Mehnaz Begum

Mehnaz Begum

Born	1958 Mahmudabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Died	19 January 2013 (aged 55) Manama, Bahrain
Occupation(s)	Singer, film playback singer
Years active	1972–2013
Parent	Kajjan Begum (mother)
Awards	13 Nigar Awards Lux Style Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) (2011)

Mehnaz Begum (1958 – 19 January 2013) was a Pakistani TV, radio, and film singer. She was well known as a film playback singer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the recipient of several Nigar Awards.^[1]^[2]

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Early life

Mehnaz was born at Mahmudabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1958. Her family migrated to Pakistan in the late 1950s. She received her initial training in music from her mother Kajjan Begum who was also a singer.^[1]^[3]

Career

Mehnaz started her career as a playback singer in the early 1970s. Saleem Gilani, the director general of Radio Pakistan, Karachi first spotted her doing a concert at her college and helped her. Mehdi Hassan and his elder brother Pandit Ghulam Qadir trained her at this radio station for about a month. Her melodious voice, musical training and control over her voice made her popular among the Pakistani film music directors.^[4]

She sang a variety of genres but specialized in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal, drupad and reciting salam, noha and marsiya. She was the daughter of celebrated sub-continental singer Kajjan Begum. and the famous government officer Abdullah Abdullah Tasnim, but when she realized fame, she changed her name to simply Mehnaz or Mehnaz Begum. She also sang ghazals and light classical music for Pakistani television shows^[1]^[3]^[4]

Personal life

Mehnaz never married but some of her favorite hobbies included bird-watching and admiring nature. Her favorite television show and movie was Franklin (TV series) (life of a turtle by the name Franklin) and Bambi (1942 animated movie by Disney Studios). Mehnaz Begum loved to paint in her college days and wanted to choose painting as her career. She also delighted in drawing various flowers and birds.^[4]

Songography

Film

Song title	Lyrics by	Music by	Film notes
Mera Pyar Tere Jeevan Ke Sang Rahega^[5]	Masroor Anwar	Nisar Bazmi	Pehchan (1975 film)^[5]
Pyar Ka Waada Aisay Nibhaen, Koi Juda Karne Na Pai^[5]	Taslim Fazli	Khalil Ahmed	Aaj Aur Kal (1976)
Mujhe Dil Se Na Bhulana^[5]	Taslim Fazli	Robin Ghosh	Aina
Tere mere piyar ka aisa naata hai	Riaz Arshad	Kamal Ahmed	Salakhein (1977)^[6]
Jaisi Tasveer Banai Hai Mere Saajan Ne	Taslim Fazli	Wajid Nashad	Parastish (1977 film)^[1]
Mein Jis Din Bhula Doon Tera Pyar Sajna^[5]	Masroor Anwar	M. Ashraf	Khushboo (1979)^[5]
Do Pyaasay Dil Aik Huay Hain Aise ^[1]	Taslim Fazli	Robin Ghosh	Bandish^[1]
Sachha Tera Naam, Tu Hi Bigre Banai Kaam	Masroor Anwar	Nisar Bazmi	Biwi Ho Tau Aisi (1982 film)^[5]

Radio

Song title	Lyrics by
Ae Meri Sar Zameen e Watan
Lutf Woh Ishq Mein	Dagh Dehlvi
Har Cheez Hai Mehve Khudnomai	Muhammad Iqbal

TV

Song title	Lyrics by	Music
Kajrari Ankhiyon Mein Nindya Na Aye		Niaz Ahmed
Bichray Meet Ab Aan Milay Hein (Co-singer: Muhammad Ifrahim)	Shabi Farooqui	Sohail Rana
Naina Jaagte Rehna	Hafeez Jalandhari	Sohail Rana
Jayon Main Kahan		Sohail Rana

Death

She died on 19 January 2013 at a Bahrain hospital while transiting from Karachi to Miami, Florida for medical treatment of a respiratory ailment. Her condition worsened during the flight and during a stopover at the Bahrain airport, she was taken to a hospital where she died. Mehnaz was laid to rest at Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard in Sohrab Goth Karachi. ^[3]^[1]

Awards and recognition

She had won the Nigar Award for Best Female Playback Singer 13 times^[5]^[7]
Lifetime Achievement Award by Lux Style Awards (2011)^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Peerzada Salman (20 January 2013). "Singer Mehnaz Begum dies". Dawn. Pakistan. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
^ KARACHI: Some thoughts on All-Pakistan Music Conference’s Baithak, Dawn (newspaper), 10 April 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2020
^ ^a ^b ^c "Transitions: Renowned classical singer Mehnaz Begum passes away". The Express Tribune (newspaper). 19 January 2013. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Profile: The songbird (Mehnaz Begum) Dawn (newspaper), Published 11 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2020
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Adnan Lodhi (19 January 2019). "Remembering ghazal giant Mehnaz Begum". The Express Tribune (newspaper). Retrieved 21 April 2020.
^ "Salakhein Urdu film". Pak Film Magazine. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
^ ^a ^b Fahad Shabbir (19 January 2020). "7th Death Anniversary Of Renowned Singer Mehnaz Begum Observed". UrduPoint.com website. Retrieved 21 April 2020.