The true queen of her era, Suraiya, is perhaps the last embodiment of a rare breed of actress—a singing star. In the early days of transitioning from silent films to “talkies,” where singing happened live on sets with musicians discreetly tucked away, the advent of playback singing marked a significant shift. Actors and actresses with melodious voices became scarce.
In the realm of Hindi cinema, the final enchantress to reign supreme as a singer and actress was Suraiyya. Her departure marked not just the end of an era but the closing chapter of a unique artistic lineage where performers seamlessly blended acting and singing, leaving an everlasting legacy in the hearts of her audience.
Early life and Career
Suraiya was born on June 15, 1929, in Lahore. She started working in films as a child, debuting in the 1936 film Madame Fashion, and soon graduated to being a leading lady. When Suraiya was 12 years old, she visited M. Zahoor on the set of his new film, Taj Mahal. From the moment she walked in, the director could sense the little girl on the sidelines had that “something” and gave her the massive role of Mumtaz Mahal.
She was singing for children’s programmes for All India Radio (AIR) in Bombay, and since she was 6 years old, Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan were her co-artists in that ram. She sang her first song in Nai Duniya (1942) when she was only 12 years old. When legendary music director Naushad Ali heard Suraiya’s voice, he chose her to sing (at age 13) for Mehtab in Abdul Rashid Kardar’s film Sharda (1942). He became Suraiya’s mentor, and she sang some of the best songs of her career under his baton, including Anmol Ghadi (1946), Dard (1947), Dillagi (1949), and Dastaan (1950).
Suraiya Became the Star
By the mid-1940s, the still-teenaged Suraiya was one of the most beloved actresses and singers in the country; she was known as Malika-e-Husn (queen of beauty), Malika-e-Tarannum (queen of melody), and Malika-e-Adakari (queen of acting). Suraiya’s iron-fisted grandmother, Badshah Begum, controlled everyone in the family, including Suraiya; she was her manager and bodyguard.
Suraiya worked with K.L. Saigal in three films: Tadbir (1945), Omar Khayam (1946), and Parwana (1947), a rare honor for a young actress. Anmol Ghadi (1946) paired her with Noor Jehan, where her songs “Socha Tha Kya, Kya Ho Gaya” and “Man Leta Hai Angrahi” held their own despite Noor Jehan’s dominance.
With the success of these films, She went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses in Hindi cinema with films such as Ishaara (1943), Phool (1945), Dard (1947), and many more. Suraiya’s career peaked after mid 1940s. In O. P. Duttas Pyar Ki Jeet (1948), a romantic drama, she played a lead role, opposite Rehman. Her songs in the film “Oh Door Janewale” and “Tere Nainon Ne Chori Kiya” became instant hits. The year Suraiya turned 20, she starred in “Badi Behen (1949),” to adoration from her fans. The film showcased her as a devoted sister, with the song “Wo Pas Rahe Ya Door Rahein” gaining widespread popularity. But when she attended the premiere, the frenzied crowd managed to corner Suraiya. Shaken, Suraiya refused to attend any of her film premiers ever again.
Dillagi (1949), a romantic tragedy, featured her opposite Shyam, with “Tu Mera Chand Main Teri Chandani” resonating with audiences.
Dev and Suraiyya
In 1948, Suraiya began work on the family drama film “Vidya,” with Dev Anand starring opposite her. During a shooting of the song “Kinare Kinare Chale Jayen Ge” in Vidya, Suraiya and Dev Anand were shooting in a boat, and Dev Anand saved her from drowning. It was the start of their friendship, which grew into love in no time. The two had worked together in quite a few films, like Jeet (1949), Shair (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950), Do Sitare (1951), and Sanam (1951).
But Suraiya’s grandmother was always against the match; initially, Suraiya resisted her but eventually gave in. In an interview with Stardust in June 1972, Suraiya revealed that she lacked the courage to resist her family and that Anand truly loved her. Dev proposed a court marriage, but his condition that Suraiya quit acting post-marriage led her to decline.
Deb Anand later said in an interview, “I fell in love for the first time. We all know what first love does to a human being. Then there was the agony of not getting it. Suddenly hope was aroused after being encouraged, but again disillusionment crept in when nothing happened.”
“It was destined that way. Had I gone to her, my life would have been different. Had I married her, life at her end would have taken me down a different course. Then may be I would not have been the Dev Anand I am today.”
Career After The Heartbreak
She also acted in successful films like Dastan (1950), Diwana (1952), Mirza Ghalib (1954), Bilwamangal (1954), and Mr. Lambu (1956). In Mirza Ghalib (1954), which won the 1954 National Award for Best Feature Film in India, Suraiya shone both as an actress and as a singer for her rendition of Ghalib’s lover, ‘Chaudvin’. Jawaharlal Nehru commented on seeing the film, “Tumne Mirza Ghalib kii ruuh ko zindaa kar diyaa” (“You have brought the soul of Mirza Ghalib back to life”). Suraiya’s final film release was Rustam Sohrab (1963).
Some of her most famous songs include “Man Leta Hai Angdai,” in Anmol Ghadi, “Tum Man Ki Peeda Kya Samjho” in Jeet, “Betaab Hai Dil,” “Beech Bhanwar Mein,” in Dard, Betaab Hai Dil”Woh Paas Rahen Ya Door Rahen” in Badi Bahan, “O Door Jaanewale,” in Pyar ki Jeet, “Anjaam-E-Mohabbat Kuch Bhi Nahin” in Char Din,” “Chaar Din Ki Chandni Thi Phir Andheri Raat Hai,” and “Tu Mera Chaand Main Teri Chandni” In Dillagi, “Ae Ishq Hamen Barbaad Na Kar” in Naach, “Dil-E-Naadaan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai,” “Nuktacheen Hai Gham-E-Dil,” and “Yeh Na Thi Hamari Kismat,” in Mirza Ghalib, “Yeh Kaisi Ajab Daastan Ho Gayi Hai” in Rustam Sohrab, and many more.
In 1956, she traveled to the Soviet Union as part of a delegate with Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and Kamini Kaushal, where her films were screened. She received the Screen Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 and the Bimal Roy Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999. In 1998, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee honored her during Mirza Ghalib’s bi-centenary celebrations. The Government of India released a postage stamp in her honor in 2013, marking 100 years of Indian cinema.
Later Years
In 1963, Suraiya retired from acting, supposedly due to her father Aziz Jamal Sheikh’s death and her own health problems. Suraiya lived with her mother, Mumtaz Begum, at Krishna Mahal, Marine Drive. Her friends in the industry were P. Jairaj, Nimmi, Nirupa Roy, and Tabassum, with whom she met occasionally.
After her mother’s death in 1987, Suraiya became lonely. Tabassum, who worked with Suraiya as a child artist and was very close with her, said, “It’s sad that she had shut her doors to the world in her last days. But she’d talk comfortably with me on the phone. I remember our last conversation. I asked her, “Aapa kaisi hain?” She replied in verse: “Kaisi guzar rahi hai sabhi poochte hai mujhse, kaise guzaarti hoon koi nahin poochta.”
Suraiya died at Mumbai’s Harkishandas Hospital on January 31, 2004, aged 75. Among her few visitors in her later years were Sunil Dutt, Naushad Saab, and Pratap A. Rana. Dharmendra, who was her ardent fan, attended her funeral. She was buried at Badakabarastan in Marine Lines, Mumbai.
Suraiya on IMDB
