Sabina Yasmin (born 4 September 1954) is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( bn, বাংলাদেশী ) are the citizens of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centered on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the ...

singer. She is best known as a

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 ...

in Bengali cinema. She has won

Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer ( bn, জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার) is the highest award for female film playback singers in Bangladesh. History Bangladesh National Fil ...

a record 14 times. She has recorded more than 1,500 songs for films and more than 10,000 songs in total. Yasmin was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...

in 1984 and

Independence Day Award The Independence Day Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পদক), also termed Independence Award ( bn, স্বাধীনতা পুরস্কার), Swadhinata Padak, and Swadhinata Puroskar, is the highest state award given by t ...

in 1996 by the

Government of Bangladesh The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh ( bn, গণপ্রজাতন্ত্রী বাংলাদেশ সরকার — ) is the central executive government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Con ...

Early life

Yasmin was born on 4 September 1954 at Dhaka. Her ancestral home is in

Satkhira Satkhira( bn, সাতক্ষীরা) is a city and district headquarter of Satkhira District in Khulna Division, south-west Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. I ...

. Her father, Lutfar Rahman, worked in the Provincial Civil Service of

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

and her mother, Begum Mouluda Khatun, was a vocal artist who took lessons from the musician Ustaad Kader Baksh. Yasmin is the youngest of the five sisters; her elder sisters are singers Farida Yasmin, Fauzia Yasmin, Nazma Yasmin, and

Nilufar Yasmin Nilufar Yasmin (13 February 1948 – 10 March 2003) was a Bangladeshi singer of Nazrul Sangeet, Rajanikanta Geeti, Dwijendra Geeti and Atul Prasdi genre. She was the fourth of five Yasmin sisters of Bangladesh music. Her siblings are Farida ...

. The first song that Yasmin learned with the household harmonium was ''Khokon Moni Shona''. In 1964, she sang regularly in ''Khela Ghar'', a radio programme. P.C. Gomez was her classical music mentor. Musician

Altaf Mahmud Altaf Mahmud ( bn, আলতাফ মাহমুদ; 23 December 1933 – September 1971) was a musician, cultural activist, and martyred freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was also a language activist of the Language Movement ...

discovered her singing voice while visiting her neighbour's house. She made her debut in playback singing through the song ''Modhu Jochnar Dipali'' for the film ''

Agun Niye Khela ''Agun Niye Khela'' is a 1967 Bangladeshi film directed by Nurul Haque Bachchu and Amjad Hossain and stars Razzak and Sujata. Music It is the debut film of veteran singer Sabina Yasmin Sabina Yasmin (born 4 September 1953) is a Bangladeshi si ...

'' (1967), directed by

Zahir Raihan Mohammad Zahirullah (19 August 1935 – disappeared 30 January 1972), known as Zahir Raihan, was a Bangladeshi novelist, writer and filmmaker. He is most notable for his documentary ''Stop Genocide'' (1971), made during the Bangladesh Liberation ...

. As child artists, she and

Shahnaz Rahmatullah Shahnaz Rahmatullah (; 2 January 1952 – 23 March 2019) was a Bangladeshi singer. Her notable songs are ''Ekbar Jete De Na Amar Chotto Sonar Gaye'', ''Je Chilo Drishtir Shimanay'' and ''Ek Tara Tui Desher Kotha''. She was the recipient of the Ek ...

won awards from President

Ayub Khan Ayub Khan is a compound masculine name; Ayub is the Arabic version of the name of the Biblical figure Job, while Khan or Khaan is taken from the title used first by the Mongol rulers and then, in particular, their Islamic and Persian-influenced s ...

Career

Yasmin got her first breakthrough through the song titled ''Shudhu Gaan Geye Porichoy''. She then started working under Altaf Mahmud in films including ''Anowara', 'Nayantara' and 'Taka Ana Pai. She gradually performed along with

Satya Saha Satya Saha (25 December 1934 – 27 January 1999) was a Bangladeshi composer, and musician. His notable composed songs are "Chena Chena Lage" by Shyamal Mitra, "Dukkho Amar Basor Raater Palonko", "Chhiti Dio Protidin" by Sabina Yasmin, "Mon Bole ...

