Noor Jehan's greatest gift was not bothering with 'perfection' pressures thrust upon celebrities. Noor Jehan's death seven years ago on December 23 wasn't that of an individual but of an institution. It brought an entire era to an abrupt end. Madam Noor Jehan's name evokes countless articles, books, discussions but strangely anecdotes and analysis don't reveal the real person. Some praise her without knowing much about her while others vilify her on hearsay. Most know of her seven decades of theatrics both on reel and in real life without realising the struggle, dedication, perseverance and sacrifices she made to get there. From a miserly past of poverty and ill-fame, she conquered the subcontinent and rose to glory, wealth and undying stardom.
Fame-literate feminist, progressive, liberal, an iconoclast and not just a singer, Noor Jehan was the last century's bona fide icon. Defying the '40s specified norms, she broke every rule and not only stood up for herself as emotionally self-reliant but made her personality such that people pined for more of her. Affable in a coterie of silver screen actresses where all the women were tarred with the same brush, Noor Jehan's witty retorts, calculated intimacy, self-deprecating manner combined with the immense self-confidence of a woman who had seen and experienced everything made her flagrantly eclectic. Bombay not only made Noor Jehan an unrivalled artiste but also trained her in the art of coquetry. She learnt from senior actresses of the day who faded in the mist of history but left traces of their fiery and spunky personalities in the upcoming heroine who was to conquer stardom. Miss Jahan Ara Kajan, Mumtaz Shanti, Akhtari Bai, Kajjan Bai, Sabiha Khanum's mother Babo, Saira Bano's mother pari-chehra Nasim, Nargis' mother Jadan Bai, Khursheed aka Anuradha and Rasheeda alias Pushpa Rani ' all these actresses were not only elegant in dress but had perfect manners, spoke flawless Urdu and perfected the art of seduction. Neither embarrassed of her love affairs nor cautious about personal wars, Madam Noor Jehan defiantly admitted her loves and hates. With selective amnesia she conveniently wrote off past conquests, and though an undisputed singer, her personal life was controversial In the early days before song-recording became available, singers had to accompany actors on location and sing from behind the camera. Later, when recording techniques became available, singers had to start all over again if a musician made a mistake. Throughout the '40s Noor Jehan continued making films and playback singing. Awaz De Kahan Hai, 1946 super-hit song from Anmol Ghari became synonymous with Noor Jehan. In 1959 Nigar Awards introduced the best singer category and the first award went to Noor Jehan for the film Koel's Dil Ka Diya Jalaya composed by the genius Khursheed Anwar and written by Tanveer Naqvi. She won again in 1967, '69, '71, '90 and '91. Neither embarrassed of her love affairs nor cautious about personal wars she defiantly admitted her loves and hates. With selective amnesia she conveniently wrote off past conquests, and though an undisputed singer, her personal life was controversial. Noor Jehan's greatest gift was not bothering with 'perfection' pressures thrust upon celebrities. Heads of states were equally fascinated with her singing talent just as much as ordinary folks such as housewives, businessmen, cooks, drivers, students, and cinephiles. When Noor Jehan met Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India in Delhi's Rashtrapati Bhavan, she smiled at Mrs Gandhi and said, 'I was so eager to meet you.' Indira Gandhi replied, 'You were eager to meet me? My entire nation is eager to meet you!' Is'nt that cute? From the example, can we have some selective amnesia from the past and invite the Pakistani cricketers for the next ICL games? Perhaps our relations would have thawed by then.
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