While going thrugh articles on husnlal bhagatram found this one among my collectiosn.so adding it here.😊
By A C Tuli
Among yesteryears' singer-actresses who occupy a pride of place in the annals of Hindi cinema, Suraiya is unforgettable. Even today, four decades after she quit acting in films, her name inspires awe and respect in the film industry.
Suraiya came to films as a child artist in 1941, her debut film was 'Taj Mahal'. She was born in Lahore on June 15, 1929. Her singing talent started blossoming when she was still a child. When her family shifted from Lahore to Bombay, Suraiya was attracted to films. Her uncle M. Zahur got her a small role in 'Taj Mahal'. But her luck took turn when Zahur introduced her to Naushad. Naushad listened to this singing prodigy appraisingly. Impressed with her voice, he prophesied a very bright future for her in the film industry.
Naushad managed to get Suraiya a small role in 'Station Master' for which he was composing the music. In this film, Suraiya sang her first solo song, 'Yeh rail hamare ghar ki' under Naushad's direction. Four more films followed in which she was cast as a child artist. Apart from acting in films, she at this stage in her career tried playback singing. She sang 'Panchhi ja peechhe raha bachpan mera us ko ja ke la' in 'Sharda' (1942). The song was picturised on Mehtab, the heroine of the film. Thirteen-year old Suraiya had sung the song exceedingly well. Her stock went zooming up with the music directors of those days.
Suraiya's voice was of course her chief asset. Soon leading music directors started taking note of her talent as singer. Her sweet voice could expressed various nuances of an emotional song with perfect ease. Then, in the year 1943, she starred for the first time as heroine opposite Prithviraj Kapoor in 'Isharya'. Imagine a 14-year-old girl playing the romantic lead opposite a man pushing forty. But Suraiya took all these realities of the celluloid world in her stride.
From mid-forties to mid-fifties, Suraiya was at peak of her popularity. Also the highest paid actress of her time. The year 1949 proved for Suraiya to be the busiest year of her life in the film industry. An inimitable singer and a competent actress, she starred in as many as 11 films in 1949. The films were 'Dillagi', "Naach", 'Char Din', 'Jeet', 'Shayar', 'Amar Kahani', 'Singhar', 'Badi Behn', 'Lekh', Duniya', and 'Balam'. In these films her leading men were Shyam, Dev Anand, Jairaj, Rehman, Moti Lal, Karan Dewan and Wasti.
Suraiya was not a trained singer. She had not learnt music from any ustad or guru. Infact, she was entirely guided by her instinct, with her melodious voice of course always standing her in good stead. She would listen to the songs of other singers of her time and try to intone them in her voice.
Significantly, she got the opportunity to work with renowned singer-actors of her time. With the great K L Saigal, she acted in 'Tadbeer' (1945), 'Omar Khayyam' (1946) and 'Parwana' (1946). Surrendra was her co-star in 'Anmol Gadi and 1857, both released in 1946. In 'Bilwa Mangal' (1954), she measured her singing talent, 'Swar' for 'Swar' , with C.H. Atma. In 'Waris; (1954) and 'Malik' (1958) her screen beau was Talat Mahmood. Mukesh was her leading main 'Mashooga' (1953).
Among the music directors who brought out the best in her, three names stand out prominently. They are Husnlal - Bhagatram, Naushad and Ghulam Mohammd. The songs Suraiya sang under Husnlal-Bhagatram's direction retain their dewy freshness even today. A few of those songs are, 'Tere Naino Ne chori kiya mera choota sa jiya', 'O door jane wale wada na bhool jana' 'Wo pas rahen ya door rahen, nazron mein samaye rehte hain;, Koi duniya mein hamari tara barbed na ho, 'Bigdi banane wale bigdi bana de', 'Tum mujh ko bhool jao', 'Ho likhne wale ne likh meri taqdeer mein barbadi'. All these songs have become classics of film music.
Naushad also made Suraiya sing some unforgettable songs under his direction. Among them, these are hauntingly sweet melodies; 'Tu mera chand mein teri chandni', 'Char din ki chandni hai phir andheri raat hai', 'Betab hai dil darde mohabbat ke asar se, 'socha tha kya, kya to gaya;, Murli wale murli baja', 'Man leta hai angrai jeevan mein jawani chhayee' and many more.
Suraiya sang some of her all-time great songs under Ghulam Mohammed's baton. In 'Mirza Ghalib' for which Ghulam Mohammed gave the music, Suraiya was the heroine. She sang in this film Ghalib ghazals like 'Yeh na thee hamari kismet ke visal-e-yaar hota', 'Rahiye ab aisee jagga chal kar jahan koi na ho', 'Nukta cheen hai ghame dil', 'Ah ko chahiya ik umar asar hone tak'. These melodies in her mellifluous voice are the perennial favourite of music buffs.
Incidentally, 'Mirza Ghalib' won the President's Gold Medal. Suraiya's role in the film won her acolades. But times were changing fast. So were the film-making trends. Suraiya knew her time was up. Her last released film was 'Rustam Sohrab' (1963) for which music was provided by Sajjad. Her song in this film 'Yeh kaisi ajab dastaan ho gayee hai chhupate chhupate byan ho gayee hai' was a charmer.
In a career span that lasted some 20 years, Suraiya acted in 72 films. In six as child artist and the remaining 66 presented her as heroine. Interestingly, in her first film as heroine, she was paired with Prithviraj Kapoor. In her last film 'Rustam Sohrab' she was coincidentally teamed up with Prithviraj Kapoor. However, in between she found the opportunity to act with his sons --- with Raj Kapoor in 'Dastan' (1950) and with Shammi Kapoor in 'Shama Parwana; (1954).
Suraiya sang the songs of practically every music director of her time. Among them, some well-known names are Khurshid Anwar Anil Biswas, Bulo C Rani, Hansraj Behl, Jamal Sen, Roshan and R D Burman. They used her voice in the 40s and 50s. Especially noteworthy were the songs she rendered for S.D. Burman in 'Vidya' and 'Afsar'. Her song 'Man more hua matwala' has a certain ethereal quality about it. Suraiya sang it at her melodies best.
Once she retired from films, she never thought of staging a comeback as most actresses are often tempted to do. Though she was persuaded by some film-makers to return, she politely, declined their offers. Music director Naushad and Kalyanji - Anandji offered her playback singing assignments, but again she refused saying she was not interested.
Now 74, Suraiya leads a calm, sequestered life away from the din and glitter of the film industry. Her memories of her glorious past are perhaps her best companions now.
Bade Achhe Lagte Hain
CID
