ABSTRACT
It would not be wrong to say that without the singer doing justice to the tune composed by the music director and written by the lyricist, a song rarely catches the ear. In this particular department the Punjabi contribution is simply overwhelming. We have had at least three male singeractors K.L. Saigal, Surinder Nath BA LLB and Karan Dewan. Mohammad Rafi was the greatest male playback singer ever in the Bombay film industry though he did appear in one or two movies. I remember him from Anmol Garhi (1946). G.M. Durrani, S.T. Batish and later Mahendra Kapoor were playback singers who sang both Hindustani and Punjabi songs. Punjabi actress-singers include Mukhtar Begum, Khurshid, Noor Jahan, and Suraiya. Zohrabai Ambalewali, Shamshad Begum and Sudha Malhotra were all outstanding playback singers. Then, of course, the Kaur sisters, Prakash and Surinder Kaur, and Pushpa Hans, all sang from All India Radio Lahore and later a few songs in films as well. Perhaps one should mention the child wizard Master Madan who sang just two songs. He died when still in his teens and his voice was never heard in films, but had he lived longer he too would have sung for films. Punjabi singers who emerged after the Partition and sang only in Pakistan or India are not being included in this article.
