It was seven years ago on December 23, 2007, when 'Malika-e-Tarannum' Noor Jehan left for her ethereal abode. Despite the passage of so many years her variegated melodies continue to provide peace of mind to millions in the sub-continent and will continue to enthral countless millions as long as electronic reproductive devices will be available to music buffs.
Her career span over 60 years, perhaps the longest of any female artiste associated with the world of entertainment in South Asia, or elsewhere in the world.
It is an irrefutable fact of melodic history that very few singers have commanded so much respect from their fans as did melody queen Noor Jehan. From professional musicians to connoisseurs and uninitiated music lovers, she won ebullient praises. The appeal of her sonorous voice mesmerised listeners during her life and continues to do so even now courtesy radio and television repeat programmes about her. The manner in which she feelingly rendered all kinds of songs truly transported listeners to unparalleled heights in ecstasy.
As a child star the Kasur-born (1928) Noor Jehan made her debut at the age of seven in 1935 in a Punjabi film titled Sheela Alias 'Pind di kurri', produced by Maiden Theater, Calcutta in her sweet, tender albeit lisped but tuneful voice. At that time, she also enacted the role of (child) Heer in the Punjabi romantic epic 'Heer Sial'. A few years later, she shifted to Lahore along with her older sisters when she lent her voice for the recording of songs for another Punjabi movie 'Gul Bakauli', musical raiment for which were provided by Master Ghulam Haider.
Still known as baby Noor Jehan, she was engaged in 1941 by producer-studio-owner Dalsukh M. Pancholi for his Urdu film 'Khandaan', which was directed by Syed Shaukat Husain Rizvi, with whom she tied the nuptial knot in Bombay a couple of years later. That was the turning point in her life, as with the roaring success of that film at box office, Noor Jehan joined the ranks of then frontline singing actresses of the silver screen.
The melody queen as she was known later Noor Jehan remained a singing actress for about 30 years; from film 'Khandaan' (1941) released in 1942, to the film 'Ghalib' in 1961, both produced from movie studios in Lahore- one before the partition of India and the other after the creation of Pakistan. After Ghalib, she changed the direction of her film career by playback singing and became more popular than she was as a singing actress. She had been put to work under the tutelage of Sarangi player Ustad Ghulam Muhammad, who remained with her till his death.
The film 'Khandaan' was the first blockbuster in Noor Jehan's career, which put her name alongside frontline stars of the Indian Silver Screen during the decade of the 1940s. Almost all songs of that film won wide public acclaim, starting with 'Urr Jaa Panchhi Urr Jaa', and moving on to 'Hum Aankh macholi khailainge', 'Merey leeye jehan main' and 'Too kaun see badli mein maire chaand hai aa ja'.
Noor Jehan shifted to Bombay, then emerging centre of Indian film industry after establishing her credentials through the success of the film 'Khandaan', where she acted in 'Nadaaan', 'Duhaai' and 'Naukar', all of which did not do well at the box office. It was the movie 'Dost', which provided the much-needed break to her. All its songs composed by Sajjad Husain hit the bull's eye and contributed much to the success of the film. Her hubby Shaukat Rizvi was its director. Her film 'Barri Maa', whose songs also became widely popular, created yet another record. K. Dutta scored music for that movie. But the film, which made Noor Jehan superstar of the 1940s, was producer Director Mahboob's Anmol Gharri the songs of which were composed by Naushad Ali.
Although the musical scene in Pakistan has remained bereft of her towering personality for seven years, her presence is still felt, thanks to the reproductive video devices. Just a flick of the knob or a twist of a button, and she comes "live" on the screen of your receiving set. Aptly called a phenomenon the likes of Noor Jehan have only rarely been produced by history in this part of the world. She became famous both as an actress as well as a singer, who possessed a golden voice that brimmed with ever-freshening sonic enchantment. Her career can be divided into three broad categories. She rose to stardom in Bombay after enacting the role of heroines in two successful movies produced from Lahore- 'Chaudhri' (Punjabi) and 'Khandaan' (Urdu) in 1940 and 1941; her return to Lahore in early 1948, when she started acting in Pakistani movies, and the post 'Ghalib' playback singing period, when she used her vocals for the satiation of her creative melodic urges. During her career as a singing actress, composers of the eminence of Master Ghulam Haider, Naushad Ali, Sajjad Hussain, K. Dutta, Froze Nizami, Shyam Sunder, Khurshid Anwar, Rashid Attrey, Saleem Iqbal, G. A. Chishti, Master Inayat Hussain and Master Abdullah used her sonorous and malleable voice for their songs in films produced from Bombay and Lahore skillfully employing her vocal resources for communicating their melodic ideas to cine-goers.
Gifted with a sweet voice that was suited to convey all kinds of moods and emotions, she won the hearts of millions in South Asia by intelligently exploiting such ornate qualities and sparkles of her voice as Murkis and Zamzamas, a technique that makes a tone oscillate with resonance from the preceding and succeeding notes.
Until the release of her film 'Koel' (music by Khurshid Anwar), her voice sparkled with a unique mystique. By then she had assiduously maintained the level of her sonic charisma, which transcended geographical, political and regional boundaries, cutting across every nook and cranny of the sub-continent. However, as a sequel to overuse of her vocals, the sheen of her voice gradually dissipate.
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