Mala

Naseem Begum, known professionally as Mala, was a prominent Pakistani playback singer who performed for Urdu and Punjabi films. Her singing career spanned almost 3 decades across the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She earned the title Princess Mala Begum because she provided the singing voice for actresses portraying royal or upper-class characters.

Early life and education

Naseem Begum was born on 9 November 1942 in Faisalabad, Punjab. She grew up as the younger sister of music composer Shamim Nazli. Because she showed an early interest in music, her elder sister became her first teacher and taught her the basics of singing.

Career

Mala began her professional journey when music composer Baba Ghulam Ahmed Chishti recorded two songs for the Punjabi film Aabroo in 1961. Although the film flopped, producer Anwar Kamal Pasha encouraged her to continue pursuing a career within the Pakistani film industry. She achieved her first hit in 1962 when she sang the Urdu composition "Aaya re dekho" for the film Sooraj Mukhi. This song featured music composed by Master Abdullah.

During that same year, she rendered the tragic Urdu composition "Dil daeta hai ro ro duhai, kisi sey koi pyaar na karey" for the film Ishq Par Zor Nahin. The music for this track was composed by Master Inayat Hussain and the lyrics were written by Qateel Shifai. This specific song became a popular hit in 1962 after it was picturised on the actress Yasmin.

In the 1960s, Mala became one-half of a famous duet singing pair alongside playback singer Ahmed Rushdi. Together, they provided numerous hits to the Pakistani film industry. Her versatility allowed her to sing memorable tracks in both the Urdu and Punjabi languages.

One of her greatest professional accomplishments was the song "Akele Na Jaana" from the 1966 film Armaan. For this production, she teamed up with music director Sohail Rana and writer Masroor Anwar. Her discography includes many other notable works, such as "Sapnon mein urri urri jaaoon" from the film Mehboob in 1962 and "Mujhe arzoo thi jiski who paigham aa gaya hai" from the film Naila in 1965.

She continued to record successful music throughout the following decades. Her repertoire includes songs like "Chanda se milnay chali hai chakori" from the 1967 film Chakori and "Tujhay piyar ki qasam hai" from the 1968 film Chand Aur Chandni. She also performed with Mehdi Hassan on the track "Chalo kahin duur, yeh samaj chorr dein" for the 1974 film Samaaj.

Personal life

Mala married twice during her lifetime, but both marriages failed. She had one daughter with her husband Muhammad Ashiq Butt, who worked as a film producer. She named her daughter Naila after her own iconic musical film released in 1965.

The singer died on 5 March 1990. She was laid to rest at the Miani Sahib Graveyard in Lahore. Her sister was later buried near her grave.

Awards and recognition

Mala received Nigar Awards during her career as a playback singer.