Biography
Her bewitching beauty fetched her first role in films Suraiya’s maternal uncle M. Zahoor was a renowned villain of the 40s and 50’s. One day little Suraiya accompanied his uncle to watch a shooting at Prakash Picture’s studio which was shooting the film Taj Mahal being produced by Nanubhai Vakil. When Nanubahi saw young Suraiya he was wonderstruck by her incredible beauty because he was searching for a similar beautiful girl to play the younger version of Mumtaz Mahal. Hence he immediately signed Suraiya who was asked to pack her bag and move to Agra for a day 10 days shoot. The movie was a hit and Suraiya was flooded with offers. Clash of Singing Superstars K.L.Saigal V/s Suraiya Though Suraiya made her debut as an adult in K. Asif's Phool (1944) as a second lead but it was her second film Tadbir (1945) opposite the legendary Superstar cum Singing wizard K.L.Saigal that made her a star overnight. According to box office reports the movie was the 5th biggest blockbuster of 1945. Film historians reveal that when Saigal heard Suraiya’s songs he was so bowled over by her sweet voice that he planned to create the unique Jodi of Singing Male Star K.L.Saigal versus Signing Female Star Suraiya. Their first film together was Tadbir. The idea clinked and the success led to other hits like Omar Khayyam and Parwana. However, due to the untimely death of K.L.Saigal, this winning pair couldn’t last long. Casting Coup Suraiya versus Mallika-E-Tarrnum, Noor Jahan Inspired by the success of the unique combination of Singing Male Star K.L.Saigal versus Signing Female Star Suraiya, eminent filmmaker of that era Mehboob Khan (who directed Mother India) decided to confront Suraiya with the topmost Singing Film star of that era Mallika-E-Tarrnum, Noor Jahan and reap dividends at the box office. The movie was a time classic by Anmol Ghadi (1946). The casting coup created magic at the box office and the timeless songs sung by the duo like Aawaaz De Kahaan Hai, Mere Bachpan Ke Saathi Mujhe Bhool Na Jaan, Aaja Meri Barbaad Mohabbat Ke Sahaare etc made the movie's Highest grosser at the box office in 1946. Her sensational Jodi with Dev Anand After Saigal the other big Jodi that Suraiya made was with evergreen star Dev Anand. In fact, in the 40’s Suraiya was a huge star and Dev Anand was just a newcomer yet Suraiya had no airs of her stardom and supported the young actor. Right from their first film Vidya, the duo gave six consecutive hits in a row like Jeet (1949), Shayar (1949), Afsar (1950), Nili (1950) and Do Sitare (1951). Highest paid star; Even Nargis envied her success In the late 40’s after Mallika-E-Tarrnum, Noor Jahan migrated to Pakistan Suraiya became the Highest paid actress and with three hits in a row, Pyar Ki Jeet, Badi Behen, and Dillagi, Suraiya became the undisputed queen of Bollywood. Her success even overshadowed other A Grade actresses like Kamini Kaushal and Nargis. Nargis in a lighter mood had once confessed to Suraiya, “I envy your success. You are fortunate to get classy films and good songs.”
Career & Achievements
Suraiya adored Pandit Nehru’s compliment more than an Oscar award! The movie that made Suraiya immortal was Sohrab Modi’s all-time classic Mirza Ghalib. The highlight of the movie was that in this film Suraiya had the great challenge to sing Ghazals along with Ghazal King Talat Mehmood, which she superbly did. Further, the movie gave her ample opportunity to exploit her histrionics as an actress. Speaking about the film she said, “The film was very close to my heart because I was a Mirza Ghalib fan since my younger days. Hence when Modi Sahab offered me the film I pumped all my energies both in the acting and singing department.” Her performance as Chaudavi Begum in Mirza Ghalib was so imposing that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru complementing Suraiya said, “Beti, Tumne itna acha Kaam kiya hain is picture ka naam Chaudavi Begum hona chaihye tha!” (Daughter, you have acted so well in the movie that the movie' name should have been Chaudavi Begum). Reacting to Nehru’s praise Suraiya said, “The compliment by my Prime Minister was more than an Oscar award for me.” Death She died on 31 January 2004 at the age of 74
