Shahnaz Rahmatullah (; 2 January 1952 – 23 March 2019) was a Pakistani and later

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

. Her notable songs are ''Prothom Bangladesh Amar Sesh Bangladesh'', ''Ekbar Jete De Na Amar Chotto Sonar Gaye'', ''Je Chilo Drishtir Shimanay'' and ''Ek Tara Tui Desher Kotha''. She was the recipient of the

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 1992 and

Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer () is the highest award for female film playback singers in Bangladesh. History Bangladesh National Film Award for best female playback singer has a long history. This is the most ...

for the film ''Chhutir Phande'' (1990).

Background

Shahnaz Rahmatullah with her brother Zafar Iqbal

Rahmatullah was born on 2 January 1952 as Shahnaz Begum in Dhaka to M Fazlul Haq and Asiya Haq. Actor Zafar Iqbal and music director Anwar Parvez were Rahmatullah's brothers. She got trained by ghazal maestro Mehedi Hassan, Ustad Phul Mohammad, Ustad Munir Hossain and

Altaf Mahmud Altaf Mahmud (23 December 1933 – September 1971) was a musician, cultural activist, and martyred freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was also a language activist of the Language Movement and composer of " Amar Bhaier Rokte Ra ...

. Rahmatullah was married to Maj (retd) Abul Bashar Rahmatullah.

Career

Rahmatullah debuted in singing at the age of 11, as a playback singer for the film ''Notun Sur'' (1963). She first performed on television in 1964. She sang in Bangladeshi and Pakistani films. She mostly sang modern (''Adhunik Gaan'') and patriotic songs. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she sang patriotic songs such as ''Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhe'' and ''Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan''. She released an album with

Samina Chowdhury Samina Chowdhury (born 28 August 1966) is a Bangladeshi singer. She mostly sings modern and classical songs. Her notable songs include ''Jonmo Theke Jolchi Mago'', ''Amar Buker Moddhyekhane'', ''Amar Dui Chokhe Dui Nodi'', ''Ekbar Jodi Keu'', ''K ...

called ''Megh Roddur'' on which she sang six songs composed by Shafiq Tuhin. She released four albums in total. Four of Rahmatullah's songs were selected in a BBC survey of 20 greatest Bangla songs of all times. Rahmatullah died on 23 March 2019 of a heart attack at her residence in

Baridhara Baridhara () is an upscale residential area in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is located on the east of and northeast of Gulshan across Gulshan-Baridhara Lake. It has special zones designated for diplomats, and many of the city's foreign embassies and h ...

, aged 67. Pakistani journalist,

Hamid Mir Hamid Mir (born 23 July 1966) is a Pakistani journalist, columnist and writer. Mir initially worked as a journalist with Pakistani newspapers. He has hosted the political talk show '' Capital Talk'' on Geo News intermittently since 2002. He writ ...

said, "Shahnaz Begum passed away in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

on March 23 when many Pakistanis were listening to her famous song Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay on Pakistan Day."

Works

;Films * Notun Sur (1962) *

Abar Tora Manush Ho ''Abar Tora Manush Ho'' () is a 1973 Bangladeshi film starring Maruf Ahmed, Bobita, Farooque and Raisul Islam Asad. Khan Ataur Rahman earned both Best Film and Best Director Award at Bangladesh National Film Awards. Music * "Kiser Shok Koris Bha ...

(1973) *

Ghuddi ''Ghuddi'' is a 1980 Bangladeshi romantic drama film directed by Syed Salahuddin Zaki, who also wrote the story, and did the screenplay and dialogue. It is the first film directed by Syed Salahuddin Zaki. Subarna Mustafa has played the main rol ...

(1975) ;Albums * Badal Diner Pakhi

Film songs

Non-film songs

Songs for television

Awards

* President's Pride of Performance Medal (1965) *

(1992) *

(1990) * Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award * Bangladesh Chalachitra Sangbadik Samity Award

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rahmatullah, Shahnaz 1952 births 2019 deaths Musicians from Dhaka 20th-century Bangladeshi women singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Bangladeshi playback singers Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Burials at Banani Graveyard Recipients of the Pride of Performance