Saleem Shehzad (born March 1946) is a Pakistani film, television, and radio singer. He is known for his song, "''Piyar Ki Yaad Nigahon Mein Sajaye Rakhna''", playback vocalized for the
Ajmer
Ajmer is one of the major and oldest cities in the Indian state of Rajasthan and the centre of the eponymous Ajmer District. It is located at the centre of Rajasthan. It is also known as heart of Rajasthan. The city was established as "''Aj ...
,
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
. His family migrated to
Karachi, Pakistan
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 ...
after the
partition
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of a ...
in 1947. His father ''Azeem Prem Raagi'' was a poet who wanted his son to be a singer. Shehzad got his early music training from ''Ustaad Baray Ghulam Ali Khan'' who was residing 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. ...
.
Shehzad's career as a playback singer started with a song sung for the film, "''Savera''", released in 1959. In 1962, he won a film competition that was held to select singers for a movie, "''Hum Ek Hein''" in Lahore. His first song, "''Onchay Onchay Mehalon Mein Dekho''", was penned by
Fayyaz Hashmi
Fayyaz Hashmi ( ur, ; 1920 2011) was a Pakistani poet and screenwriter who worked both in the Cinema of India, Indian and Cinema of Pakistan, Pakistani film industry. He penned some memorable songs such as the famous nazm Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na ...
and composed by M. Ali Sharif. In 1964, he was offered a job at
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, where he served for the next eighteen years and recorded over two thousand songs,
ghazals
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a p ...
Sohail Rana
Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as A ...
picked Shehzad as a playback vocalist for his film, "''
Heera Aur Pathar
''Heera Aur Pathar'' () is a 1964 Pakistani Urdu language black-and-white film.
It is the first film of Waheed Murad as a lead actor who also produced it. The film was released on 11 December 1964. Murad introduced film director Pervez Malik f ...
''". In the film, Shehzad sang a duet, along with
Talat Siddiqui
Adeeba Nazeer, also known as Talat Siddiqui was a Pakistani actress and singer. She acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films and is known for her roles in films ''Ishq-e-Habib'' (1965), ''Kon Kisi Ka'' (1966), ''Lori'' (1966), ''Yaar Maar'' (1967), ' ...
, "''Mujhay Ik Larky Se Piyar Ho Gaya''", that became a hit of the time. His other hit song, "''Mohabbat Ke Diye Jala Lo''", came from the movie, "''Aslam o Alaikum''" in 1969. In 1976, he recorded a song, "''Piyar Ki Yaad Nigahon Mein Sajaye Rakhna''", for the film "''Talash''", that later became his identity. His last movie as a playback singer was
Moeen Akhtar
Moin Akhter (also: "معین اختر" Moin Akhtar), (24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, Master of Ceremonies, host, writer, singer, director and producer who ...
's "''Mr. K2''", which was released in 1995.
Personal life
Shehzad lives in
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 ...
and gives music lessons to young singers at his home. In 2021, he almost lost his eye sight due to a mistreated ocular disease.