…And the music died

Naushad recalls: ‘‘When she came to me in 1939 and said she wanted to be an actor, I told her she could be a good singer because God had gifted her a mellifluous voice.’’

At the height of her success, crowds at the premiere of Badi Bahen went berserk, forcing police to lathicharge. The actress reportedly stopped attending premiere shows after the incident. Her fans would also regularly disrupt traffic outside her apartment, Krishna Mahal.

Singer Nitin Mukesh said Suraiya had played heroine opposite his father, playback legend Mukesh, in his first movie as actor, Mashuqa. ‘‘Papa was very fond of her. She met me at a couple of award functions and was always affectionate.’’

Her personal life came into focus because of her association with Dev Anand, whom she reportedly liked because of his resemblance to Hollywood star Gregory Peck. Suraiya had met Peck when he came to Mumbai.

Her songs contributed to her legend as much as the mystery about her personal life. Suraiya never married (her strict grandmother didn’t approve of the alliance with Dev Anand). After a series of hits, spanning the 1940 to the early 50s, her career went into a decline. She made a short-lived comeback with Sohrab Modi’s Mirza Ghalib where she played Ghalib’s lover.

Her songs, Yeh na thi hamari kismet and Dil-e-nadaan tujhe hua kya hai, from the film were very popular even as the film became the first winner of the President’s Gold Medal. Late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, had told her, ‘‘Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki rooh ko zinda kiya. (You have brought Ghalib to life).’’

Ironically, except for actor Dharmendra, Suraiya’s last rites were not attended by any member of the film fraternity. Family and friends brought her body to the Chandanwadi burial grounds at Marine Lines in Mumbai.

Suraiya’s a memory, Dev Anand remembers