Sharda
Encyclopedia
Sharda Rajan Iyengar or Sharda was a playback singer
in Hindi films in the 1960s and 70s. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer
for the cabaret "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" in Jahan Pyar Miley (1970), though she is most remembered for her song "Titli Udi" in Suraj
(1966). In 2007, she released the album Andaaz – e – Bayan Aur, featuring her own compositions based on Mirza Ghalib
's ghazal
s, a musical form from Turkey.
family from Tamil Nadu
, India
and was inclined towards music from childhood. She has the distinction of being a BA graduate.
with the song "Titli Udi" in Suraj
(1966). She was promoted by Shankar of the Shankar Jaikishan
duo.
"Titli udi" turned out to be a top chartbuster in 1966. It so happens that the coveted Filmfare award for best playback singer had only one category (either male or female) until 1966. "Titli Udi" song, however, was tied as best song with Mohd Rafi's song "Baharo Phool Barsao" which had never happened before. Sharda didn`t win the award but from then on Filmfare started giving two awards for best playback singer: one for male singer and the other for female singer. Thus Sharda made history. Thereafter Sharda was nominated 4 years in a row (1968–71) for best female playback singer and won another Filmfare award. In a short span Sharda won 2 Filmfare awards, when the Mangeshkar Sisietrs were dominating. Thereafter she continued singing for Shankar in nearly all of his films until his death. Her voice was last heard in Kaanch Ki Deewar (1986).
She sang with most of the top singers like Mohd Rafi, Asha Bhosle
, Kishore Kumar
, Yesudas, Mukesh
and Suman Kalyanpur
. She lent her voice to leading ladies of the time like Vyjayanthimala
, Saira Banu
, Hema Malini
, Sharmila Tagore
, Mumtaz
, Rekha and Helen. Besides Shankar she recorded songs with Usha Khanna
, Ravi
, Dattaram, Iqbal Qureshi and a few others. She was the first Indian female singer to cut her own pop album in India, called Sizzlers in 1971 which was launched by HMV.
She performed on stage on several occasions like Filmfare Awards functions, charity shows, naval functions, and many others.
Sharda was never able to reach the top bracket of singers but she did manage to create a certain section of the music listeners as her fans and well wishers. She conducts music lessons for children and aspiring singers. Besides Hindi she also sang in Telugu, Marathi, English, and Gujrathi.
. Music Director Khayyam
was present at the release party, where Sharda thrilled the audience by singing a few songs from the album in her well-preserved voice.
Shankar composed a song "Ek Chehra jo Dil Ke Kareeb" for a film called Garam Khoon (1980), sung by Lata Mangeshkar
which was penned by Sharda and picturised on Sulakshana Pandit
.
She turned Music Director in the mid-1970s and gave music for films like Maa Behen Aur Biwi, Tu Meri Main Tera, Kshitij, Mandir Masjid and Maila Anchal. Mohd Rafi was nominated for Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award for the song "Achcha Hi Hua Dil Toot Gaya" from Maa Behen Aur Biwi (1974), which he sang under Sharda's music direction.
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:...
in Hindi films in the 1960s and 70s. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer
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 cabaret "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" in Jahan Pyar Miley (1970), though she is most remembered for her song "Titli Udi" in Suraj
Suraj
Suraj is a 1966 swashbuckler Ruritanian romance Hindi film produced by S. Krishnamurthy and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar in the lead with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Johnny Walker, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Lalita Pawar and Neetu Singh forms an...
(1966). In 2007, she released the album Andaaz – e – Bayan Aur, featuring her own compositions based on Mirza Ghalib
Mirza Ghalib
Dabir-ul-Mulk, Najm-ud-Daula Mirza Asadullah Baig Khan , pen-name Ghalib and Asad , was a classical Urdu and Persian poet from India during British colonial rule...
's 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, a musical form from Turkey.
Early life
Sharda belonged to a conservative BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
family from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, 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...
and was inclined towards music from childhood. She has the distinction of being a BA graduate.
Career
Early in her career Sharda was offered a voice test by Showman Raj Kapoor when he first heard her singing in a function at Shrichand Ahuja's residence in Tehran. She got her first big break in BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
with the song "Titli Udi" in Suraj
Suraj
Suraj is a 1966 swashbuckler Ruritanian romance Hindi film produced by S. Krishnamurthy and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar in the lead with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Johnny Walker, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Lalita Pawar and Neetu Singh forms an...
