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Akthar bai Faizabadi, popularly known as Begum Akthar was a famous Indian singer of Ghazal, Dadra and Thumri. She had training in Hindustani classical music with Ata Mohammad Khan of the Patiala gharana and Abdul Qahid Khan of the Kirana or Kairana gharana and made her debut at the age of seven. She was a refined Ghazal singer and was called as Mallika-e-Ghazal (Queen of Ghazals). Begum Akthar had lent her voice to many Hindi films including Roti, Panna Dai, Dana Pani and Ehsaan. She had also acted in many Hindi films such as Mumtaz Begum, Jawani Ka Nasha, King for a day, Ameena, Roop Kumari, Naseeb Ka Chakkar and Anaar Bala. The Legendry filmmaker Satyajit Ray would later manage to persuade her to appear in a short cameo in his film Jalsaghar. For her eminance in the field of music and her contribution to its enrichment, the Government Of India honoured Begum Akthar by awarding Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan (posthumously) in 1968 and 1975 respectively. She also received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1972. She died on 30th October 1974, a day after a performance in Ahmadabad. Her recorded songs are cherished, treasured and revered even today. |
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This list was prepared by Dr. Jinadatha |