroine. I was asked to use the voice of Rajkumari,
who was at the top then.


When she entered the studio premises in her big Buick car, everyone
in the studio lined up to receive her. It was then I realised that
Rajkumari was the first playback singer to receive such high respect.
It was an honour that she sang for a new music director like me. All
the songs for the heroine were sung by her in the film. But she was
not an egotist. She was very simple and kind-hearted. She was humble
and respected others irrespective of their position. Besides she was
the highest paid playback singer.


Rajkumari was a classical singer, who excelled in thumri and dadra.
The song she sang for me in Station Master was Kajri and the words
were Hare Rama bade jatan se seechu tori phulwari re ha.. ha re.
She sang the same song when she was invited for Sa Re Ga Ma on Zee
TV recently, and I felt honoured. I had almost forgotten that song,
but was reminded of it when she sang it. Her rendition was just the
same as she had sung it then. It had not affected with age, unlike
other singers. She sang the song after 50 years with the same
melodious voice. Her voice had not even cracked. As long as she was
alive her voice was alive. Her death has silenced that golden voice
forever.


After Station Master, we couldn't work together. Many new singers
had arrived on the scene by then like Amirbai Karnataki, Zohrabai,
Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Rajkumari was left behind.


The most touching scene I can never forget was when, after 50 years,
I met her while I was recording a song for H.S. Rawail's Sanghursh.
I had asked my assistant to get a few chorus singers. When I noticed
Rajkumari among them, I was shocked. I called her aside and told her
that I could never make her a part of the chorus.


She said that if I didn't take her, it would deprive her of whatever
little she was earning. I felt sad that the singer, who was ruling
when I started out, and yet sang for a newcomer like me in Station
Master, was now singing in chorus for a livelihood. I told her that
I was cancelling the chorus, and instead she would be given a
dialogue in the song. She was worried that this would mean less
remuneration, but I assured her that she would be paid handsomely.


In the song Mere pairon men ghungaru bandha de, I inserted the
dialogue Kya baat hai gori in thrice, because I wanted to give
respect to Rajkumari. Then again, when I was recording the background
music for Pakeezah, after the death of Ghulam Mohammed, I decided to
use her voice since she was in financial trouble. I used her voice
in the Thumri and Dadra against the backdrop of kotha. I was baffled
that even after 50 years, her voice had remained as tender as it was
earlier. She thanked me, but I told her she deserved a solo song in
the film.


I had suggested to playback singers to raise some funds, and present
her a momento since she was the seniormost singer. It was not only
/to help her to tide over her financial difficulties, but also a
gesture of goodwill from the present-day singers, who owed their
playback singing to her since Rajkumari was the first female
playback singer."


About the singer


Rajkumari began her career as singer on All India Radio, way back in
1934. HMV contacted her for an album in Gujarati. Inititally she
started working as an actress in Hindi films, with bit roles in films
like Roshan Ara, Bilwa Mangal and Radhe Shyam in 1932.


She got an important role in Aankh Ka Tara and Turki Sher in 1933,
She was the heroine in Bhakt Ke Bhagwan and Insaaf Ki Topi opposite
Jayant in 1934. Her other films as the leading lady were Kadakti
Bijli (1936), Sarojani (1937), Jungle Ka Jawan (1937), Toofan
Express (1938) opposite Jal and Agha, Rani Sahiba (1940) with
Prakash and Manthan, and Mere Sajan (1941).


She sang for leading composers O.P. Nayyar, Anil Biswas, Khemchandra
Prakash, Husnlal Bhagatram, Roshan and Ghulam Hyder. Her famous songs
include Ghabaara ke and Kyun mere dil mein dard jage from Mahal,
Kajrari matwali from Nau Bahar, Mere roothe huwe chanda from Bawre
Nain. She also sang with K.L. Saigal for Bhakt Surdas. The last song
she sang was a lori for Gulzar's Kitaab. The last public performance
of hers was in 1996, when she received the Aashirwad Navratna Award,
and recently she sang for the popular music-based programme Sa Re Ga
Ma.


As told to M.S.M. Desai