Mehnaz Begum (, 1958 – 19 January 2013) was a

Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...

TV, radio, and film singer. She was well known as a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the recipient of several Nigar Awards.KARACHI: Some thoughts on All-Pakistan Music Conference’s Baithak
Dawn (newspaper), 10 April 2006. Retrieved 21 April 2020

Early life

Mehnaz was born at Mahmudabad, Uttar Pradesh,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

in 1958. Her family migrated to

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

in the late 1950s. She received her initial training in music from her mother Kajjan Begum who was also a singer.

Career

Mehnaz started her career as a playback singer in the early 1970s. Saleem Gilani, the director general of

Radio Pakistan The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (); also known as ''Radio Pakistan'', serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate its founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in P ...

, Karachi first spotted her doing a concert at her college and helped her.

Mehdi Hassan Mehdi Hassan Khan (; 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012), known as Mehdi Hassan, was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer of great renown. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of ghazal singing, ...

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. She sang a variety of genres but specialized in

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

, 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 showsProfile: The songbird (Mehnaz Begum)
Dawn (newspaper), Published 11 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2020

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) Franklin may refer to: People and characters * Franklin (given name), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (surname), including list of people and characters with the name * Franklin (class), a member of a historic ...

(life of a turtle by the name Franklin) and

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American Animated film, animated Coming of age, coming-of-age drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Felix Salten's 1923 novel ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'', the ...

(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.

Songography

Film

Radio

TV

Death

She died on 19 January 2013 at a

Bahrain Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. Situated on the Persian Gulf, it comprises a small archipelago of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island, which mak ...

hospital while transiting from

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

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.

Awards and recognition

* She had won the Nigar Award for Best Female Playback Singer 13 times * ''Lifetime Achievement Award'' by Lux Style Awards (2011)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Mehnaz 1958 births 2013 deaths Pakistani ghazal singers Nigar Award winners Pakistani playback singers Singers from Karachi Women ghazal singers 20th-century Pakistani women singers 20th-century Pakistani singers People from Sitapur district Muhajir people Indian emigrants to Pakistan