Noor Jehan was born in Allah Wasai, Kasur, Punjab, British-India on 21 September 1925. She is also known by her honorific title Malika-e-Tarannum (The Queen of Melody).
Personal Life & Family
Her parent’s name were Imdad Ali and Fateh Bibi. She had ten siblings. When Jehan was at the age of five years, she attended Ustad Barhe Ghulam Ali Khan to get her early training in classical singing. She got married at the age of 18 to Shaukat Hussain Rizvi in 1943 in Dahli. She was divorced in 1954, after 11 years and had three children. She kept custody of her children. She got married again after 5 years of her divorce, with film actor Ejaz Durrani, in 1959. Durrani was nine years junior to her.
Career
As a Actress
She made her first debut as an adult lead role in 1942, opposite Pran. She got critical acclaim and the film was super hit. After her major success in Khandaan, she had shifted to Bombay, and worked with director Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi. She stayed in Bombay until pak-india separation and worked in many films.
In Pakistan, Jehan made fourteen films, ten in Urdu and four in Punjabi as a film actress. Her second film in Pakistan was Directed by Sibtain Fazli.
Some of her Famous Films
| Films in Pakistan | Films in India |
|---|---|
| Chan Wey (1951) | Khandaan (1942) |
| Dopatta (1952) | Badi Maa (1945) |
| Intezar (1956) | Zeenat (1945) |
| Anarkali (1958) | Gaon Ki Gori (1945) |
| Koel (1959) | Anmol Ghadi (1946) |
| Mirza Ghalib (1961) | Jugnu (1947) |
| Qaidi (1962) | |
| Baaji (1963) |
As a Singer
She could sing in several languages including Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi. She has the record of singing 20,000 songs and had acted in about more than 40 films. Her great career journey consists of more than six decades from 1930s to1990s. Noor Jehan sang 12 war songs which were recorded and broadcasted by Radio Pakistan during the 1965 war. She sang numerous duets with Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Mujeeb Aalam.
Madam Noor Jehan went to Tokyo for the World Song Festival as a representative from Pakistan, in 1971. Jehan also visited India to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie movies. She had also sung with the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum. In 1991, Jehan was invited by Vanessa Redgrave to perform at the star-studded fundraising event to benefit the children of the Middle East which were held at Royal Albert Hall, London.
Some of her Famous Songs
- ae puttar hatta te nye vikde
- Main Tey Mera Dilbar
- Mujhse Pehli Si Mohabbat
- Tere Naal Main
- Wanjli Walareya
- Jadon Holi Jai
- Gaye Gi Duniya Geet Mere
Awards
-
- Gold Medal by Z.A Bukhari — 1945
- Tamgha-e-Imtiaz — 1965
- NTM Life Time Achievement Award – 1987
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz — 1996
- Millennium Award — 1999
- First Lux Life Time Achievement Award — 2002
Death
In 1986, Jehan was suffered from chest pains during her tour of North America. She was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent bypass surgery. According to her Daughter, Shazia Hassan, she was suffering from Chronic Kidney disease in her last years and was on dialysis. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and suffered a heart attack. On 23 December 2000 (night of 27 Ramadan), Jehan died as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and was attended by over 400,000 people. She was buried at the Gizri Graveyard in Karachi.