Khursheed Begum | |
|---|---|
 Khurshid inHoli (1940) | |
| Born | Irshad Begum (1914-04-14)14 April 1914 |
| Died | 18 April 2001(2001-04-18) (aged 87)[1] |
| Other names | Khursheed or Khurshid |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1931 – 1956 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
Khursheed Bano (14 April 1914 – 18 April 2001), often credited asKhursheed orKhurshid, was a singer and actress, and a pioneer of theIndian cinema.[2] Her career ran through the 1930s and 1940s, before she migrated toPakistan in 1948.[2]
Making her debut withLaila Majnu (1931), she acted in over thirty films in India.[2] She is best known for her filmTansen (1943) with actor-singerK. L. Saigal, which featured many of her memorable songs.[3][4]
Khursheed was born on 14 April 1914 as Irshad Begum in Lahore, Pakistan. As a child, she lived in theBhati Gate area next toAllama Iqbal's house.[1][5][2]
Khursheed started her film career with early talkies when she joinedMadan Theatres in Calcutta in 1931.[6]
She also worked in the silent filmEye for an Eye (1931) the year when the first talkie film (Alam Ara) of the subcontinent was released.[2][1] This was the heyday of the fledging movie industry in Lahore. Khursheed joined the Hindmata Cinetone Film Company and under this banner she appeared inIshq-e-Punjab alias Mirza Sahiban (1935) - the first Punjabi talkie film. In the same year, she grabbed the lead role oppositePrithiviraj Kapoor along with Imrozia Begum in National Movietone's Swarg Ki Seedhi (1935) and received huge acclaim for her performance.[5] She soon moved to Bombay and after working in Mahalakshmi Cinetone Company's Bombshell (1935) and Chirag-e-Husn (1935), she acted in Saroj Movietone's Gaibi Sitara (1935) where she sang all the songs herself. Sadly no records of these songs survive to this day.
Some of her films released during this phase wereLaila Majnu (1931),Muflis Aashiq (1932),Naqlee Doctor (1933),Bomb Shell andMirza Sahiban (1935),Kimiagar (1936),Iman Farosh (1937),Madhur Milan (1938) andSitara (1939).[2]
During 1931 and 1942, she acted in films made by the studios inCalcutta andLahore but though recognised as a singer actress, the films did not make an impact.[2] Some of her films in the 1940s wereMusafir (1940),Holi (1940) ("Bhigoi Moree Saree Ray"),Shadi (1941) ("Hari ke Goon Prabhu ke Goon gavun mein" and "Ghir Ghir Aaye Baderia"),Pardesi (1941) ("Pahley Jo Mohabbat Sey Inkaar Kia Hota" and "Mori Ateria Hai Sooni").[2] InBhakta Surdas (1942), "Panchee Bawra", whose composer wasGyan Dutt became a very famous song of the 1940s.[2] The other popular songs from the same film are "Madhur Madhur Ga Ray Manwa", "Jholee Bhar Taray Laday Ray', and a duet "Chandni Raat Aur Taray Khilay Haun" with K. L. Saigal.[7]
Her peak period came when she moved toBombay to act in Ranjit Movietone films with actors like K. L. Saigal andMotilal.[1][2] She achieved immense popularity when she acted opposite the famous singer-actor K. L. Saigal in theChaturbhuj Doshi directed,Bhukt Surdas (1942), followed byTansen (1943) and was referred to as the "first of the singing stars".[6] Her other two main lead stars wereJairaj, andIshwarlal.[1]
She acted inNurse ("Koyalia Kahay Bolay Ree") in 1943.[2]Tansen (1943), with music composed byKhemchand Prakash, was also a high point in her acting career.[2] Her famous songs included "Barso Re", "Ghata Ghan Ghor Ghor",[6] "Dukhia Jiara", "Ab Raja Bhae Moray Balam", and a duet, "Moray Bala Pun Kay Sathee Chela", withK. L. Saigal.[2]
Her other famous films are:Mumtaz Mahal (1940) ("Jo Hum Pay Guzarti Hai", "Dil Kee Dharkan Bana Liya"),Shahenshah Babar (1944) ("Mohabbat Mein Sara Jahan Jal Raha Hai", "Bulbul Aa Tu Bhi Ga"),Prabhu ka Ghar oppositeTrilok Kapoor andMoorti (1945) ("Ambwa Pay Koyal Boley", "Baderia Baras Gayee Uss Paar") with music composition byBulo C. Rani,Mitti (1947) ("Chhaai Kali Ghata More Balam") in 1947 andAap Beeti (1948) ("Meri Bintee Suno Bhagwan").[2][6]
Her last film in India wasPapeeha Re (1948), which was a great hit, prior to her migration toPakistan, leaving her mark in the Indian film industry.[2] Khursheed migrated, in 1948, toPakistan after theindependence, with her husband and settled down inKarachi,Sindh, Pakistan.[1]
She worked in two films in 1956,Fankar andMandi.[2] Mandi was notable because of Khursheed and music composerRafiq Ghaznavi, but because of poor handling of the film, the film was not a success at the box office.[2] The second filmFankar, produced by Robert Malik, a physics teacher at Saint Paul's English High School, inKarachi suffered the same fate.[1]
Khursheed married her manager Lala Yakub (not to be confused with the famous Indian actorYakub), who was a small-time actor with Kardar Productions and member of theBhati Gate Group,Lahore, Pakistan.[7] Due to personal problems, she divorced Yakub in 1956. She married Yusuf Bhai Mian in 1956, who was in the shipping business.[2] She had three children and had stopped working in films after her last film in 1956.[1]
Khursheed Bano died on 18 April 2001 inKarachi, Pakistan four days after her 87th birthday.[1][5][6]
| Year | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | Mandi[1] | Urdu |
| 1956 | Fankar[1] | Urdu |