Yesteryear’s songstress Shamshad Begum rewinds on her musical journey with Rachana Dubey
August 10, 1998, news flashed across national dailies that legendary singer Shamshad Begum had expired. The phone at her home didn’t stop ringing that day. The paper published a tiny apology the next day but her family was not pleased.
Today she is living with her 70-year-old daughter Usha and son-in-law Retd. Lt. Col Yogesh Ratra, at the scenic Hiranandani gardens, Powai for the last 12 years. She’s 87-years-old, complains of high blood pressure, sometimes walks with support but is still all smiles.
She says, “It seems just yesterday that I came to Bombay from Lahore.” She began her career as a singer and radio announcer in the 1930’s when filmmaker Mehboob heard her and decided to bring her to Bombay. Shamshad Begum remembers, “Mehboob saab was making Taqdeer (Nargis’s debut). He had heard me in Khajanchi and a couple of Punjabi songs. He came to Lahore to meet my baba. Baba was very conservative and protective towards me. Mehboob saab assured my father he will organise a house, a car and a servant for me which he eventually did. It’s only then Baba allowed me to come to Bombay.”
Shamshad Begum insists that she never had a problem with anyone. In fact she made it a point to help newcomers, “ I always helped new singers because I knew what they go through when they sing for the first time. I have worked with every music composer from Khemchand Prakash to OP Nayyar to Naushad saab,” says the legendary singer.
Remembering old colleagues, she adds, “I was rendering a song with Mohammed Rafi for Rail Ka Dibba. There were about 8-10 lines that both of us had to sing breathlessly. I managed to do it, he couldn’t even after five takes. After the song was okayed he came to me and said aapaji maan gaye aapko. My home remedies always worked for Mukesh who would often fall ill. He always told me aapaji aapka formula hit hai.”
Over the years, many people sought her help, but didn’t acknowledge her part in their lives. Some thanked her but only in person. Only OP Nayyar acknowledged her contribution to his career on national television. She recollects, “OP Nayyar was a non-entity when he came to me and requested me to sing Kabhi aar kabhi paar (Aar-Paar) for him.”
Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan were also among those who sought her help in the initial stages of their careers.
Madan Mohan requested her to sing for his film Aankhen. Till then, he was only a singer in C Ramchandra’s chorus. She informs, “Though he didn’t have the money to pay me, I agreed. His film was a hit. But he never repeated me. It didn’t matter.”
After Lata Mangeshkar’s entry in 1948, many of Shamshad Begum’s contemporaries faded away, but she didn’t. She made up her mind to renounce singing when she was at the peak of her career. She says, “I decided to quit gracefully before I was thrown out. I walked out of the film industry in the late 60’s and never looked back. I’m happy I did that.”
Since then, she has been with her daughter and son-in-law, seen her grandchildren grow up, have their own families. Now she can’t sing because she finds it a little taxing for her throat. She laughs, “I was always aapaji, ammaji, mataji for everyone in the industry. I never cancelled a schedule in my career.”
Talking about the remixes of her songs, she quips, “I’m not against the trend of remixes. I’m happy that in a way the young generation recognises the old. They will remember us through these remixes.”
This is how she looks like now a day:
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