#GoldenFrames: Suraiya, the magnificent diva with a golden voice

Suraiya was one of the most successful leading ladies of the 1940s. She starred in popular movies such as 'Tadbir' (1945), '1857' (1946), 'Anmol Ghadi' (1946), Parwana (1946), 'Omar Khaiyyam' (1946), 'Vidya' (1947), 'Pyar ki Jeet' (1948), 'Badi Behan' (1949), 'Dillagi' (1949) and many more. Suraiya's voice was so magical that even fruit sellers used her name to define the sweetness of the fruits to her voice. Suraiya was on the cover of the inaugural issue of the film news-weekly Screen. Suraiya’s career spanned twenty years. The actress played the leading role with almost every famous star of her time and sang with the leading playback singers like Mohammad Rafi, Talat Mehmood and Mukesh. Suraiya was awarded the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.

In This Pic : Suraiya, greatest legends, goldenframes

Pic Courtesy : BCCL

Suraiya Jamal Sheikh, popularly known by the mononym Suraiya, was born on June 15, 1929, in Lahore, Pakistan, to Aziz Jamal Sheikh and Mumtaz Sheikh. When she was a year old, her parents and maternal uncle M. Zahoor moved to Mumbai. She attended J.B. Petit High School for Girls, Mumbai.

In This Pic : Suraiya, greatest legends, goldenframes

Suraiya's childhood friends included Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan, with whom she used to sing in children's radio programmes at All India Radio. (In this picture, (l-r) Suraiya, Madan Mohan with wife Sheila, and Lata Mangeshkar).

In This Pic : Suraiya, Madan Mohan, Lata Mangeshkar, greatest legends, goldenframes

Suraiya's uncle became a well-known villain in Hindi cinema in the 1930s. Suraiya accompanied her uncle to a film set, where she got a break as Mumtaz Mahal in Taj Mahal (1941) by accident.

In This Pic : Suraiya, greatest legends, goldenframes

It was the upcoming music director of those days, Naushad, who discovered her singing talent. He made her sing 'Panchhi Jaa, peechhe raha hai bachpan mera' from the movie 'Sharda' (1942), as playback for famous star Mehtab. She was then only twelve and had to stand on a stool to reach the mike.

In This Pic : Suraiya, greatest legends, goldenframes