Shamshad Begum

Shamshad Begum
Born(1919-04-14)14 April 1919
Lahore, Punjab, British India
(present-day Punjab, Pakistan)
Died23 April 2013(2013-04-23) (aged 94)
Hiranandani Gardens, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Spouse
Ganpat Lal Batto
​
​
(m. 1934; died 1955)​
AwardsO. P. Nayyar Award (2009)[1]
Padma Bhushan (2009)[2]
Musical career
GenresFilmi
OccupationPlayback singer
Years active1933–1976

Shamshad Begum (Urdu: شمشادبیگمچ, IAST: Śamśād Bēgam; 14 April 1919 – 23 April 2013)[3][4][5] was an Indian singer who was one of the first playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Notable for her distinctive voice and range, she sang over 6,000 songs in Hindustani, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, and Punjabi languages, among which 1287 were Hindi film songs.[citation needed] She worked with renowned composers of the time, such as Naushad Ali and O. P. Nayyar, for whom she was one of their favorites. Her songs from the 1940s to the early 1970s remain popular and continue to be remixed.[6]

  1. ^ "O P Nayyar award for Shamshad Begum". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 24 September 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
  2. ^ "Yesteryears' playback singer Shamshad Begum named for Padma Bhushan". Twocircles.net. 25 January 2009. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Shamshad Begum, The Legendary Singer". India Post. August 1998. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
  4. ^ "Shamshad Begum dies at 94". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
  5. ^ "India singing legend Shamshad Begum dies". 24 April 2013. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Who was Shamshad Begum?". India Today. Archived from the original on 25 June 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2022.