Salma Agha
Encyclopedia
Salma Agha is a singer and actress from Pakistan
who sang as well as acted in India
n films in the 1980s and the early 1990s. She won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
in 1982 for the ghazal
"Dil ke Armaan" in Nikaah
.
and moved to London
at the age of 9. Agha is the granddaughter of famous Indian actor – Prithviraj Kapoor
's brother-in-law; thus she is related to the famous Indian film family – Kapoors.
hits in Hindi. The record made a few waves and was applauded by critics. However, it didn't create any major ripples in the Hindi
film circles at the time.
When acclaimed Indian director Raj Kapoor
was at the London reception of his son Rishi Kapoor
and Neetu Singh
's wedding, he invited his cousin Zarina Agha (Salma's mother) to the reception. Present at the wedding were many prominent Indian directors, including B.R. Chopra. Chopra had just finished a female oriented hit with Zeenat Aman
called Insaf Ka Tarazu. He had just commissioned a heroine-oriented movie called Talaq Talaq Talaq and was on the look out for a Muslim
actress. Zeenat Aman (even though, half Muslim) he felt had a much too urban look to portray the character of Neelofar in his movie. Raj Kapoor too was on the lookout for a Muslim girl his movie Heena. Soon Raj Kapoor nixed plans and went ahead with Prem Rog. Hearing that Chopra was looking for a Muslim girl, Salma flew to Bombay to meet him. Using her uncle Raj Kapoor's connection, Salma was soon hired.
When the music directors heard Salma's ABBA hits they signed her on to sing her own playback
songs. The songs were a huge success even before the movie was released. The movie got stuck with the Islamic clerics who were to approve the movie before its release. They insisted on a name change and Chopra rechristened the movie Nikah. The movie went on to be a huge success and is considered a classic. It is one of the strongest debuts for an actress and a huge vehicle for a newcomer. She earned a Filmfare
nomination as Best Actress. In addition to winning the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
for the song "Dil Ke Armaan," she also earned two Filmfare nominations: one for the song "Pyar Bhi Hai Jawan" and the other for the song "Dil Ki Yeh Arzo".
Salma soon purchased Reena Roy
's apartment in Bandra, while Reena packed bags to move to London with her new husband cricketer
Mohsin Khan
. However, Salma wasn't interested in movies much, she soon was introduced to Mehmood Sipra, a New York City
business man, who made Salma drop all her movie assignments and produced movies for her, beginning with Begum Sahiba and Bebasi. Sipra's divorce came through while his love affair with Salma began to fade. Both movies were shelved and Salma was left without a husband or career.
Thankfully, her photos were constantly in magazines even though she hadn't had a release since Nikaah and refused most offers made to her. Finally, after her break with Mehmood Sipra, she signed Babbar Subhash
's Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki
with Mithun Chakraborty
and Smita Patil
. The movie was publicised with huge pictures of Salma, which in turn upset and overshadowed Mithun. This movie became Salma's second release and another hit. She earned a Filmfare
nomination for the song "Jhoom Jhoom Baba." Salma went to Pakistan to visit her now married sister Sabina, living in Karachi
and while visiting relatives in Lahore
, she was offered Pakistani movies. She debuted in Hum aur Tum with Javed Sheikh
. They both fell in love and Javed divorced his wife of 15 years and tied the knot with Salma. They were in such a rush for marriage that Salma Agha didn't even dub for the Hum aur Tum. The bad dubbing
job and the horrible story line killed the movie. Though the curiosity of seeing Salma and her box office power made the movie a hit in Pakistan.
Salma worked on many other movies in Pakistan, none with major recognition other than a movie that later got adopted into a Hindi version Pati, Patni aur Tawaif. Salma played the same character she had, in the Pakistani version and was once again teamed with Mithun. While shooting in India she also did Oonche Log
.. aka High Society' with Rajesh Khanna
but due to weak performance by Salma Agha and other factor being that Khanna had 11 releases in 1985 as the solo hero of which 7 became major hits and 3 in special appearances, Oonche Log massively flopped. All of her movies flopped at the box office from 1984 onwards.
She recently went on tour promoting her album Husn.
