1. Suraiya Jamal Sheikh, mononymously known as Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi films.
93 Facts About Suraiya
1. 2.
Suraiya was the most celebrated actress between the mid- to late 1940s and early 1950s and was paid more than her male counterparts.
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Apart from being a great actress, Suraiya was a renowned playback singer, who mostly sang for herself.
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Suraiya sang her first song for Nai Duniya, when she was only 12 years old.
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Suraiya made her first appearance as a child artist with the film Madame Fashion, directed by Jaddanbai.
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Suraiya made her acting debut in 1941, with Taj Mahal in which she played the role of Mumtaz Mahal.
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Suraiya received the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996, for her contribution to Indian cinema.
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Suraiya died on 31 January 2004, after suffering from various ailments, including hypoglycemia, ischaemia and insulinoma.
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Suraiya was born as Suraiya Jamal Sheikh on 15 June 1929 in Lahore, British India, to Aziz Jamal Sheikh and Mumtaz Sheikh in a Punjabi Muslim family.
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Suraiya was one year old, when her family moved to Mumbai to reside in Krishna Mahal at Marine Drive.
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Suraiya was fond of literature, especially Urdu literature and use to read a lot of them.
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Suraiya made her debut as a child actor in Jaddan Bai's Madame Fashion in 1936 as Miss Suraiya.
13.
Vakil noticed the charm and innocence of young Suraiya and selected her to play the role of Mumtaz Mahal, the film released in 1942 and marked her acting debut.
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Suraiya became Suraiya's mentor and she sang some of the best songs of her career under his baton.
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Later, he gave a string of hit songs when Suraiya became a full-fledged singing star in Anmol Ghadi, Dard, Dillagi and Dastaan.
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At the age of 14 in 1943, Suraiya appeared as a heroine in JK Nanda's film Ishaara, opposite Prithviraj Kapoor.
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Suraiya had five films that year, including Yateem, Samrat Chandragupta and Main Kya Karoon.
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Suraiya recommended her to Desai, opposite himself in Tadbir, where she played his lover Saguna.
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Suraiya then acted as the second lead in Mehboob Khan's Anmol Ghadi with Noor Jehan as the lead with Surendra.
20.
Suraiya had five film releases in the year of India's independence.
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Suraiya first played the free spirited Gopi, who is suspected to have an affair with a married man in Parwana.
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Suraiya then appeared in Dak Bangla, Naatak, Do Dil and Do Naina.
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Suraiya played Hamida, who falls in love with a doctor.
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Between 1948 and 1950, Suraiya earned both critical and commercial success.
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Suraiya next played the titular role in Kajal and appeared in Gajre.
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Suraiya then played a married woman Shanta, whose husband loves a dancer in Singaar.
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Suraiya then reunited with Dev Anand in Jeet and Shair, playing his childhood sweetheart in both these films.
28.
In Dillagi, Suraiya played Mala, who is in love with Swaroop, but is forced to marry someone else.
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Suraiya stopped going to the premieres of her films, after the incident.
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Bhaichand Patel stated that Suraiya's acting "over-shadowed" that of Kapoor.
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Suraiya played a nomadic woman Laali who was married to a prince, but was separated by his father.
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Suraiya played a tawaif Moti Begum in her career's most notable film, Mirza Ghalib, which won two awards at the 1954 National Film Awards.
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Suraiya shone both as an actress and as a singer for her rendition of Ghalib's lover, Chaudvin.
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Later, Suraiya played Shobha, whose husband dies in war in Waris and Sahebzadi Aalam, whose is in love with a poet in Shama Parwana, opposite Shammi Kapoor.
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In 1958, Suraiya appeared in three films: Trolly Driver, with Rehman where she played Renu, Miss 1958 and Maalik.
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Post a two-year absence, Suraiya appeared as Roshan Ara in Shama in 1961.
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Suraiya played a princess Shehzadi Tahmina opposite Kapoor's Rustom Zabuli.
38.
In 1953, Suraiya refused the film Anarkali as heroine, a role which went to Bina Rai.
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Later, it was revealed that Suraiya was K Asif's first choice to play Anarkali in Mughal-e-Azam.
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Suraiya is regarded as the first actor-singer of Independent India.
41.
Suraiya made her singing debut as a child-singer was "Boot Karun Main Polish Babu" in the film Nai Duniya, composed by Naushad.
42.
When Mehtab first saw baby Suraiya, she was hesitant to have her as her playback singer, but on hearing her, she wanted Suraiya to sing all her songs in her films.
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Suraiya then sang for Mehtab, in her own disc versions which were recorded by Shamshad Begum in the film.
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Suraiya debuted with Manna Dey in his first Hindi film song, and their only duet 'Jago ayee usha' in Tamanna in 1942, was directed by his uncle, the famous K C Dey.
45.
Again in 1942, Suraiya paired with Rajkumari in Station Master for the song 'Sajan ghar aye'.
46.
In 1943, Suraiya sang a song "Ek Tu Hoo, Ek Main Hoon", music composed by Naushad, in the film Kanoon, which was the first song in Bombay music industry, which had characteristics of Latin American music.
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Later, Suraiya continued to work with music director Naushad in a few films, and in 1946, she appeared with actress Noor Jehan in Anmol Ghadi as a co-star, with Naushad as the music director.
48.