(1966). She was promoted by Shankar of the Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan
Shankar Jaikishan , also known as S/J, is an Indian music composer duo in the Hindi film industry, working together from 1949–1971....
duo.
"Titli udi" turned out to be a top chartbuster in 1966. It so happens that the coveted Filmfare award for best playback singer had only one category (either male or female) until 1966. "Titli Udi" song, however, was tied as best song with Mohd Rafi's song "Baharo Phool Barsao" which had never happened before. Sharda didn`t win the award but from then on Filmfare started giving two awards for best playback singer: one for male singer and the other for female singer. Thus Sharda made history. Thereafter Sharda was nominated 4 years in a row (1968–71) for best female playback singer and won another Filmfare award. In a short span Sharda won 2 Filmfare awards, when the Mangeshkar Sisietrs were dominating. Thereafter she continued singing for Shankar in nearly all of his films until his death. Her voice was last heard in Kaanch Ki Deewar (1986).
She sang with most of the top singers like Mohd Rafi, 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...
, Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar
Kishore Kumar , born Abhas Kumar Ganguly, was an Indian film playback singer and an actor who also worked as lyricist, composer, producer, director, screenwriter and scriptwriter.Kishore Kumar was one of India's greatest performers of the late 20th century...
, Yesudas, Mukesh
Mukesh
Mukesh Chand Mathur was an Indian playback singer of Bollywood. He, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, left such an impact on the Hindi film industry that they are still remembered to date....
and Suman Kalyanpur
Suman Kalyanpur
Suman Kalyānpur is a female singer from India.Suman Kalyanpur aka Suman Hemadey was born on January 28, 1937 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, , her maiden name being Hemmady. In 1943, her family moved to Mumbai , where she received her musical training. She married Ramanand S...
. She lent her voice to leading ladies of the time like Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala
Vyjayanthimala Bali is an Indian film actress, Bharathanatyam dancer, carnatic singer, dance choreographer, golfer and a Parliamentarian....
, Saira Banu
Saira Banu
Saira Banu , also known as Saira Bano, is an Indian Bollywood actress and the wife of the film actor Dilip Kumar. She acted in many Bollywood films between 1960 and 1980.-Early life:...
, Hema Malini
Hema Malini
Hema Malini is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar , she went on to appear in numerous Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as...
, Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
, Mumtaz
Mumtaz (actress)
Mumtaz , fondly called Mumu, is a famous Bollywood actress, best remembered for her roles in Tere Mere Sapne and Khilona . Her performance in Khilona got her the Filmfare Best Actress Award, while the film itself won the Filmfare Best Movie Award...
, Rekha and Helen. Besides Shankar she recorded songs with Usha Khanna
Usha Khanna
Usha Khanna is an Indian music director. Regarded as the first established female music director in the Indian film industry, she remained active for more than 3 decades from 1960s to 1980s. She is still active making some music for some movies and television-serials, more than 40 years after her...
, Ravi
Ravi
Ravi is a common Hindu male given name. It means Sun. Ravi may refer to:* Ravi , a Hindu solar deity* Ravi River , a Himalayan river flowing through India and Pakistan-People:...
, Dattaram, Iqbal Qureshi and a few others. She was the first Indian female singer to cut her own pop album in India, called Sizzlers in 1971 which was launched by HMV.
She performed on stage on several occasions like Filmfare Awards functions, charity shows, naval functions, and many others.
Sharda was never able to reach the top bracket of singers but she did manage to create a certain section of the music listeners as her fans and well wishers. She conducts music lessons for children and aspiring singers. Besides Hindi she also sang in Telugu, Marathi, English, and Gujrathi.
Original music
On 21 July 2007 Sharda released her Ghazal album Andaaz-e-Bayan Aur, a compilation of Mirza Ghalib's ghazals. The album was released at Juhu Jagriti Mumbai at the hands of actress Shabana AzmiShabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. An alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India of Pune, she made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and...
. Music Director Khayyam
Khayyam
Omar Khayyam was a Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher and astronomer.Omar Khayyam or Khayyam or may also refer to:* Khayyam, Iran* Mohammed Zahur Khayyam , commonly credited as 'Khayaam', Indian music composer...
was present at the release party, where Sharda thrilled the audience by singing a few songs from the album in her well-preserved voice.
