Runa Laila

Runa Laila is a Bangladeshi playback singer and composer who is widely recognized as one of the most prominent singers in South Asia. Often referred to by the honorific title "Queen of Melody", she has recorded songs in several languages throughout her decades-long career. Her popularity spans across Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India.

Early life and education

Laila was born on 17 November 1952 in Sylhet, East Bengal, within the Dominion of Pakistan. Her father, Syed Mohammed Imdad Ali, was a civil servant from a Bengali Muslim Syed family who served in towns such as Sylhet and Karachi. Her mother, Amina Laila, was a musical artist from a Bengali Hindu family based in Upper Assam. Laila also received training in the Kathak and Bharatanatyam dance genres.

She considered the singer Ahmed Rushdi her guru. She attempted to emulate his singing style and his stage presence. Laila studied classical music under her elder sister, Dina Laila, who passed away in 1976. During her time as a student at Saint Lawrence Convent, she won an inter-school singing competition in Karachi. She received training from Ustad Abdul Kader Peyarang and Ustad Habibuddin Ahmed.

Her professional journey began at a young age. When she was 12, she performed as a playback singer for a male child actor in the Urdu film Jugnu. The song she recorded for this production was titled "Gudia Si Munni Meri".

Career

Laila achieved a breakthrough in the Pakistani film industry in 1966 with the song "Unki Nazron Sey Mohabbat Ka Jo Paigham Mila" from the Urdu film Hum Dono. She performed on PTV and hosted a show titled Bazm E Laila. Her work in the 1970s included singing for the film Umrao Jaan Ada in 1972. She moved to Bangladesh with her family in 1974.

Her first Bengali song was "O Amar Jibon Shathi" for the 1976 film Jibon Shathi. Laila also expanded into the Indian music market, performing her first concert in Mumbai in 1974. She worked with director Jaidev and later collaborated with the music composer Kalyanji-Anandji for the title song of Ek Se Badhkar Ek in 1976. Her rendition of "Dama Dam Mast Qalandar" helped cement her status as a legendary figure in South Asian music.

Laila holds a place in the Guinness World Records for recording 30 songs within 3 days. In 1982, she won the Golden Disk Award because her album Superuna sold over 1 lakh copies on its first day of release. She has sung in seventeen different languages, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and English. In 2012, she served as a judge on the Indian television contest show Sur Kshetra.

She has also engaged in significant philanthropic work. Following the death of her sister from cancer in 1976, Laila organized several charity concerts in Dhaka to fund a cancer hospital. She was named a SAARC Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, becoming the first Bangladeshi to hold this position.

Personal life

Laila has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Khawaja Javed Kaiser, with whom she had a daughter named Tani Kaiser. She later married a Swiss businessman named Ron Daniel Pilnik and subsequently the actor Alamgir. In April 1996, a Dhaka court temporarily restrained Pilnik from entering her house following a suit alleging abuse.

She has two grandsons, Zain Islam and Aaron Islam. Aaron Islam is a singer and a guitarist.

Awards and recognition

Laila has received numerous honors for her vocal performances and compositions. She won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer seven times, specifically in 1976, 1977, 1989, 1994, 2012, 2013, and 2014. In 2018, she won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Composer for the film Ekti Cinemar Golpo.

In 1977, she was awarded the Independence Award, which is the highest civilian honor in Bangladesh. Her other accolades include:

• Nigar Awards in 1968 and 1970
• Saigal Award from India
• Radio Mirchi Music Award in 2015
• Meril-Prothom Alo Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022

She is also recognized with the Bangladesh Music Journalists Association lifetime achievement award from 2020. The Minar-E-Dilli Awards are scheduled for 2026.