Subal Das Subal Das (26 December 192816 August 2005) was a Bangladeshi music director and composer. He was the music director of the first film developed in Film Development Corporation (FDC), ''Akash aar Mati''. He directed music of 86 films. Early life ...

Khan Ataur Rahman Khan Ataur Rahman (known as Khan Ata; 11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, music composer, and singer, best known for his role in the film ''Jibon Theke Neya'' (1970). He rec ...

Alauddin Ali Alauddin Ali (24 December 1952 – 9 August 2020) was a Bangladeshi music composer. He won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Director five times for the films ''Golapi Ekhon Traine'' (1978), '' Sundori'' (1979), ''Koshai'' (1980), ...

Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul (1 January 1956 – 22 January 2019) was a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer and music director, active since the late 1970s. He was a freedom fighter who joined the Bangladesh Liberation War at the age of 15. He won Ekushey Pada ...

and

Gazi Mazharul Anwar Gazi Mazharul Anwar (22 February 1943 – 4 September 2022) was a Bangladeshi film director, producer, lyricist, screenwriter and music director. He earned the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Lyricist a record six times for the films ''T ...

1960s

Yasmin has sung for films, radio, television and gramophone companies. She started her career in

Pakistan film industry Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. ...

and gained recognition when she sang a duet with

Ahmed Rushdi ), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, ) , birth_date = , birth_place =Hyderabad Deccan, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, Pakistan , origin = Pakistani , instrument = Vocalist , genre = , ...

'' Baharon ki yeh shaam'' for film

Anari Anari may refer to: Films * ''Anari'' (1959 film), a Bollywood film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee * ''Anari'' (1975 film), a Bollywood film directed by Asit Sen, starring Shashi Kapoor, Sharmila Tagore and Moushumi Chatterjee * ''Anari'' (1 ...

(1969).

1970s

When Yasmin entered the film industry, her co-eval

was the number one singer. In 1970, the film

Jibon Theke Neya ''Jibon Theke Neya'' () is a 1970 Bengali-language Pakistani film directed by Zahir Raihan. The film is a political satire based on the Bengali Language Movement under the rule of Pakistan metaphorically, where an autocratic woman in one family ...

was released. It contained the song "Eki Sonar Aloy" which elevated Yasmin as the leading singer. She sang some patriotic songs "Sob Kota Janala", "Swajan Harano Diner Samarane", "Sei Railliner Dhare", "Swadhinata Tumi" etc. She garnered fame with the song "Sudhu Gaan Geye Porichoy" in 1972 film 'Abujh Mon'. She sang "Tumi Je Amar Kobita", "Tumi Achho" etc. duets with Mahmudunnabi. She received the first

in 1975 for her songs in ''Sujon Sokhi''. She received three consecutive National film awards: in 1978 for Golapi Ekhon Train E; in 1979 for Sundari; and in 1980 for Kosai.

1980s

She sang numerous such hits as "Koto Sadhonay Emon Bhagyo Mele", "Shoto Jonomer Sadh", "E Jibone Tumi Ogo Ele" and many more. Her rising popularity dragged her to Indian cinema. In 1985, she sang "Cherona Cherona Haat" and "Jalpari" with

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born as Abhas Kumar Ganguly (); 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of Indian music. He ...

in the Indo-Bangladesh joint production Anyay Abichar which had music by

R. D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...

1990s

Yasmin earned National Awards in 1991 for ''

Danga ''Danga'' () ( bn, দাঙ্গা) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language action drama film written and directed by Kazi Hayat. It stars Manna, Suchorita, Wasimul Bari Rajib, Anowara and Mizu Ahmed in lead roles. The film was released in 1991. ...

