Noor Jehan
Encyclopedia
Noorjehan or Noorjehan was the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai (September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a legendary singer and actress in British India and Pakistan
. Her career spanned seven decades. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia
and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum .
Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi
, Punjabi
and Sindhi
languages. Along with Ahmed Rushdi
, she holds the highest record of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director
.
In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award
for her acting and singing capabilities.
, Punjab
, British India and was one of the eleven children of professional musicians Madad Ali and Fateh Bibi.
. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
who was also a native of Kasur. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana
of Hindustani classical music
and the classical forms of thumri
, dhrupad
, and khyal
.
At the age of nine, Wasai drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti
,
who would later introduce her to stage in Lahore
. He composed some ghazal
s, naat
s and folk songs for her to perform, although she was more keen in breaking into acting
or playback singing
. Once her vocational training finished, Wasai pursued a career in singing alongside her sisters in Lahore and would usually take part in the live song and dance performances prior to screenings of films in film theatres.
The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata
) in hope of developing the movie careers of Wasai and her sisters. During their stay in Calcutta, the renowned singer Mukhtar Begum, encouraged Wasai and her two older sisters to join film companies and recommended them to various producers. She also recommended them to her husband, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who owned a maidan theatre (a tented theatre to accommodate large audiences). It was here that Wasai received the stage name Baby Noor Jehan. Her older sisters were offered jobs with one of the Seth Sukh Karnani companies, Indira Movietone and they went on to be known as the Punjab Mail.
Wasai would later adopt Mukhtar Begum's way of performance and sari
attire.
In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed Pind di Kuri in which Jehan acted along with her sisters. She next acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer, Damodar Sharma. Baby Noor Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). After a few years in Calcutta, Noor Jehan returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, Ghulam Haider composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity. She then recorded her first song Shala Jawaniyan Mane for Dalsukh M. Pancholi's movie Gul Bakavli.
Prior to Khandaan Jehan was cast as a child artist. It was in 1942 that she played the main lead opposite Pran. Khandaans success saw her shifting to Bombay (now Mumbai
), where she shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. In 1945 Jehan played the lead role, alongside Lata Mangeshkar
and Asha Bhosle
, in the movie Bari Maa.
In 1945, she achieved a milestone, when she sung a Qawwali
with Zohrabai Ambalewali and Amirbai Karnataki which was "Aahen Na Bhareen Shikave Na Kiye". This was the first ever Qawwali recorded in female voices in South Asian films.
Noor Jehan's (Deepa govindarajan) last film in India was Mirza Sahibaan (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor
's brother Trilok Kapoor. Noor Jehan sang 127 songs in Indian films and the number of talking films she made from 1932 to 1947 was 69. The number of silents was 12. Fifty-five of her films were made in Bombay, eight in Calcutta, five in Lahore and one in Rangoon (now Yangon
), Burma.
in 1947, Jehan decided to move to Pakistan along with her husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
. She left Bombay and settled in Karachi
with her family.
Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chan wey (1951), opposite Santosh Kumar
, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first female director. Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dopatta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chan wey (1951).
Her penultimate film as an actress/singer was Mirza Ghalib (1961). This contributed to the strengthening of her iconic stature. She gained another audience for herself. Her rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
's Mujh se pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob naj maang is a unique example of tarranum, reciting poetry as a song. Noor Jehan last starred in Baaji in 1963, though not in a leading role. Noor Jehan bade farewell to acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930 to 1963). The pressure of being a mother of six children and the demanding wife of a hero (Ejaz Durrani) forced her to give up her career. Noor Jehan made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu, four in Punjabi.
. She received many awards, including the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966, Pakistan's top civil award. She sang a large number of duets with Ahmed Rushdi
, Mehdi Hassan
, Masood Rana
and Mujeeb Aalam
.
She had a great understanding and friendship with many great singers of Asia, for example with the late great Alam Lohar and many more singers also.
In the 1990s Jehan also sang for then débutante actresses Neeli
and Reema
. For this very reason, Sabiha Khanum
affectionately called her Sadabahar (evergreen). Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.
Jehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie movies, where she met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
in New Delhi
and was received by Dilip Kumar
and Lata Mangeshkar
in Mumbai
.
, Jehan suffered from chest pains and was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent a surgery to install a pacemaker. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi
and suffered a heart attack. On Saturday afternoon, December 23, 2000, Noor Jehan breathed her last, as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and she was buried at the Gizri Graveyard near the Saudi Consulate in Karachi.
