Mujeeb Aalam (2 September 1948 – 2 June 2004) was a
Pakistani playback singer
A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...
who had a short film career. His singing style was a mixture of
Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan Khan ( ur, مہدی حسن خاں , translit=) 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer for Lollywood. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of gh ...
and
Ahmad Rushdi
), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, )
, birth_date =
, birth_place =Hyderabad Deccan, British India
, death_date =
, death_place = Karachi, Pakistan
, origin = Pakistani
, instrument = Vocalist
, genre =
, ...
's style. He sang dozens of hit songs in late 1960s. However, he lost his popularity in mid-1970s as more versatile singers like
Akhlaq Ahmed
Akhlaq Ahmed ( ur, ; 10 January 1946 – 4 August 1999) was a Pakistani people, Pakistani film playback singer and still considered one of the leading voices of the film industry.
Early life and career
He was born in Delhi in 1946 and st ...
and
A Nayyar
Arthur Nayyar (14 April 1950 – 11 November 2016), commonly known as A. Nayyar, was a Pakistani film playback singer. He started his career in 1974 with a duet song. Nayyar always claimed famous singer Ahmed Rushdi as an important contributor t ...
entered
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
film industry
The film industry or motion picture industry comprises the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking, i.e., film production companies, film studios, cinematography, animation, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post ...
.
[
]
Early life and career
Mujeeb Alam was born in 1948 in the city of Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
and then settled with his parents in Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
. He started his career at the age of 14 from Radio Pakistan
Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 August ...
, Lahore. Musician ''Hassan Latif'' gave him the chance to sing in his film Nargis
Nargis Dutt (born Fatima Rashid; 1 June 1929 – 3 May 1981) was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, she made her screen debut in a minor role ...
, but the film didn't release. However, in 1966, he recorded songs for the film ''Jalwa'' and in 1967, a song from Chakori
''Chakori'' ( bn, চকোরী ur, چکوری), is a Pakistani Urdu feature film. This film was released on 22 March 1967 on Eid-ul-Azha Day in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The film was directed by Captain Ehtesham.
It was Nadeem' ...
''Woh mere samney'' became popular.
He got recognition in the mid- sixties and became one of the prominent playback singers in the industry. He sang over 12,000 songs and won a number of awards. He also performed at hundreds of musical concerts in and outside Pakistan.
Alam’s songs were picturised on film artists like Nadeem
Nadeem (also spelled Nadim or Nedim; ar, نديم) is an Arabic masculine given name. It means "best friend of the drinker" "companion", "confidant" or "friend". Originates from the plural word "Nadama""نَدامَى" which means, drink to forg ...
, Waheed Murad
Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...
, and Mohammad Ali
Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...
.
Death
Mujeeb Aalam retired from films in 1979. He used to participate in private shows and musical programmes which were broadcast from Pakistani television
Television in Pakistan started in 1964 and the first live transmission of Pakistan Television began on 26 November 1964, in Lahore.[North Nazimabad
North Nazimabad ( ur, نارتھ ناظم آباد) is a suburb of, Karachi, Pakistan. North Nazimabad was developed in the late 1950s as a residential area for the employees of the federal government of Pakistan, and was named after Khawaja Nazim ...](_blank)
, Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
, for quite some time.
On Wednesday 2 June 2004, according to his daughter, he left his home at 11:15 pm and as they were about to approach Super Highway when Aalam complained of chest pain and he felt difficulty in breathing. He stopped the car, picked up a bottle of water but fell on the steering wheel. She further said that her father was taken to a private hospital near Sohrab Goth
Sohrab Goth Town ( ur, سہراب گوٹھ ) is a suburban area in the Malir district of Karachi, Pakistan, that previously was a part of Gadap Town until 2011. It acts as an entry point to Karachi from the rest of Pakistan. There is a bridge ove ...
where he was pronounced dead. He was 55 years old.Death anniversary of Mujeeb Alam observed
Radio Pakistan website, Published 2 June 2020, Retrieved 19 December 2021
Aalam's funeral prayers were held on Thursday afternoon at a Mosque near his residence in ''Gulshan-i-Maymar''. He was laid to rest at ''Sakhi Hasan graveyard''
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...
where his friend, playback singer
Ahmed Rushdi
), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, )
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Hyderabad Deccan, British India
, death_date =
, death_place = Karachi, Pakistan
, origin = Pakistani
, instrument = Vocalist
, genre =
...
is also buried.
[
]
Popular songs
* "Main teray ajnabi shehr main"[
* "Main tera shehr chhor jaoon ga" for film ''Shama Aur Parwana'' (1970), lyrics by ]Saifuddin Saif
Saifuddin Saif (20 July 1922 12 July 1993) was a Pakistani lyricist, poet, film producer-director, and the founder of Rehnuma Films, a film studio of 1954.
He was involved in writing poems and lyrics before and after the Partition. However, ...
, music by Nisar Bazmi
Nisar Bazmi (1 December 1924 – 22 March 2007) was a composer and music director of Indian and Pakistan film industry. [
* "Main khushi se kiyoon na gaoon, mera dil bhi gaa raha hai" ][
* "Woh naqab rukh ulat kar meray samnay na aain".
* "Woh meray samnay tasweer banay baithay hain" for film ]Chakori
''Chakori'' ( bn, চকোরী ur, چکوری), is a Pakistani Urdu feature film. This film was released on 22 March 1967 on Eid-ul-Azha Day in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The film was directed by Captain Ehtesham.
It was Nadeem' ...
in 1967, music by Robin Ghosh
Robin Ghosh ( bn, রবিন ঘোষ, ur, ; 13 September 1939 – 13 February 2016) was a Pakistani-Bangladeshi playback singer and film music composer, best known for singing and composing music for Lollywood films from 1961 to 1986. Pla ...
. This was a breakthrough hit song for him that earned him real fame and a Nigar Award
The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...
in Pakistan.[
]
Awards and recognition
* Nigar Award
The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...
as 'Best Singer' for film Chakori
''Chakori'' ( bn, চকোরী ur, چکوری), is a Pakistani Urdu feature film. This film was released on 22 March 1967 on Eid-ul-Azha Day in Dhaka, East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). The film was directed by Captain Ehtesham.
It was Nadeem' ...
in 1967.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aalam, Mujeeb
Muhajir people
1948 births
2004 deaths
People from Kanpur
Nigar Award winners
Pakistani playback singers
Singers from Karachi
20th-century Pakistani male singers