Suraiya sang three songs in the film which became popular, of which 'Man leta hai angdai' went viral throughout the country.
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The musical film Dillagi, under Kardar's direction, with Naushad's music, became a silver jubilee hit, with Suraiya becoming a national rage with her songs and acting.
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Suraiya was in a relationship with actor Dev Anand for four years from 1948 to 1951.
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Suraiya was supported by Suraiya's maternal uncle Zahoor and some film persons, viz.
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Suraiya's grandmother had opposed the relationship, mainly because they were Muslims and Anand was a Hindu.
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The covert reason was that Suraiya was the only earning member of the family.
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Thereafter, Suraiya remained unmarried by her own choice for the rest of her life.
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Suraiya shared a cordial relationship with many people from the industry and was friends with Paidi Jairaj, Nimmi, Nirupa Roy, Tabassum and lyricist Hasan Kamal.
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Suraiya established a close bond with composer Naushad, whom she considered her mentor.
57.
In 1963, Suraiya retired from acting career, supposedly due to two reasons.
58.
Suraiya lived with her mother Mumtaz Begum after her father's death.
59.
In 1979, Suraiya gave an interview to Raju Bhartan for The Illustrated Weekly of India, gaining limelight.
60.
Suraiya lived in Krishna Mahal, Marine Drive, since the early 1940s.
61.
Suraiya possessed several apartments in Worli, Mumbai and property in Lonavala, near Pune.
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Suraiya said this was "leading the new generation in a wrong direction".
63.
Suraiya died at Mumbai's Harkishandas Hospital on 31 January 2004 aged 75, after being admitted there for a week previously suffering from various ailments, including hypoglycemia, ischaemia and insulinoma.
64.
Suraiya is regarded as one of the greatest and most accomplished actresses of Indian cinema.
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Suraiya is noted for her simple roles, sweet voice and beauty.
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One of the highest paid actress of the 1940s and 1950s, Suraiya appeared in Box Office Indias "Top Actresses" list seven times, from 1944 to 1950, and topped the list for three years.
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In 2013, Suraiya's film looks were voted as the "Best on-screen beauty", on the completion of 100 years of the Indian cinema.
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Suraiya set fashion trends, that are still relevant and her sarees are a major style statement of the 1940s and 1950s.
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Suraiya was the highest paid actress of her time and was the first Indian actress who was paid more than her male co-actors.
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Suraiya had no airs or demands and would make no fuss about anything, from her hair and makeup to costumes, camera angles, footage or dialogues.
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Suraiya faced the camera with confidence and accepted the outcome with grace.
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Suraiya remembers walking miles to see Suraiya's Dillagi 40 times.
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George stated in The Life and Times of Nargis that, Suraiya ruled "unchallenged" post partition.
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Suraiya was known as the first superstar singer-actress of Indian films.
75.
Suraiya was widely successful as an actress and singer and was called "Singing Star".
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Suraiya is known among the finest actresses of Indian cinema.
77.
Suraiya earned praises with her roles in the films: Anmol Ghadi, Vidya, Pyar Ki Jeet, Bari Behen, Dillagi, Dastaan and Mirza Ghalib.
78.
Suraiya's path-breaking roles include portrayal of a willful girl in Anmol Ghadi, a strong and protective sister in Bari Behen and Mr Lambu, a wealthy women in love with a poor cobbler in Vidya, an orphan in Dastaan, a nomadic woman in Diwana, a courtesan in Mirza Ghalib and Bilwamangal, and a princess in Rustam Sohrab.
79.
Suraiya named her roles in the films - Parwana, Kajal and Mirza Ghalib as her favourites.
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The author of Celebrities: A Comprehensive Biographical Thesaurus of Important Men and Women in India, credited Suraiya for saving several films, with her "fine portrayals and dulcet songs".
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Suraiya noted how Suraiya was a "freelance", not bounded by contracts of big productions.
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Suraiya generally preferred "spunky roles" in contrast to her submissive, swooning peers.
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Suraiya was equally known for her singing and was the only actor-singer in Hindi cinema before the start of playback singing era.
84.
Manish Telikicherla Chary said that Suraiya dominated the 1940s and 1950s with her singing.
85.
Vijay Poolakkal in his book stated that Suraiya was Husnlal Bhagatram's first choice as female singer in the 40s.
86.
In November 1956, Suraiya was sent to the Soviet Union by the Government of India as part of a delegate consisting of Raj Kapoor, Nargis and Kamini Kaushal, where her films were screened.
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Suraiya later stated that she thought his praise was "more worthy than an Oscar".
88.
In 1998, Suraiya was honoured for perpetuating Mirza Ghalib's memory by her acting and songs by the then prime minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee during the Mirza Ghalib bi-centenary celebrations in New Delhi.
89.
In 2003, Suraiya was honoured and awarded a memento by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy and Screen World Publication at a special function organised on the 134th birth anniversary of Dadasaheb Phalke.
90.
Suraiya will be sorely missed, even though she had been a recluse for decades.
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In 2023, an exhibition at Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Noida, named "Sitaare Zameen Par", had portraits of Suraiya that were captured by JH Thakkar.
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Suraiya was right at the top and I was very happy for her.
93.
Suraiya's career spanned a little over two decades but she left behind a vast repertoire of songs and films for audiences to delight in.