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Her career spanned seven decades. She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time in South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum .
Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani films with her performances. She holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and Sindhi
Sindhi language
Sindhi is the language of the Sindh region of Pakistan that is spoken by the Sindhi people. In India, it is among 22 constitutionally recognized languages, where Sindhis are a sizeable minority. It is spoken by 53,410,910 people in Pakistan, according to the national government's Statistics Division...
languages. Along with Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
, she holds the highest record of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
In 1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award
President's Award
The President's Award may refer to:*Gaisce, The President's Award, Republic of Ireland*NAACP Image Award - President's Award, United States*Rashtrapati Award - Award given by the President of India*the highest rank of the Kiribati Scout Association...
for her acting and singing capabilities.
Early life
Noor Jehan was born in KasurKasur
Kasur , the capital of Kasur District in Pakistan. Kasur is located adjacent to the border of Ganda Singh Wala between Pakistan and India, and is a tourist attraction because of the daily occurring Flags lowering ceremony...
, Punjab
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
, British India and was one of the eleven children of professional musicians Madad Ali and Fateh Bibi.
Career
Wasai began to sing at the age of five or six years old and showed a keen interest in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
. Realising her potential for singing, her mother sent her to receive early training in classical singing under Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan
Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was a Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala Gharana.-Early life and background:...
who was also a native of Kasur. He instructed her in the traditions of the Patiala Gharana
Patiala Gharana
The Patiala gharana is one of the most prominent gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music. It was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab, which was famous for ghazal, thumri, and khyal.-History:...
of Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
and the classical forms of thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
, dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
, and khyal
Khyal
Khyal is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning "imagination". It is thought to have developed out of the qawwali singing style. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for...
.
At the age of nine, Wasai drew the attention of Punjabi musician Ghulam Ahmed Chishti
Ghulam Ahmed Chishti
Ghulam Ahmed Chishti was a Pakistani music composer, attributed as being one of the founders of Pakistani film music. He is also sometimes referred to as Baba Chishti....
,
who would later introduce her to stage in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. He composed some ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s, naat
Naat
A Na`at is a poetry that specifically praises the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Many of the famous scholars in the earlier days of Islam wrote Naat. People who recite Naat are known as Naat-Khua'an or Sana'a-Khua'an.-History:...
s and folk songs for her to perform, although she was more keen in breaking into acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
or playback singing
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
. Once her vocational training finished, Wasai pursued a career in singing alongside her sisters in Lahore and would usually take part in the live song and dance performances prior to screenings of films in film theatres.
The family moved to Calcutta (now Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
) in hope of developing the movie careers of Wasai and her sisters. During their stay in Calcutta, the renowned singer Mukhtar Begum, encouraged Wasai and her two older sisters to join film companies and recommended them to various producers. She also recommended them to her husband, Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who owned a maidan theatre (a tented theatre to accommodate large audiences). It was here that Wasai received the stage name Baby Noor Jehan. Her older sisters were offered jobs with one of the Seth Sukh Karnani companies, Indira Movietone and they went on to be known as the Punjab Mail.
Wasai would later adopt Mukhtar Begum's way of performance and sari
Sari
A sari or sareeThe name of the garment in various regional languages include: , , , , , , , , , , , , , is a strip of unstitched cloth, worn by females, ranging from four to nine metres in length that is draped over the body in various styles. It is popular in India, Bangladesh, Nepal,...
attire.
In 1935, K.D. Mehra directed Pind di Kuri in which Jehan acted along with her sisters. She next acted in a film called Missar Ka Sitara (1936) by the same company and sang in it for music composer, Damodar Sharma. Baby Noor Jehan also played the child role of Heer in the film Heer-Sayyal (1937). After a few years in Calcutta, Noor Jehan returned to Lahore in 1938. In 1939, Ghulam Haider composed songs for Jehan which led to her early popularity. She then recorded her first song Shala Jawaniyan Mane for Dalsukh M. Pancholi's movie Gul Bakavli.
Prior to Khandaan Jehan was cast as a child artist. It was in 1942 that she played the main lead opposite Pran. Khandaans success saw her shifting to Bombay (now Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
), where she shared melodies with Shanta Apte in Duhai (1943). It was in this film that Noor Jehan lent her voice for the second time, to another actress named Husn Bano. In 1945 Jehan played the lead role, alongside Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
and Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, in the movie Bari Maa.