'' and 1992 for ''Radha Krishna''. In 1994,

Kanak Chapa Kanak Chapa (; born 11 September 1969) is a Bangladeshi singer. She received the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer three times, for her performance in the films ''Love Story'' (1995), '' Premer Taj Mahal'' (2001) a ...

came to the music scene with the film Tomakei Chai.

2000s

By the year 2000, Kanak Chapa was already most sought after playback singer. Yet Yasmin got to sing numerous hit songs composed by top-notch music directors. She achieved National Film Award for her rendition of "Boroshar Prothom Dine" in

Dui Duari ''Dui Duari'' also ( bn, দুই দুয়ারী) is a Bangladeshi Bengali-language film. The film was released in 2000. Directed by Bangladeshi famous novelist, film director-writer Humayun Ahmed, produced and distributed by his film prod ...

(2000). In 2004, her song "Preme Poreche Mon" in 'wrong number' topped the music top charts. She achieved her 12th and last National Film Award for 'Dui Noyoner Alo'.

2010s

Yasmin sang a duet with the winner of ''Channel-I Sera Kontho'', Imran. In these years she sang for new generation of actresses like

Apu Biswas Abonti Biswas (born 11 October 1989) known by her stage name as Apu Biswas, is a Bangladeshi film actress, model and the former wife of notable Bangladeshi actor Shakib Khan. Biswas made her debut in the film industry with the film ''Kal Shokale' ...

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

, Racy and others. Her song "Premiker Buk Jeno Sukher Nodi" featured in top charts for many weeks.

Personal life

Yasmin has married three times. She has a daughter, Fairooz Yasmin (Badhon), a singer, from her first marriage with Anisur Rahman, and a son, Srabon, from her second marriage with Amir Hossain. In 1998, she met

Kabir Sumon Kabir Suman (born Suman Chattopadhyay; 16 March 1949) is an Indian music director, songwriter, singer, composer, politician, and former journalist.

, an Indian-Bengali musician and political activist, and later the couple got married. In July 2007, Yasmin was diagnosed with

non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredness. ...

. She was admitted to Labaid Hospital on 12 June. Doctors found that she was suffering from an infection of spleen. An emergency operation took place on 21 June. But her health didn't improve. She flew to

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

for better treatment on 11 July. After having treatment for three and half months, she returned to Bangladesh.

Works

;Popular songs ;Filmography

Awards

;

* 1975 – ''Sujon Sokhi'' * 1978 – ''Golapi Ekhon Traine'' * 1979 – ''Sundari'' * 1980 – ''Kosai'' * 1984 – ''

Chandranath ''Chandranath'' ( bn, চন্দ্রনাথ) is a 1984 Bangladeshi film directed by Chashi Nazrul Islam. This is the adaptation of the novel of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's same title. It stars Abdur Razzak, Shuchanda, Doyel and Golam Musta ...

'' * 1985 – ''Premik'' * 1987 – ''Rajlakshmi Srikanto'' * 1988 – ''Dui Jibon'' * 1991 – ''

'' * 1992 – ''Radha Krishna'' * 2000 – ''Aaj Gaye Holud'' * 2005 – ''Dui Noyoner Alo'' * 2012 – ''Devdas'' * 2018 – ''

Putro ''Putro'' () is a 2018 Bangladeshi film. Saiful Islam Mannu directed the film under the supervision of Impress Telefilm Limited. The film won 11 awards, including the awards for Best Film and Best Actor at the 43rd Bangladesh National Film Awards ...

'' ;Others * 1984 –

* 1996 –

* 2016 – Firoza Begum Gold Medal

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yasmin, Sabina 1953 births Living people University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi playback singers 20th-century Bangladeshi women singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners Recipients of the Independence Day Award Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy Best Female Singer Bachsas Award winners 21st-century Bangladeshi women singers 21st-century Bangladeshi singers