After that Salma was married to actor Javed Sheikh
. Soon Salma was going through another divorce. She carried on with a few more Pakistani movies then settled with the squash coach Rehmat Khan
. She now shuttles between Islamabad
and London with Khan and puts out an album of ghazals every few years.
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...
who sang as well as acted in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n films in the 1980s and the early 1990s. She won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....
in 1982 for the 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...
"Dil ke Armaan" in Nikaah
Nikaah
Nikaah is a 1982 Hindi film produced and directed by B. R. Chopra. The film stars Raj Babbar, Deepak Parashar and Salma Agha in her Hindi movie debut role. The film also had Asrani, Iftekhar and Gufi Paintal in support roles. The films music is by Ravi. The original name of the movie was Talaq...
.
Early life
Salma was grand daughter of 30's/40's famous Punjabi actress Anwari Begum who played the role of Heer in the first ever Punjabi film in the Indian sub-continent Heer Ranjha (1932). Famous musician Rafiq Ghaznavi was her grand father and her mother Nasreen worked with K. L. Saigal in Shahjahan (1946) and Aik roz (1947). She was born to a wealthy father in KarachiKarachi
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 moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the age of 9. Agha is the granddaughter of famous Indian actor – 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-in-law; thus she is related to the famous Indian film family – Kapoors.
Career
Salma along with sister Sabina produced and sang for a record called AGHA – Salma and Sabina Agha sing ABBAABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
hits in Hindi. The record made a few waves and was applauded by critics. However, it didn't create any major ripples in the 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...
film circles at the time.
When acclaimed Indian director Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
was at the London reception of his son Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor is an Indian Bollywood actor, film producer and director.-Early life:Born in Chembur Mumbai, Kapoor is the second son of film director and star Raj Kapoor. He did his schooling with his brothers at Campion School,Mumbai. His brothers are well-known actors: Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv...
and Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh
Neetu Singh is an Indian Bollywood actress. She worked as a child actor under the name Baby Sonia. She played Roopa in the 1966 movie Dus Lakh and a dual role in the film Do Kaliyaan. Her other notable films were Waris and Pavitra Paapi.-Career:Neetu Singh made her debut as an actress in 1972 with...
's wedding, he invited his cousin Zarina Agha (Salma's mother) to the reception. Present at the wedding were many prominent Indian directors, including B.R. Chopra. Chopra had just finished a female oriented hit with Zeenat Aman
Zeenat Aman
Zeenat Aman is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi films, notably in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the second runner up in the Miss India Contest and went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 1970...
called Insaf Ka Tarazu. He had just commissioned a heroine-oriented movie called Talaq Talaq Talaq and was on the look out for a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
actress. Zeenat Aman (even though, half Muslim) he felt had a much too urban look to portray the character of Neelofar in his movie. Raj Kapoor too was on the lookout for a Muslim girl his movie Heena. Soon Raj Kapoor nixed plans and went ahead with Prem Rog. Hearing that Chopra was looking for a Muslim girl, Salma flew to Bombay to meet him. Using her uncle Raj Kapoor's connection, Salma was soon hired.
When the music directors heard Salma's ABBA hits they signed her on to sing her own playback
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:...
songs. The songs were a huge success even before the movie was released. The movie got stuck with the Islamic clerics who were to approve the movie before its release. They insisted on a name change and Chopra rechristened the movie Nikah. The movie went on to be a huge success and is considered a classic. It is one of the strongest debuts for an actress and a huge vehicle for a newcomer. She earned a Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
nomination as Best Actress. In addition to winning the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
Filmfare Best Female Playback Award
The Filmfare Best Female Playback Award is given by Filmfare as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films, to recognise a female playback singer who has delivered an outstanding performance in a film song....
for the song "Dil Ke Armaan," she also earned two Filmfare nominations: one for the song "Pyar Bhi Hai Jawan" and the other for the song "Dil Ki Yeh Arzo".
Salma soon purchased Reena Roy
Reena Roy
Reena Roy was one of the top Hindi film actresses in India. She performed leading roles in many films from 1972 to 1985 .-Early life and background:...
's apartment in Bandra, while Reena packed bags to move to London with her new husband cricketer
Cricketer
A cricketer is a person who plays the sport of cricket. Official and long-established cricket publications prefer the traditional word "cricketer" over the rarely used term "cricket player"....