In 1945, she achieved a milestone, when she sung a Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
with Zohrabai Ambalewali and Amirbai Karnataki which was "Aahen Na Bhareen Shikave Na Kiye". This was the first ever Qawwali recorded in female voices in South Asian films.
Noor Jehan's (Deepa govindarajan) last film in India was Mirza Sahibaan (1947) which starred Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
's brother Trilok Kapoor. Noor Jehan sang 127 songs in Indian films and the number of talking films she made from 1932 to 1947 was 69. The number of silents was 12. Fifty-five of her films were made in Bombay, eight in Calcutta, five in Lahore and one in Rangoon (now Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
), Burma.
Acting career in Pakistan
After the creation of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1947, Jehan decided to move to Pakistan along with her husband Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi
Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi was a pioneer of the Pakistani film industry. He was a film director, producer, and editor, and a supporting actor.-Early Life and Career :...
. She left Bombay and settled in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
with her family.
Three years after settling in Pakistan, Noor Jehan starred in her first film in Pakistan, Chan wey (1951), opposite Santosh Kumar
Santosh Kumar
Syed Musa Raza better known as Santosh Kumar was a famous Pakistani film actor of 1950s and 1960s era. He belonged to a well educated family from Uttar Pradesh, India. He was married to Sabiha Khanum. His brother Darpan was also a renowned film actor during that period. His other brother S...
, which was also her first Punjabi film as a heroine. Shaukat and Noor Jehan directed this film together making Noor Jehan Pakistan's first female director. Noor Jehan's second film in Pakistan was Dopatta (1952) which turned out to be an even bigger success than Chan wey (1951).
Her penultimate film as an actress/singer was Mirza Ghalib (1961). This contributed to the strengthening of her iconic stature. She gained another audience for herself. Her rendition of Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Faiz Ahmad Faiz was a Pakistani intellectual, poet, and one of the most famous poets of the Urdu language. He was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind and an avowed Marxist. In 1962, he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union...
's Mujh se pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob naj maang is a unique example of tarranum, reciting poetry as a song. Noor Jehan last starred in Baaji in 1963, though not in a leading role. Noor Jehan bade farewell to acting in 1963 after a career of 33 years (1930 to 1963). The pressure of being a mother of six children and the demanding wife of a hero (Ejaz Durrani) forced her to give up her career. Noor Jehan made 14 films in Pakistan, ten in Urdu, four in Punjabi.
Noor Jehan as a playback singer
After quitting acting she took up playback singing. She made her debut as a playback singer in 1960 with the film Salma. Her first initial playback for a Pakistani film was for Jan-e-Bahar (1958), in which she sang the song Kaisa Naseeb Layi Thi, picturised on Musarrat NazirMusarrat Nazir
Musarrat Nazir is a singer and actress who sang and acted in many Urdu and Punjabi films. She also sang solo, mostly wedding and folk songs. She was born to a middle class family on October 13 1940. Her parents were of Kashmiri origin from Lahore...
. She received many awards, including the highest Pakistani honour in entertainment, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (The Pride of Performance) in 1966, Pakistan's top civil award. She sang a large number of duets with Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi
Ahmed Rushdi, SI, PP was a versatile Pakistani playback singer who worked in film music and was "an important contributor to the Golden Age of Pakistani film music." Rushdi is acclaimed as one of the greatest singers ever lived in south asia and was a natural baritone, yet could sing high tenor...
, Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is a Pakistani ghazal singer and a former playback singer for Lollywood. He is famously known as the 'King of ghazal' . He has ruled the Pakistan film industry along with Ahmed Rushdi...
, Masood Rana
Masood Rana
Masood Rana was a Pakistani playback singer. He began his singing career in 1962 with the film Inqalab and became one of the top male singers in both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than three decades...
and Mujeeb Aalam
Mujeeb Aalam
Mujeeb Aalam was a Pakistani playback singer who had a short film career. His singing style was a mixture of Mehdi Hassan and Ahmad Rushdi's style. He sang dozen of hit songs in late 1960s and remained popular with cinema viewers...
.
She had a great understanding and friendship with many great singers of Asia, for example with the late great Alam Lohar and many more singers also.
