Khursheed Bano

Khursheed Bano Biography

Khursheed Bano was a singer actress of early Bollywood talkies. She was one of the shining stars of Bollywood era, who excelled as a singer as well as actress. A pioneer of the Indian cinema, she is best known for her film Tansen (1943) with actor-singer K. L. Saigal. The songs sung by Bano for the film were huge hits then. She was active in Indian cinema in the 1930s and 1940s, and migrated to Pakistan after partition in 1947. Later she worked in two films in 1956, Fankar and Mandi and said good bye to acting. She passed away on 18 April 2001 in Karachi, aged 87.

Her real name is Irshad Begum. She was born on 14 April 1914 in Kasur District of Lahore in British India, now in Pakistan. She resided next to Allama Iqbal’s house (Muhammad Iqbal) during her childhood days. She took the screen name Shehla in the silent film Eye for an Eye (1931), which marked her acting debut, and was fully active in the industry till partition. After that she worked in many silent films and talkies. When she worked in talkies, she also played the role of a playback singer. In those days singing actors were high in demand, and Khursheed Bano touched new heights in her professional career.

Some of her noted works in the 1930s include - Laila Majnu, Muflis Aashiq, Naqlee Doctor, Bomb Shell, Mirza Sahiban, Kimiagar, Iman Farosh, Madhur Milan and Sitara. Most of her films during this period were made in Kolkata and Lahore. Musafir, Holi, Shaadi, Pardesi, Bhakta Surdas etc are some of her noted works in the 1940s, and she gained recognition as a singer during this era.

She reached her career peak when she moved to Mumbai, and worked with K. L. Saigal and Motilal in the 1940s. She was at her career peak when she quit Indian films. Papeeha Re (1948) was her last release, before she migrated to Pakistan. Khursheed was first married to her manager Lala Yakub. After divorce, she married Yusuf Bhai Mian in 1956, and stopped acting. She had three children.

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Updated: June 28, 2018