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Khan
Mohsin Hasan Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in 48 Tests and 75 ODIs from 1977 to 1986 mainly as an opening batsman.-Life and Career:...
. However, Salma wasn't interested in movies much, she soon was introduced to Mehmood Sipra, a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
business man, who made Salma drop all her movie assignments and produced movies for her, beginning with Begum Sahiba and Bebasi. Sipra's divorce came through while his love affair with Salma began to fade. Both movies were shelved and Salma was left without a husband or career.
Thankfully, her photos were constantly in magazines even though she hadn't had a release since Nikaah and refused most offers made to her. Finally, after her break with Mehmood Sipra, she signed Babbar Subhash
Babbar Subhash
Babbar Subhash better known as B. Subhash, is a well known Indian film director and producer. Some of his most successful films are Disco Dancer, Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki, Dance Dance, Love Love Love, Adventures of Tarzan and Commando...
's Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki
Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki
Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki is a 1984 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by B.Subhash, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Smita Patil, Salma Agha, Karan Razdan, Geeta Siddharth and Amrish Puri-Plot:...
with Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
and Smita Patil
Smita Patil
Smita Patil was an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Regarded among the finest stage and film actresses of her times, Patil appeared in over 75 Hindi and Marathi films in a career that spanned just over a decade. During her career, she received two National Film Awards and a...
. The movie was publicised with huge pictures of Salma, which in turn upset and overshadowed Mithun. This movie became Salma's second release and another hit. She earned a Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
nomination for the song "Jhoom Jhoom Baba." Salma went to Pakistan to visit her now married sister Sabina, living 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 while visiting relatives 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...
, she was offered Pakistani movies. She debuted in Hum aur Tum with Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh is a Pakistani actor, director and producer who is involved with Bollywood, Lollywood, and Pollywood films.-Career:Sheikh's first movie as actor was the Lollywood film Dhamaka, released on 14 December 1974. He since acted in over 100 Urdu films from the 1970s through to the early...
. They both fell in love and Javed divorced his wife of 15 years and tied the knot with Salma. They were in such a rush for marriage that Salma Agha didn't even dub for the Hum aur Tum. The bad dubbing
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
job and the horrible story line killed the movie. Though the curiosity of seeing Salma and her box office power made the movie a hit in Pakistan.
Salma worked on many other movies in Pakistan, none with major recognition other than a movie that later got adopted into a Hindi version Pati, Patni aur Tawaif. Salma played the same character she had, in the Pakistani version and was once again teamed with Mithun. While shooting in India she also did Oonche Log
Oonche Log
Oonche Log is an Indian Hindi film directed by Brij, released on 5 July, 1985. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Salma Agha as the main lead characters of the film.The film's cinematography, costumes, melodious music of R.D.Burman, performance of Rajesh Khanna, Danny Denzongpa and Prem Chopra...
.. aka High Society' with Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna
Rajesh Khanna is an Indian actor of from Hindi films, and has been Hindi film producer and an Indian politician....
but due to weak performance by Salma Agha and other factor being that Khanna had 11 releases in 1985 as the solo hero of which 7 became major hits and 3 in special appearances, Oonche Log massively flopped. All of her movies flopped at the box office from 1984 onwards.
She recently went on tour promoting her album Husn.
Personal life
She was married at 16 years of age to a prominent Pakistani settled in London. A divorce soon followed.After that Salma was married to actor Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh
Javed Sheikh is a Pakistani actor, director and producer who is involved with Bollywood, Lollywood, and Pollywood films.-Career:Sheikh's first movie as actor was the Lollywood film Dhamaka, released on 14 December 1974. He since acted in over 100 Urdu films from the 1970s through to the early...
. Soon Salma was going through another divorce. She carried on with a few more Pakistani movies then settled with the squash coach Rehmat Khan
Rehmat Khan
Rehmatullah "Rehmat" Khan is one of greatest living squash coaches and a former squash player from Pakistan. He coached his cousin Jahangir Khan, who is arguably the greatest squash player of all time, throughout his record-breaking career...
. She now shuttles between Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
and London with Khan and puts out an album of ghazals every few years.