In the 1990s Jehan also sang for then débutante actresses Neeli
Neeli
Neeli is a Pakistani film actress.Neeli acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films. She was born in Hyderabad, Sindh on June 24, 1966. She went to Saint Mary’s Convent where she completed her intermediate in Arts....
and Reema
Reema Khan
Reema Khan, known by her screen name Reema, is a Pakistani Lollywood film actress, director and producer. She has appeared in more than 200 films since making her debut in 1990.-Early life:Reema Khan was born in 1977 in Lahore, Pakistan...
. For this very reason, Sabiha Khanum
Sabiha Khanum
Sabiha Khanum is a Pakistani film actress. She was the leading star of Pakistani cinema in the 1950s and the 1960s, and played successful character roles later....
affectionately called her Sadabahar (evergreen). Her popularity was further boosted with her patriotic songs during the 1965 war between Pakistan and India.
Jehan visited India in 1982 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Indian talkie movies, where she met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
and was received by Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
and Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
.
Patriotic songs
During the 1965 India-Pakistan war. Noor Jehan sung many patriotic songs enthusiastically, which became tremendously popular. Some enormously praised and soul stirring songs are listed below.- Ae watan kay sajeelay jawano, Mere naghmay tumharay leeyay hain
- Aeh putr hataan tay nahin wikday, Tu lubni ain wich bazar kuray
- Mereya dhol sipahia, Tenun Rub dyaan rakhhan
- O mahi chhail chhabilah, Haey neen kernail neen jarnail neen
- Yeh hawaoun kay musafir, Yeh samandaroun kay rahi, Meray sir bakaf mujahid, Meray suf shikan sipahe
- Rung laey ga shaheedoun ka lahoo, Yeh lahoo surkhee hay aazadi kay afsanay ki
- Mera sohnan shehr Qasoor neen, Hoya dunya wich mashhoor neen
Last years and death
In 1986, on a tour of North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Jehan suffered from chest pains and was diagnosed with angina pectoris after which she underwent a surgery to install a pacemaker. In 2000, Jehan was hospitalised in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
and suffered a heart attack. On Saturday afternoon, December 23, 2000, Noor Jehan breathed her last, as a result of heart failure. Her funeral took place at Jamia Masjid Sultan, Karachi and she was buried at the Gizri Graveyard near the Saudi Consulate in Karachi.
Filmography
| Year | Film |
|---|---|
| 1939 | Gul Bakavli |
| Imandaar | |
| Pyam-e-Haq | |
| 1940 | Sajni |
| Yamla Jat | |
| 1941 | Chaudhry |
| Red Signal | |
| Umeed | |
| Susral | |
| 1942 | Chandani |
| Dheeraj | |
| Faryad | |
| Khaandan | |
| 1943 | Nadaan |
| Duhai | |
| Naukar | |
| 1944 | Lal Haveli |
| Dost | |
| 1945 | Zeenat |
| Gaon ki Gori | |
| Badi Maa | |
| Bhai Jaan | |
| 1946 | Anmol Ghadi Anmol Ghadi Anmol Ghadi is a 1946 Hindi film directed by Mehboob Khan, starring Surendra, Suraiya and Noor Jehan.The film was musical hit and still remembered for its music by Naushad, which have hits like, Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai, Jawaan Hai Mohabbat Haseen Hai Zamana and Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na... |
| Dil | |
| Humjoli | |
| Sofia | |
| Jadoogar | |
| Maharana Pratab | |
| 1947 | Mirza Sahibaan |
| Jugnu | |
| Abida | |
| Mirabai | |
| 1951 | Chanwey |
| 1952 | Dopatta |
| 1953 | Gulnar |
| Anarkali Anarkali (1953 film) Anarkali is a 1953 film based on the historical legend of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. As per the legend Jahangir revolted against his father Akbar over his love for a common girl called Anarkali.... |
|
| 1955 | Patey Khan |
| 1956 | Lakt-e-Jigar |
| Intezar | |
| 1959 | Nooran |
| 1958 | Choomantar |
| Anarkali | |
| 1959 | Neend |
| Pardaisan | |
| Koel | |
| 1961 | Mirza Ghalib |
External links
- Noor Jehan Audio Collection - Bingo.com.pk
- Rich tributes paid to Noor Jehan - DAWN.com
- Noor Jehan's immortal melodies - DAWN.com
- The unforgettable queen - DAWN.com
- The Melody Queen lives on - DAWN.com Songs by Noor Jehan. Retrieved 2005-04-02. Includes a photograph of Noor Jehan.
- Few hits of Noor Jehan
- Madam Noorjehan on Pakistan Film Magazine