Monday, October 18, 2010

Noor Jehan: actress, singer and music composer

Noor Jehan (or Noorjehan) was the screen/ stage name of Allah Wasai (1926-2000), a celebrated film director, film actress, singer and music composer in British India and Pakistan. In a career spanning seven decades, Noor Jehan became renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of her time.

Born in a Punjabi family of musicians, Noorjehan holds the envious record of singing 10,000 songs in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and Sindhi languages, in genres Qawwali, Indian music and Pakistani music. She dominated the earliest Pakistani films with her talented performances, and she became the first female Pakistani film director.

In 1957, Jehan was honored with the President's Award for her acting and singing contributions. Noor Jehan died on December 23, 2000 at the age of 74 at Karachi in Pakistan.

No comments: