British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

golden age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the '' Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages, Gold being the first and the one during which the G ...

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

National anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and Europea ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' English, Punjabi, Bengali, Sindhi and Gujarati and found unprecedented success as a playback artist from the mid-1950s to early 1980s. He was also known for his stage performance. He suffered from poor health during the latter part of his life and died of a heart attack at the age of 48, after recording approximately five thousand film songs for 583 released films. Besides popular music, Rushdi also helped popularize the ghazals of

Naseer Turabi Naseer Turabi ( ur, نصير ترابی; 15 June 1945 – 10 January 2021) was a Pakistani poet. Playback singer Ahmed Rushdi played significant role in his success and also helped popularize his ghazals. Biography His father, Allama Rasheed ...

. He was awarded five Nigar Awards, the "Best Singer Of The

Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...

" title, "Life Time Achievement Award", "

Legend A legend is a genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human values, and possess ...

Award" and

Lux Style Award The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

. In 2003, 20 years after his death, Pakistani president

Pervez Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of t ...

awarded him the

Sitara-e-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

, the "star of excellence," for distinguished merit in the field of arts. According to the 2016 survey of Asian Woman Magazine, Rushdi is declared as a darling singer of all time. In 2022, his song '' Ko Ko Korina'' featured in the opening scene of American series Ms. Marvel (TV series) and won top ratings.

Early life

Ahmed Rushdi was born to a religious, conservative family of Hyderabad Deccan in 1934. His father, ''Syed Manzoor Mohammad'', taught

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

, Islamic History and

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

at Aurangabad College,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

,

Deccan The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...

. He died when Rushdi was only six years old. From a young age, Rushdi was fond of listening to the musical programs, including songs, which were broadcast from the

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmi ...

. He neither inherited music from any one, nor any body in his family was ever affiliated to music. Ahmed Rushdi's singing talents impressed a very close friend of his father, whom he called uncle and who loved him dearly. He enrolled in a local music academy in Hyderabad Deccan. Moreover, two popular composers of the time, ''M.A. Rauf'' and ''Iqbal Qureshi'', also taught music in the same school. Thus, Ahmed Rushdi learned the basics of music from the afore-mentioned teachers. Later, he got some training in classical music from ''Ustad Nathu Khan''. Ahmed Rushdi did not get any sort of formal training of classical music neither before nor after becoming a successful playback singer but he had an effective command over high and low notes. He sang his first song in the Indian film ''Ibrat'' in 1951 and got recognition. His family moved to Pakistan and settled in Karachi in 1954, where he began participating in variety shows, music programs, and children's programs on radio. In 1954, he recorded his first non-film song, "Bunder Road se Keemari", written by Mehdi Zaheer for the popular

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 Augus ...

show ''Bachchon Ki Duniya''; the song was a hit and became the steppingstone for Rushdi's future. Ahmed Rushdi playback singer 1954

Singing career

1950s and 1960s

After the success of "Bunder Road se Keemari", Rushdi was offered songs as a playback singer for films and quickly gained popularity. He lent his voice to many hit films like ''Bara Admi'' (1956), ''Wah Rey Zamaney'' (1957), ''Raat Ke Rahi'' (1957), ''Yeh Dunya'' (1958) and many more. Rushdi got well recognition for singing "Mari lela ne aisi" in ''Anokhi'' (1956), "Chalak Rahi Hain Mastiyan" and "Chal Na Sakey Gi 420" in '' Raaz'' (1959). In 1961, he sang the popular song "Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan" in the film ''Saperan'', for which he received his first Nigar Award as Best Male Playback Singer. He further strengthened his status as one of the top male playback singers in '' Mehtaab'' (1962), in which he sang "Gol Gappay Wala Aaya" for actor Alauddin; they would again be teamed in ''Susral''. In 1966, he sang "Ko Ko Korina", considered the first modern Pakistani pop song. The film ''

Anchal Anchal is one of the fastest developing town located in the centre of Kollam district in Kerala, India. Etymology There are a number of different legends about the origin of the name Anchal. One legend is that there used to be an "Anchalappi ...

'' (1960) was an important film in Rushdi's career. Music director

Khalil Ahmed Khalil Ahmed (3 March 1936 – 22 July 1997) was a Pakistani composer for radio, television, and films. He started his career with film ''Aanchal (1962)'' and remained one of the leading music directors in Pakistan in the 1960s. He composed ...

recorded an extremely sad number "Kisi chaman mei raho tum" in singer Saleem Raza's voice but wanted Rushdi to re-record the song as he was not satisfied with Saleem Raza's singing. Rushdi did so and the song recorded in his voice satisfied composer Khalil. Raza's career as a singer was affected and doomed later on. After that, whenever Khalil composed music for any film, Rushdi remained his first choice. The mid-1960s saw the rise of brilliant singers like Mehdi Hassan and

Masood Rana Masood Rana ( ur, , 6 August 1941 – 4 October 1995) was a Pakistani film playback singer. He began his singing career in 1962 with the film ''Inqalab'', became one of the top male singers in both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than thr ...

, but it did not affect Rushdi's career and he kept on leading the film music. Ahmed Rushdi 1958

Music experts including Nisar Bazmi, Sohail Rana and M. Ashraf are unanimous that Rushdi's voice was best suited for every

hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

, comedian and even character actor. He lent his voice to Waheed Murad,

Nadeem Nadeem (also spelled Nadim or Nedim; ar, نديم) is an Arabic masculine given name. It means "best friend of the drinker" "companion", "confidant" or "friend". Originates from the plural word "Nadama""نَدامَى" which means, drink to forg ...

,

Mohammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

, Santosh Kumar, Darpan,

Habib Habib ( ar, حبيب, ''ḥabīb''; ), sometimes written as Habeeb, is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ‘''Habibi’'' ...

,

Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...

,

Shahid ''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...

, Qavi Khan, Ghulam Mohiuddin,

Rahat Kazmi Rahat Kazmi ( ur, ) is a Pakistani actor, screenwriter, TV news presenter anchorman, and an academician. He has worked in several TV serials for PTV such as 1967's ''Mayaar'', 1974's ''Qurbatain aur Faaslay'' and 1976's Pakistan's first coloure ...

and was tailor-made for every actor of film industry. Rushdi's voice was even ideally suited to comedians such as

Munawar Zarif Munawar Zarif (Punjabi, ur, منور ظریف) (25 December 1940 – 29 April 1976) was a Pakistani film actor and comedian. His fans named him ''Shahenshah-e-Zarafat'' ( ur, شہنشاہِ ﻇﺮﺍﻓﺖ), meaning ''The Emperor of Humor ...

, Lehri, Nirala, Nanha and Rangeela. Rushdi recorded the ghazal "Shok-e-awargi" written by poet Habib Jalib for actor Syed Kamal in the 1963 film ''Joker''. This ghazal sung by Rushdi, gained popularity amongst music listeners. Rushdi and Jalib again teamed together for

Mohammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

in the film ''Khamosh Raho'' (1964). Rushdi sang the ghazal "Mei Nahi Manta" for the same film and gained Habib Jalib country-wide fame. He recorded a

qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

"Madiney waley ko mera salam kehdena" along with ''Munir Husain'' same year. Actor Nadeem's first film as a leading actor was '' Chakori'' (1967). Rushdi recorded four songs for this film in the composition of music director Robin Ghosh. "Kabhi toe tum ko yaad ayen gi", "Pyare pyare yar humare" and "Tujhe chahein meri bahein". Same year, film ''Doraha'' and ''Shehnai'' were released. He recorded all the songs for these films including "Bhooli hue hoon dastan", "tumhein kaise bta doon", "Han issi mor per" (film ''Doraha'') and "Tujhey apney dil se mei kaise", "Nazaron se haseen hai", "Dunya mei tumko jeena hai agar" ( film ''Shehnai''). In 1968, Rushdi recorded his first ever

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

i song in the film ''Notun Name Dako'' of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

titled "Ke Tumi Ele Go", which became a smashing hit in the then

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

. He sang playback hits in the same year like "Ae mere diwaney dil" (film ''Jahan tum wahan hum''), "Socha tha pyar na karein ge" (film ''Ladla''), "Usey dekha usey chaha usey bhool gaye" (film '' Jahan tum wahan hum''), "Teri aankhon ke bheegey sitarey" (film ''Ma Beta'') and many more. Same year, Rushdi recorded a song "Salam-e-mohabbat" for Mohammad Ali in Khawaja Khurshid Anwar's composition. Rushdi sang for Waheed Murad in 1969 film '' Naseeb Apna Apna''. The song "Ae abr-e-kaaram aaj itna baras" brought another Nigar award for him. The song was composed by

Lal Mohammad Iqbal Lal Mohammad Iqbal were a Pakistani composer duo, consisting of Lal Mohammad (1933 – 29 September 2009) and Buland Iqbal (1930 – 25 July 2013). They were among the leading musicians of Pakistan film industry belonging to the golden e ...

. He also won different awards for songs like "Dil tumko de diya hai" and "Hum se na bigar aye larki". Around the same year, he sang a duet with Mala in the film ''Baharei phir bhi ayen gi'', "Khush naseebi hai meri" under the music direction of

Shamim Nazli Shamim Nazli (Punjabi, ur, ), (1940 - November 27, 2010) was a Pakistani music director. She composed playback music for movies like ''Baharein Phir Bhi Ayein Gi'' (1969) and '' Bin Badal Barsaat'' (1975). She was the elder sister of playback s ...

. In 1969, the film '' Andaleeb'' was released. Ahmed Rushdi recorded all the songs for Waheed Murad in this film. The song "Kuch log rooth ker bhi" was a hit. Its sad version was sung by Noor Jahan. Although he sang for every film hero in Pakistan, his pairing with Waheed Murad proved to be the most popular, in such movies as '' Armaan'' (1966); the song "Akele Na Jaana" from that movie in Sohail Rana's composition gained Rushdi another Nigar Award. Well-known hits of Rushdi picturised on Waheed Murad such as "Lag rahi hai mujhey aaj sari faza ajnabi" or "Kuchh loag rooth kar bi" were composed by Nisar Bazmi, the legendary composer for Pakistani movies. ''Ahmed Rushdi-Nisar Bazmi'' pair and ''Ahmed Rushdi-Sohail Rana'' combination were two of the most successful singer-music director pairs of Pakistan film music.

1970s and 1980s

The 1970s brought new faces such as Alamgir,

Akhlaq Ahmed Akhlaq Ahmed ( ur, ; 10 January 1946 – 4 August 1999) was a Pakistani people, Pakistani film playback singer and still considered one of the leading voices of the film industry. Early life and career He was born in Delhi in 1946 and st ...

, Ghulam Abbas, A Nayyar etc. But Rushdi remained a leading singer of film industry. Film '' Bandagi'', ''Naag Muni'' and ''Baazi'' were released in 1971. Ahmed Rushdi had a playback in all the three films. He also won several awards for songs such as "Aik albeli si naar" (Naag Muni), "Tum bhi ho ajnabi" (Baazi) and "Poocho na hum ne kis liye" (Intezar). Perhaps, the song below never rang as true as it did after Ahmed Rushdi's demise: "Chore chalay hum chore chalay lo sheher tumhara chore chalay", film, '' Phir Chand Nikley Ga'' (1970) music, Sohail Rana. Rushdi sang four solo songs and one duet for Waheed in the film ''Khalish'' (1972). "Honto pe tera naam"( with Mala), "Kal achanak jo sar-e-rah mili thi", "Ghussey mei gulabi gaal" and "Pyar hota hai". Music director was M. Ashraf. Around the same year, he sang for Mohammad Ali in the film ''Mohabbat''. Rushdi recorded three songs in the film including a sad song "Khudara mohabbat na karna". Music director was Nisar Bazmi. In 1973, he recorded a qawwali "Dil torney waley" for the film ''Mehboob mera mastana''. Ahmed Rushdi also recorded a romantic number "Teri jabeen se chodhwin ka chand jhankta rahey" (film ''Nadan'') for actor

Rehman Rehman may refer to a Muslim surname which means, "Merciful", "King", " Lord". It's an honorary title used by some Muslims of Sheikh or Sayyid Caste of Middle Eastern Origin, it is a common surname or middle-name among some Pashtun tribemen. It is a ...

. He recorded a sad song "Angara mera mann" for film '' Jaal'' which was released same year. He was also fond of acting and appeared in thirteen films as an actor including ''Anokhi'' (1956), ''Kaneez'' (1965), ''Saat Lakh'' (1967) and ''Dekha Jaye Ga'' (1976). He also composed a music album in singer Mujeeb Aalam's voice. In 1974, film ''

Anhoni ''Anhoni'' is a 1973 Pakistani film directed by Iqbal Akhtar, starring Waheed Murad, Aliya Begum and Lehri (actor), Lehri. It was premiered on 21 December 1973.Lal Mohammad Iqbal Lal Mohammad Iqbal were a Pakistani composer duo, consisting of Lal Mohammad (1933 – 29 September 2009) and Buland Iqbal (1930 – 25 July 2013). They were among the leading musicians of Pakistan film industry belonging to the golden e ...

recorded two songs in Rushdi's voice. "Hai kahan who kali" and a sad number "Mei tujhey Nazar kia doon". In the same year he sang for actor

Shahid ''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...

in film '' Dharkan''. He recorded a romantic number "Rangat gulabi chehra kitabi" for Shahid. In 1975, Ahmed Rushdi recorded "Dil ko jalana hum ne chor diya" (Film '' Mohabbat Zindagi Hai''). This song was picturised on Waheed Murad and gained country wide popularity. He sang another song "Mashriqi rang ko chor ke" for the same film. He recorded many songs for Pakistan television including "Dil mei tu hai", "Han issi mor pe" and "Bheegey hue mousam mei". Film ''Sharmeeli'' (1978) was his last movie with actor Nadeem as a playback singer. It was a successful musical film and songs gained popularity among the masses. Rushdi recorded two songs for Nadeem, "Tu samney hai mere" and "Bheegey hue mousam mei". Same year he recorded a popular song for Mohammad Ali "Aagey aagey mohtarma peechey peechey mohtram" (Film ''Apka Khadim''). He sang a classical number "Tere naina barey chit chor" for the film ''Jab Jab Phool Khiley'' next year. He also sang in films like ''Accident'', ''Achey Mian'', ''Bohut Khoob'', ''Baarat'' and ''Aag Aur Zindagi''. The year 1980 proved to be a nightmare for Pakistan film industry. The number of

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Punjabi films started. In those films there was a very little room available for male playback singers as those movies were completely dominated by the songs in mostly female voices. Immediately following the military installation of

Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, (Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial law in ...

as president, measures were put in place to limit the distribution of music and the only source of entertainment was the government-owned

television network A television network or television broadcaster is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, where a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay television providers. Until the mid- ...

Pakistan Television Corporation Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore. Background Historical co ...

(PTV). While

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

s were banned in the country. Rushdi sang in films such as '' Farzana'', ''Hanstey Aansoo'', ''Haseena Maan Jaye Gi'' etc. but his glorious singing career was almost coming to an end. Rushdi was not only singing for films, but he was equally a busy figure for Radio and Television also. He remained a leading singer between 1954 and 1983. He sang for all the famous actors of Pakistan film industry. Rushdi recorded his last song "Ban ke misra ghazal ka" in 1983 for film ''

Hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

'', which was picturised on Waheed Murad and the song was a hit. He recorded a large number of duets in many languages with Noor Jahan, Zubaida Khanum,

Runa Laila Runa Laila ( bn, রুনা লায়লা, ur, ; born 17 November 1952) is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer. She started her career in Pakistan film industry in the late 1960s. Her style of singing is inspired by Pakistani p ...

, Mala, ''Naheed Niazi'', Irene Parveen,

Naseem Begum Naseem Begum ( ur, ), (24 February 1936 – 29 September 1971) was a popular, and well known Pakistani film playback singer. She was known as ''The Tradegy Queen'' for singing sorrowful and downhearted songs in films. She rose to promine ...

,

Mehnaz 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 Nigar Awards.Rubina Badar and

Naheed Akhtar Naheed Akhtar (also spelled Nahid Akhtar) is a Pakistani playback singer. She is tagged as the "''Nightingale of Pakistan''". She was the top Lollywood playback singer during the second half of 70s and 80s. She won 3 Nigar Awards and a Pride ...

in his thirty-three-year singing career.

Honorific title of Magician of voice

Ahmed Rushdi is credited with the honorific nickname of "Magician of voice" because of his ability of singing in different

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

including happy, comedy, tragedy, qawwali, lullaby, patriotic, pop, revolutionary and folk. He was not only the first south asian vocalist to go pop but also inspired generations with his clear delivery, timely expressions and rendition of songs. He had the unique quality of giving expressions during singing along with producing sounds of different birds and objects. He recorded a song "Burhapey mein dill na lagana" in the film '' Jub Jub Phool Khile'' for actors Waheed Murad and Nadeem in both young and old voices in a single go which attracted huge admiration from music critics.

First regular pop singer of South Asia

Ahmed Rushdi is considered to be the first regular pop singer of

south asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

as he introduced hip-hop, rock n roll, disco and other modern genres in

South Asian music Asian music encompasses numerous musical styles originating in many Asian countries. Musical traditions in Asia * Music of Central Asia ** Music of Afghanistan (when included in the definition of Central Asia) ** Music of Kazakhstan ** Music ...

and has since then been adopted in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

, India and lately

Nepal Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...

as a pioneering influence in their respective pop cultures. Following Rushdi's success, Christian bands specialising in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

,

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...

,

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city i ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

. They would usually sing either famous American jazz hits or cover Rushdi's songs. Rushdi sang playback hits along with

Runa Laila Runa Laila ( bn, রুনা লায়লা, ur, ; born 17 November 1952) is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer. She started her career in Pakistan film industry in the late 1960s. Her style of singing is inspired by Pakistani p ...

until the Bangladesh Liberation War when East Pakistan was declared an independent state. Because of Ahmed Rushdi, Pakistani music industry has steadily spread throughout

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

and today is the most popular genre in Pakistan and the neighbouring South Asian countries. Pop icons like Alamgir and Mohammed Ali Shehki later on followed Rushdi's landmarks in playback singing.

Personal life

Marriage

Ahmed Rushdi married ''Humera'' on 30 November 1963. His wife died in 1992, nine years after Rushdi. He belonged to a

Sayed ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad' ...

family (a sacred caste in

muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

) and was a religious person. Despite his popularity and fame, Rushdi never had any scandal in his entire career. He had three daughters. His younger daughter, Rana Rushdi used to sing her father's songs in his presence which always pleased Rushdi a lot. He was against allowing his daughters to adopt singing as a profession. Ahmed Rushdi and Noor Jahan were the highest-paid singers in their time but Rushdi did not charge those producers and music directors a single rupee, who could not afford him. The music director

Lal Mohammad Iqbal Lal Mohammad Iqbal were a Pakistani composer duo, consisting of Lal Mohammad (1933 – 29 September 2009) and Buland Iqbal (1930 – 25 July 2013). They were among the leading musicians of Pakistan film industry belonging to the golden e ...

made his entry into the Pakistan film industry, because Rushdi introduced him to different producers, which he disclosed after Rushdi's death. Likewise, the poet Masroor Anwer got his first film as Rushdi insisted the music director Manzoor-Ashraf give Masroor a chance.

Last years

In early 1980s, Rushdi shifted to

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former c ...

as he was not feeling well and wanted to have a proper heart treatment. He was also singing less for films and film music itself was facing a decline. The 1980s saw a nose-dive in the progress of cinema in Pakistan. Number of cinemas decreased rapidly and people preferred watching television over going to a cinema. Playback singing that once was popular now struggled to exist and the singers needed a new medium to start afresh. Even then, Rushdi's demand and popularity was still there with the music directors. He opened a music academy in order to teach music and playback singing to youngsters. Ahmed Rushdi never faced downfall as far as his singing career is concerned. Until the 1970s, Rushdi was one of the leading voices in the subcontinent. He recorded fewer songs in his last years on the advice of doctors.