Shankar composed a song "Ek Chehra jo Dil Ke Kareeb" for a film called Garam Khoon (1980), sung by 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...
which was penned by Sharda and picturised on Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pandit
Sulakshana Pratap Narain Pandit is a Filmfare Award winning Playback Singer & Actor.Her brothers are the composing duo Jatin Lalit and her younger sister is Vijeta Pandit who achieved fame with her debut movie Love Story. Her uncle is the accomplished classical vocalist Pandit...
.
She turned Music Director in the mid-1970s and gave music for films like Maa Behen Aur Biwi, Tu Meri Main Tera, Kshitij, Mandir Masjid and Maila Anchal. Mohd Rafi was nominated for Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award for the song "Achcha Hi Hua Dil Toot Gaya" from Maa Behen Aur Biwi (1974), which he sang under Sharda's music direction.
Popular songs
- "Titli udi" (SurajSurajSuraj is a 1966 swashbuckler Ruritanian romance Hindi film produced by S. Krishnamurthy and directed by T. Prakash Rao. The film stars Vyjayanthimala and Rajendra Kumar in the lead with Ajit, Mumtaz, Johnny Walker, Johnny Walker, Bharathi Vishnuvardhan, Lalita Pawar and Neetu Singh forms an...
) - "Jaan e Chaman" (GumnaamGumnaamGumnaam is a 1965 Indian horror thriller film directed by Raja Nawathe, starring Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen and Mehmood. The film became a box office hit...
) - with Mohd Rafi - "Leja Leja mera dil" (An Evening In ParisAn Evening in ParisAn Evening In Paris is a 1967 Indian Hindi film. Produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, Story by Sachin Bhowmick. The movie stars Shammi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore in a double role, Pran as the villain, and Rajindernath in the comic subplot.- Synopsis :...
) - "Chale jana zara" (Around The WorldAround the WorldAround the World may refer to:* Circumnavigation, to navigate a circumference, as around the Earth-Music:* Around the World , a musical by Cole Porter* Around the World , a concert DVD by Mariah Carey...
) - with MukeshMukeshMukesh Chand Mathur was an Indian playback singer of Bollywood. He, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, left such an impact on the Hindi film industry that they are still remembered to date.... - "Tum Pyar se dekho" (Sapno Ka SaudagarSapno Ka SaudagarSapno Ka Saudagar is a 1968 film. The film is produced by B. Ananthaswami and directed by Mahesh Kaul. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Hema Malini, Tanuja, David and Nadira. The films music is by Shankar Jaikishan....
) - with MukeshMukeshMukesh Chand Mathur was an Indian playback singer of Bollywood. He, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, left such an impact on the Hindi film industry that they are still remembered to date.... - "Woh Pari kahan se" (Pehchan) - with MukeshMukeshMukesh Chand Mathur was an Indian playback singer of Bollywood. He, alongside Mohammad Rafi, Manna Dey and Kishore Kumar, left such an impact on the Hindi film industry that they are still remembered to date....
and Suman KalyanpurSuman KalyanpurSuman Kalyānpur is a female singer from India.Suman Kalyanpur aka Suman Hemadey was born on January 28, 1937 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, , her maiden name being Hemmady. In 1943, her family moved to Mumbai , where she received her musical training. She married Ramanand S... - "Kisike dil ko" (Kal Aaj Aur KalKal Aaj Aur KalKal Aaj Aur Kal is a 1971 Hindi film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by his son Randhir Kapoor. The film's USP is the appearance of three generations of the famous Kapoor family. It stars Prithviraj Kapoor, his son Raj Kapoor, Raj Kapoor's son Randhir Kapoor and Randhir's real-life wife-to-be...
) - "Jab bhi yeh dil udaas" (Seema) - with Mohd Rafi
- "Aap ki Rai Mere Baare Mein" (ElaanElaanElaan is a Bollywood film, released in January 2005. Elaan is an explosive tale of a nation on the edge, pushed to the margins by diabolic elements out to ignite global terror. More precisely, it is a mission film about five characters and their elaan against one man...
) - with Mohd Rafi - "Jane Anjane Yahan" (Jane Anjane)