Full Name | Allah Rakhi Wasai |
Stage Name | Noor Jehan |
Honorific Title | Malika-e-Tarannum (Queen of Melody) |
Birth Date | 21 September 1926 |
Birth Place | Kasur, Punjab, British India |
Death Date | 23 December 2000 |
Death Place | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
Resting Place | Gizri Graveyard, Karachi |
Nationalities | British India (1926–1947), Pakistani (1947–2000) |
Other Names | The Nightingale of The East, Queen of Hearts, Daughter of Nation, The Nightingale of Punjab |
Occupations | Playback Singer, Music Composer, Actress, Director |
Years Active | 1930–2000 |
Net Worth | (will be updated soon) |
Notable Work | Zeenat (1945), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Jugnu (1947), Mirza Sahiban (1947), Chan Wey (1951), Dupatta (1952), Intezar (1956), Anarkali (1958), Koel (1959) |
Music Styles | Filmi, Ghazal, Classical Music, Qawwali |
Spouses | Shaukat Hussain Rizvi (m. 1941; div. 1953), Ejaz Durrani (m. 1959; div. 1971) |
Children | 6, including Zil-e-Huma and Nazia Ejaz Khan |
Parents | Imdad Ali (father), Fateh Bibi (mother) |
Relatives | Sonya Jehan (granddaughter), Sikander Rizvi (grandson), Ahmad Ali Butt (grandson) |
Awards | 15 Nigar Awards |
Honors | Pride of Performance (1965), Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (1965), Sitara-e-Imtiaz (1996) |
Career Span | Over six decades (1930s–1990s) |
Total Songs Recorded | About 10,000 songs in various languages, including 2,422 songs in 1,148 Pakistani films |
Significant Contributions | Considered the first female Pakistani film director, and influential singer in the Indian subcontinent |
Early Life and Training | Born into a Punjabi Muslim family, trained in classical singing under Ustad Ghulam Mohammad and Kajjanbai, influenced by the Patiala Gharana tradition |
Initial Career Highlights | Started performing at age six, acted and sang in Punjabi movies, and gained early popularity through songs composed by Ghulam Haider |
Major Indian Films | Khandaan (1942), Badi Maa (1945), Zeenat (1945), Gaon Ki Gori (1945), Anmol Ghadi (1946), Mirza Sahiban (1947), Jugnu (1947) |