Death

Since 1976, Ahmed Rushdi was a heart patient and his doctors advised him to abstain from singing, but Rushdi refused by saying that music was his life. When he had a second heart attack in 1981, he was composing a musical album in the voice of singer Mujeeb Aalam. On the night of 11 April 1983, he had a third heart attack. He was immediately taken to the hospital but pronounced dead by the doctors. He was 48. Rushdi was buried at Sakhi Hassan Graveyard, Karachi. His last non film song was "Aaney walo suno" which was a duet with

Mehnaz 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 Nigar Awards.Waheed Murad said. "Today I have lost my voice." He further said in an interview, "Sometimes I think that if I suddenly disappear or am no more for any reason, I would like to be remembered by the song ‘Bhooli hui hoon dastaan, guzra hua khayal hoon-Jisko na tum samajh sakay mien aisa aik sawal hoon’." (I’m a tale forgotten, a thought bygone. I’m the question which you couldn’t understand) which was also picturised on him in 1967 and sung by Ahmed Rushdi. After Rushdi's death, Waheed Murad as well as other friends and singers had appeared on a show to pay him a tribute; many of those same people appeared on the show six months later, reminiscing about Waheed as he also died.

Popularity and influence

Ahmed Rushdi has changed the sound of

film music A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to e ...

in

subcontinent A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...

and his impact has also been felt to the Indian and

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

i film industries. He is widely regarded as one of the remarkable singers from

south asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

and was effective in every genre of singing including ghazals and

qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

s. Once music director Nisar Bazmi in an interview said, "Ahmed Rushdi and

Mohammad Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

are amongst those few singers in the subcontinent, whose voices did not form ‘cones’, as they rose and touch the higher notes. Their volumes rose up without getting squeaky!" Bazmi also quoted the song "Aisey bhi hain meharban" (film ''Jaisey jantey nahin'') to prove that Rushdi was also a master of serious singing. In another interview he said, "I was happy and amazed to find a Chinese group rendering this song on one occasion. People from abroad also sing Rushdi's songs which clearly indicates his popularity and influence."

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n playback singer Kishore Kumar, being an admirer of Ahmed Rushdi, paid him a tribute at Royal Albert Hall London by singing Rushdi's one of the songs "Aik urran khattola aye ga kisi lal pari ko laye ga". Sonu Nigaam, Shan and

Kumar Sanu Kedarnath Bhattacharya (born 20 October 1957), better known as Kumar Sanu, is an Indian playback singer. He is known as the King of Melody in Bollywood. He is famous for singing thousands of Bollywood Hindi songs. Apart from Hindi, he has al ...

, who remained leading playback singers in

Indian film industry The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...

also paid their tributes to Rushdi and sang his songs. Actor

Nadeem Nadeem (also spelled Nadim or Nedim; ar, نديم) is an Arabic masculine given name. It means "best friend of the drinker" "companion", "confidant" or "friend". Originates from the plural word "Nadama""نَدامَى" which means, drink to forg ...

in a Television interview said, "Ahmed Rushdi had an amazing voice quality and he made my work easier." Many of his contemporaries compared his music with that of classically trained singers, although Rushdi never had any influences from any classical singer. He is famously known as ''Magician of voice'' and his popularity also turned traditional classical singers against him but did not affect his fame and his death is termed as irreparable loss to the industry. Actor Waheed Murad declared Rushdi's song, "Bhooli hui hoon daastan", his favorite song. Music directors like M. Ashraf and Nisar Bazmi also hold centaury partnerships with Ahmed Rushdi and they have composed hundreds of songs for him. According to complete songography, M. Ashraf composed 734 songs in 211 films for Rushdi but available figures indicate a composition of 132 songs in 100 films for him. The first film of this pair was ''Speran'' in 1961 and the last was ''Hero'' in 1983. In 2018, Ahmed Rushdi's impact forced Coke Studio Pakistan (season 11) to produce a remake of Rushdi's first South Asian pop song "''Ko Ko Korina''" in the voices of

Momina Mustehsan Momina Mustehsan (; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer, musician, and social activist. In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 most influential women, and the following year, ''Forbes'' featured her among its "30 Under 30" Asia list a ...

and Ahad Raza Mir which raised nationwide hue and cry to the extent that Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan

Shireen Mazari Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari ( ur, ) is a Pakistani politician who served the Federal Minister for Human Rights, from 20 August 2018 to 10 April 2022. She is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commi ...

had to come out in media to term the remake as "horrendous" since the classic was widely believed to be destroyed by both singers. Ahmed Rushdi influenced many singers in music industry including A Nayyar, Mujeeb Aalam, ''Naheed Niazi'',

Runa Laila Runa Laila ( bn, রুনা লায়লা, ur, ; born 17 November 1952) is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer. She started her career in Pakistan film industry in the late 1960s. Her style of singing is inspired by Pakistani p ...

and Bashir Ahmad (singer). He is included in those artists around the world who continue to be popular and enjoy a huge fan base even after their death.

