Five unforgettable songs Shamshad Begum gifted to Bollywood

Legendary singer Shamshad Begum, a pioneer of Bollywood’s music fraternity and the voice behind some of its most memorable hits passed away at her Mumbai residence on Wednesday. She was 94. Be it Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon or her superhit Leke Pahla Pahla Pyar, Shamshad’s songs continued being favourites with music aficionados, even when she was past her prime. She was born on 14 April, 1919 in Amritsar, and made her singing debut on Peshawar Radio in 1947. [caption id=“attachment_724229” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Legendary singer Shamshad Begum. Image: ibnlive[/caption] Her very first mentors were sarangi maestro Ustad Hussain Bakshwale Saheb and composer Ghulam Haider. Shamshad Begum’s earliest film songs were in Ghulam Haider’s Khazanchi(1941) and _Khandaan (_1942). Here are some of Shamshad’s most popular hits: Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon- Patanga (1949): This song, picturised on the beautiful Nigar Sultana was a superhit in the late 1940s. The song was composed by C Ramchandra. Leke pehla pehla pyar - CID (1956): This foot-tapping number from the crime-thriller was one of her many superhits. She collaborated with another musical legend Md Rafi to sing the song composed by OP Nayyar. The song was picturised with Dev Anand and Shakila. Kabhi aar kabhi paar - Aar Paar (1954) : The title track of the movie Aar Paar was sung by Shamshad Begum. The movie was directed by Guru Dutt, music was composed by OP Nayyar. Saiyan dil mein aana re - Bahar (1951): Picturised on the beautiful Vyjayanthimala, this song was a huge hit. In fact, the remixed version of the song, which hit the airwaves in the late 1990s,  too topped the charts. Kajra Mohabbatwala Ankhiyon mein Aisa dala- Kismat (1968): In this hit number, Shamshad Begum sang playback not for the heroine, Babita, but for the hero of the movie, Biswajeet, who was dressed in drag. O P Nayyar was the music director and the song was a duet with Asha Bhosle. What is your favourite Shamshad Begum song? Tell us in the comments section. Also for a complete list of Shamshad Begum’s songs click on this in.com link.