![shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar](http://im.rediff.com/movies/2013/apr/24shamshad-begum.jpg)
It is said that this would be a common practice whenever she sang a duet with any singer. While Lata sang into the mike, Shamshad stood more than a foot away because of her enormous range. It is said that while recording the qawali, the two vocalists shared the microphone. Shamshad also sang the famous Mughal-e-Azam qawali, "teri mehfil mein kismat aazmah kar hum bi dekhenge" along with Lata Mangeshkar under the baton of Naushad. She sang "kahin per nigahen kahin pe nishana", "boojh mera kya naam re" and after a break of many years, "kajra mohabbat wala" for the composer who once described her voice to be like a temple bell for its clarity and tone. The song, "meri neendon mein tum" is amongst some unparalleled melodies. The composer also used Shamshad in a popular duet with Kishore Kumar in the fifties. It is said that whenever this song was shown in the theatres, audiences would clap to applaud the score as well as the singers.īoth Shamshad and Rafi came from the same city and thus were the perfect foil to each other, besides being extremely suitable to sing Nayyar's melodies. Though he was obsessed with Asha Bhonsle whose career he helped to build, Shamshad's voice in the superhit song ``leke pehla pehla pyar" with both Asha and Mohammad Rafi stands out. But Rhythm King, OP Nayyar who introduced Punjabi folk music in Hindi cinema saw her potential and used her to give some of the evergreen songs of the silver screen. Many top composers acknowledged her unbelievable range but often ignored her because they feared that the gifted Mangeshkar sisters who ruled the world of music would get offended.
![shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar](https://images.hungama.com/c/1/ecd/d5f/1845619/1845619_200x200.jpg)
![shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar shamshad begum chhod babul ka ghar](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2013/04/24/world/asia/24-Shamshad-begum-IndiaInk/24-Shamshad-begum-IndiaInk-superJumbo.jpg)
This Amritsar born legend was perhaps one of the most talented and also the most underutilized female playback singer. Nine days after she turned 94 years old, the original nightingale with a crystal clear voice, Shamshad Begum passed away in Mumbai leaving behind some of the most memorable songs of Bollywood films.