Saleem Shehzad (born March 1946) is a Pakistani film, television, and radio singer. He is known for his song, "''Piyar Ki Yaad Nigahon Mein Sajaye Rakhna''", playback vocalized for the

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

movie ''Talaash'' in 1976.

Early life and career

Shehzad was born in March 1945, in

Ajmer Ajmer () is a city in the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Ajmer district and Ajmer division. It lies at the centre of Rajasthan, earning it the ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

. His family migrated to

Karachi, Pakistan 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 ...

after the partition in 1947. His father ''Azeem Prem Raagi'' was a poet who wanted his son to be a singer. Shehzad got his early music training from ''Ustaad Baray Ghulam Ali Khan'' who was residing in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

. Shehzad's career as a playback singer started with a song sung for the film, "''Savera''", released in 1959. In 1962, he won a film competition that was held to select singers for a movie, "''Hum Ek Hein''" in Lahore. His first song, "''Onchay Onchay Mehalon Mein Dekho''", was penned by

Fayyaz Hashmi Fayyaz Hashmi (; 1920 2011) was a Pakistani poet and screenwriter who worked both in the Indian and Pakistani film industry. He penned some memorable songs such as the famous nazm Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo and ''Tasveer teri dil mera behel ...

and composed by M. Ali Sharif. In 1964, he was offered a job at

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 ...

, Lahore, where he served for the next eighteen years and recorded over two thousand songs,

ghazals ''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 ...

, and Na'ats. In 1964, the composer

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as ...

picked Shehzad as a playback vocalist for his film, "''

Heera Aur Pathar ''Heera Aur Pathar'' () is a 1964 Pakistani Urdu language black-and-white film. It was the first film of Waheed Murad as a lead actor who also produced it. The film was released on 11 December 1964. Murad introduced film director Pervez Malik f ...

''". In the film, Shehzad sang a duet, along with

Talat Siddiqui Adeeba Nazeer, also known as Talat Siddiqui (18 February 1939 - 9 May 2021), was a Pakistani actress and singer. She acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films and is known for her roles in films ''Ishq-e-Habib'' (1965), ''Kon Kisi Ka'' (1966), ''Lor ...

, "''Mujhay Ik Larky Se Piyar Ho Gaya''", that became a hit of the time. His other hit song, "''Mohabbat Ke Diye Jala Lo''", came from the movie, "''Aslam o Alaikum''" in 1969. In 1976, he recorded a song, "''Piyar Ki Yaad Nigahon Mein Sajaye Rakhna''", for the film "''Talash''", that later became his identity. His last movie as a playback singer was

Moeen Akhtar Moin Akhter (Urdu: معین اختر), (24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director and producer who rose to fame in the era of Radio P ...

's "''Mr. K2''", which was released in 1995.

Personal life

Shehzad lives in

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 ...

and gives music lessons to young singers at his home. In 2021, he almost lost his eye sight due to a mistreated ocular disease.

Notable songs

Shehzad sang 23 songs for 19 Urdu film:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shehzad, Saleem 1946 births Living people Muhajir people Pakistani playback singers People from Ajmer 20th-century Pakistani male singers 20th-century Pakistani singers Pakistani people of Rajasthani descent Indian emigrants to Pakistan