Awards

Nigar Awards * 1961 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Chand Sa Mukhra Gora Badan" in film ''Saperan'' * 1962 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Gol Gappey Wala" in film ''Mehtaab'' * 1963 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Kisi Chaman Mei Raho" in film ''

Anchal Anchal is one of the fastest developing town located in the centre of Kollam district in Kerala, India. Etymology There are a number of different legends about the origin of the name Anchal. One legend is that there used to be an "Anchalappi ...

'' * 1966 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Akeley Na Jana" in film '' Armaan'' * 1970 – Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Aey Abr-e-Karam" in film '' Naseeb Apna Apna'' * 2004 – Life Time Achievement Award Graduate Awards * 1965 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Mohabbat Mei Tere Ser Ki Qasam" in film ''Aisa Bhi Hota Hai'' * 1967 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Haan Issi Mor par" in film '' Doraha'' * 1968 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Kabhi Toe Tumko Yaad Ayen Gi" in film '' Chakori'' * 1969 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Kuch Log Rooth Kar Bhi" in film '' Andaleeb'' * 1970 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Lag Rahi Hai Mujhey Aaj Sari Fiza" in film '' Anjuman'' Musawwir Awards * 1972 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Meri Jaan Meri Jaan Yehi Zindagi Hai" in film '' Bandagi'' * 1973 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Hai Kahan Woh Kali" in film ''

Anhoni ''Anhoni'' is a 1973 Pakistani film directed by Iqbal Akhtar, starring Waheed Murad, Aliya Begum and Lehri (actor), Lehri. It was premiered on 21 December 1973.Mohabbat Zindagi Hai'' * 1978 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Tu Saamney Hai Mere" in film ''Sharmeeli'' * 1979 – Best Male Playback singer for the song "Sab Kamron Mein Band Hain" in film '' Zameer'' Other Awards * 1967 – Best Sad Song Award for "Tujhey Apney Dil Se Mei Kaisey Bhuladoon" in the film ''

Shehnai The ''shehnai'' is a musical instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is made of wood, with a double reed at one end and a metal or wooden flared bell at the other end.Dil Mera Dharkan Teri'' * 1970 – Silver Screen Award for the song "Chhor Chaley Hum Chhor Chaley" in the film '' Phir Chand Nikley Ga'' * 1973 – Al-Fankar Award for the song "Mei Tujhey Nazar kya Doon" in the film ''

Anhoni ''Anhoni'' is a 1973 Pakistani film directed by Iqbal Akhtar, starring Waheed Murad, Aliya Begum and Lehri (actor), Lehri. It was premiered on 21 December 1973.Mohabbat Zindagi Hai'' * 1983 – Rooman Award for the song "Ban Ke Misra Ghazal Ka Chaley Aaona" in the film ''Hero'' * 2000 – Best Singer Of The Millennium Award * 2001 – Legend Award * 2004 –

Sitara-i-Imtiaz The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...

* 2005 – ''Indus TV'' Indus Music Hall of Fame * 2012 –

Lux Style Award The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

Lifetime Achievement Award

References

External links

Ahmed Rushdi Video on Umer Sharif Site

Ahmed Rushdi – Detailed Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rushdi, Ahmed 1934 births 1983 deaths Pakistani playback singers Pakistani baritones Pakistani tenors Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Nigar Award winners 20th-century Pakistani male singers Muhajir people Pakistani people of Hyderabadi descent

Early life

Singing career

1950s and 1960s

1970s and 1980s

Honorific title of Magician of voice

First regular pop singer of South Asia

Personal life

Marriage

Last years

Death

Popularity and influence

Awards

See also

References

External links