Sharda Rajan Iyengar (born 25 October 1937), shortly Sharda, is an Indian playback singer in the 1960s and 1970s. She won the

Filmfare Award The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

for Best Female Playback Singer for the cabaret "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" in ''Jahan Pyar Miley'' (1970), though she is most remembered for her song "Titli Udi" in '' Suraj'' (1966). In 2007, she released the album ''Andaaz-e-Bayan Aur'', featuring her own compositions based on

Mirza Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

ghazal 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 ...

Early life

Sharda was from an

Iyengar Iyengar (also spelt Ayyangar or Aiyengar, pronounced ) refers to the name of an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins, whose members follow Sri Vaishnavism and the Visishtadvaita philosophy propounded by Ramanuja. Found mos ...

family from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and was inclined towards music from childhood. She has the distinction of being a BA graduate.

Career

Early in her career Sharda was offered a voice test by

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of th ...

when he first heard her singing in a function at Shrichand Ahuja's residence in Tehran. She got her first big break in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

with the song "Titli Udi" in '' Suraj'' (1966). She was promoted by Shankar of the

Shankar Jaikishan Shankar may refer to: People *Shankar (name), including a list of people with the name * Sankar (writer) (Mani Shankar Mukherjee), Bengali writer *L. Shankar, Indian violinist *S. Shankar, Indian film director commonly credited as Shankar *Sankar ...

duo. TAAL SE TAAL MILA: Bollywood's recording studios have generally been impeccably "clean". But not without some tonal variations
By Anil Grover,

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

, 28 April 2006. "Titli udi" turned out to be a top chartbuster in 1966. It so happens that the coveted Filmfare award for best playback singer had only one category (either male or female) until 1966. "Titli Udi" song, however, was tied as best song with Mohd Rafi's song "Baharo Phool Barsao" which had never happened before. Sharda didn't win the award but from then on Filmfare started giving two awards for best playback singer: one for male singer and the other for female singer. Thus Sharda made history. Thereafter Sharda was nominated four years in a row (1968–71) for best female playback singer and won another Filmfare award. In a short span Sharda won two Filmfare awards, when the Mangeshkar Sisters were dominating. Thereafter she continued singing for Shankar in nearly all of his films until his death. Her voice was last heard in ''Kaanch Ki Deewar'' (1986). She sang with most of the top singers like

Mohd Rafi Mohammed Rafi (24 December 1924 – 31 July 1980) was an Indian playback singer and musician. He is considered to have been one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. Rafi was notable for his versatility and ...

Asha Bhosle Asha Bhosle (; Mangeshkar; born 8 September 1933) is an Indian playback singer, entrepreneur and occasional actress and television personality who predominantly works in Indian Cinema. Known for her versatility, she has been described in the ...

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 ...

Yesudas Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian Music and also as a c ...

Mukesh Mukesh is an epithet for the Hindu god Shiva, and literally means "conqueror of the Muka demon". It also means god of 3 worlds, heaven, hell & earth, which in turn represents Hindu god Shiva. It is commonly used as a male given name in India. Peopl ...

and

Suman Kalyanpur Suman Kalyanpur (born as Suman Hemmadi;January 28th 1937) is an Indian playback singer, one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Her voice was often mistaken to be that of Lata Mangeshkar. Suman Kalyanpur's career st ...

. She lent her voice to leading ladies of the time like

Vyjayanthimala Vyjayanthimala (born 13 August 1936) is a former Indian actress, dancer and parliamentarian. She is the recipient of several accolades, including two BFJA Awards and five Filmfare Awards. She made her screen debut at the age of thirteen with ...

, Sadhana,

Saira Banu Saira Banu (born 23 August 1944) is a former Indian actress who mainly worked in Hindi language films. She was one of the most popular actresses in her heyday in the Indian film industry in the 1960s and early 1970s. Career Saira Banu was the ...

Hema Malini Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...

Sharmila Tagore Sharmila Tagore (also known as Begum Ayesha Sultana; born 8 December 1944) is a retired Indian actress, primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema, Tagore is the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, and the Fi ...

Mumtaz Mumtaz ( ar, ممتاز) is a name commonly used in various countries in the Muslim world, mainly Afghanistan, Brunei, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and Turkey. It can also be used as a female name. ''Mumtazah'' is a related female versio ...

Rekha Bhanurekha Ganesan (born 10 October 1954), better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 fil ...

and

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

. Besides Shankar she recorded songs with

Usha Khanna Usha Khanna (born 7 October 1941) is an Indian music director in Hindi cinema. She is the third female music director to enter the Hindi film industry, after Jaddan Bai and Saraswati Devi and is one of the most commercially successful music di ...

Ravi Ravi may refer to: People * Ravi (name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Ravi (composer) (1926–2012), Indian music director * Ravi (Ivar Johansen) (born 1976), Norwegian musical artist * Ravi (music director) (1926–201 ...

, Dattaram, Iqbal Qureshi and a few others. She was the first Indian female singer to cut her own pop album in India, called ''Sizzlers'' in 1971 which was launched by HMV.

Original music

On 21 July 2007 Sharda released her Ghazal album ''Andaaz-e-Bayan Aur'', a compilation of Mirza Ghalib's ghazals. The album was released at Juhu Jagriti Mumbai at the hands of actress

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of Hindi film, television and theatre. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several ge ...

