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Zeenat Begum
Pakistani singer From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Zeenat Begum (born Shamim Akhtar; 11 November 1931 – 11 December 2007), sometimes known as Zeenat, was a Pakistani singer.[1] She was known as The Queen of Yesteryear for singing songs in films and on radio.[2]
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Early life
Zeenat Begum was born Shamim Akhtar in 1931 on November 11 at Malerkotla, Punjab, British India.[3]
Music career
Zeenat Begum was a tawaif and a renowned classical singer.[2][1] She was discovered by Pandit Amar Nath around 1937.[1][4] Her first success as a playback singer came in 1942 when she sang for Govind Ram's Punjabi film Mangti (1942) and she also made her debut as an actress in the film.[2] The film was marked as the first Golden jubilee film produced in Lahore.[1][5]
Her first Hindi film was Nishani (1942).[6] She sang for other notable films including Panchhi (1944), Shalimar (1946), Shehar se Door (1946) and Daasi (1944).[7][8]
Zeenat Begum migrated from Lahore to Bombay in 1944.[1] She sang for several music directors in Bombay, including younger brothers of Pandit Amar Nath – Pandit Husnlal Bhagatram, Master Ghulam Haider, Pandit Gobind Ram, etc.[1] The last film she sang for in India was Mukhda (1951).[1] She migrated to Pakistan and joined Lahore station of Radio Pakistan and worked there until the late 1950s.[1] After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, many new playback singers arrived in Pakistan which affected the playback singing career of Zeenat Begum.[1] Though she remained a prominent singer of Radio Lahore in the 1950s and 1960s.[1][9]
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Personal life
Zeenat married Abdul Jabbar in 1949. They divorced in 1955. She married Saqlain Rizvi later and they had one child together.
Death
Filmography
Film
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References
External links
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