. Music Director

Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, ...

was present at the release party, where Sharda thrilled the audience by singing a few songs from the album in her well-preserved voice. Shankar composed a song "Ek Chehra jo Dil Ke Kareeb" for a film called '' Garam Khoon'' (1980), sung by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her cont ...

which was penned by Sharda under name Singaar and picturised on

Sulakshana Pandit ''Sulakshana Pandit'' is an Indian playback singer and former Bollywood leading lady belonging to the Mewati Gharana. Career Sulakshana's career as an actress spanned the 1970s and early '80s. As a leading lady she has worked with most of the t ...

. She turned Music Director in the mid-1970s and gave music for films like ''

Maa Behen Aur Biwi Maa or MAA may refer to: People * MAA (singer), Japanese pop singer, previously known as Mar from the band Marbell * Maa Afia Konadu (1950–2019), Ghanaian media personality Organizations * Mathematical Association of America, a professional ...

'', ''Tu Meri Main Tera'', ''Kshitij'', ''Mandir Masjid'' and ''Maila Anchal''. Mohd Rafi was nominated for Filmfare Best Male Playback Singer Award for the song "Achcha Hi Hua Dil Toot Gaya" from ''

'' (1974), which he sang under Sharda's music direction.

Popular songs

* "Titli udi" ('' Suraj'') * "Dekho mera dil machal gaya" ('' Suraj'') * "Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki" ('' Jahan Pyar Miley'', 1970, Filmware Award Winner) * "Aa Aayega kaun yahan" (''

Gumnaam ''Gumnaam'' (translation: ''Unknown'' or ''Anonymous'') is a 1965 Indian Bollywood thriller film directed by Raja Nawathe, starring Manoj Kumar, Nanda, Pran, Helen and Mehmood. The film is a loosely-inspired adaptation of the 1939 mystery n ...

'') * "Jaan e Chaman Shola badan" (''

'') – with

*"Masti Aur Jawani Ho Umar Badi Mastani Ho" (Dil Daulat Duniya) – With

* "Jigar ka dard badhta ja raha hai" (''

Street Singer Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuity, gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performa ...

'') - with

* "Bakkamma-2 Bakkamma-2 Ekkada Potao Ra" (''

Shatranj Shatranj ( ar, شطرنج; fa, شترنج; from Middle Persian ''chatrang'' ) is an old form of chess, as played in the Sasanian Empire. Its origins are in the Indian game of chaturaṅga. Modern chess gradually developed from this game, as i ...

'') - with

and

Mehmood Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Siam Mahmud *Mahmood (singer) (born 1 ...

* "Leja Leja Leja mera dil" (''

An Evening in Paris ''An Evening In Paris'' (Hindi: ''Paris Ki Ek Shaam'') is a 1967 Indian romantic thriller film produced and directed by Shakti Samanta, with story by Sachin Bhowmick. It revolves in the French capital city of Paris. It stars Shammi Kapoor, Sha ...

'') * "Chale jana zara thhahro" ('' Around The World'') – with

* "Tum Pyar se dekho" (''

Sapno Ka Saudagar ''Sapno Ka Saudagar'' () is a 1968 Indian Hindi-language film directed by Mahesh Kaul and produced by B. Ananthaswami. The film stars Raj Kapoor, Hema Malini, Tanuja and Nadira. The film's music was composed by Shankar Jaikishan. Plot This ...

'') – with

* "Duniya ki sair kar lo" ('' Around The World'') - with

* "Woh Pari kahan se laun" ('' Pehchan'') – with

and

* "Kisike dil ko sanam" (''

Kal Aaj Aur Kal ''Kal Aaj Aur Kal'' () is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language film produced by Raj Kapoor and directed by his son Randhir Kapoor. The film's USP is the appearance of three generations of the famous Kapoor family. The film stars Prithviraj Kapoor, Raj ...

'') * "Jab bhi yeh dil udaas hota hai" (''Seema'') – with

* "Aap ki Rai Mere Baare Mein kya hai kahiye" ('' Elaan'') – with

* "Jane Anjane Yahan sabhi hain Deewane" (''Jane Anjane'') * "Jaane bhi De Sanam Mujhe, abhi jaane..." (''Around the World'') * "Man ke panchhi kaheen duur chal, duur chal" ("Naina") * "Wahi Pyar Ke Khuda Hum Jin Pe Fida" ( "Paapi Pet Ka Sawal Hai" 1984 ) * Tera ang ka rang hai anguri (Chanda aur Bijli) * Yeh muh aur massur ki dhal (Around the world) with Mubarak Begum * Humko tou barbad kiya hay aur kisey barbad karogey (Gunahon ka Devta 1967) - with Mohd. Rafi * Sunn sunn re balam, dil tujhko pukarey (Pyar Mohabbat 1968)

Telugu songs

* "Kanti Choopu Cheputondi" (''

Jeevitha Chakram Jeevitha Chakram () is a 1971 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by C. S. Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Vanisri and Sarada, with music composed by Shankar–Jaikishan. It is produced by P. Gangadhar Rao under the Nava Sakthi Productio ...

'') * “Madhurathi madhuram “(''

'') - with Ghantasala

References

popular songs. around the world in 8-dollar.(film:around the world),co singer:mukesh

External links

Sharda website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharda Living people Bollywood playback singers Indian women playback singers Women musicians from Tamil Nadu 1937 births 20th-century Indian women singers 20th-century Indian singers Singers from Tamil Nadu Filmfare Awards winners