Saleem Raza (singer) facts for kids

Noel Dias (born March 4, 1932 – died November 25, 1983), known to many as Saleem Raza (Urdu: سلِیم رضا), was a famous Pakistani playback singer. A playback singer is someone who sings songs for actors in movies, and the actors then lip-sync to their voice. Saleem Raza started his singing journey in Lahore, Pakistan, and quickly became very popular. He was trained in classical music and was especially known for singing emotional and sad songs.

Saleem Raza's career faced challenges when other talented singers became very popular in the late 1950s. He stopped singing for films around 1966 and later moved to Canada, where he passed away in 1983.

Early Life and Start in Music

Saleem Raza was born Noel Dias into a Christian family in Amritsar. After the partition of India in 1947, his family moved to Pakistan, and they settled in Lahore. He began his singing career at the Lahore Radio Station.

Saleem Raza also learned music from well-known music composers of his time, including Master Sadiq Ali and Ustaad Aashiq Husain. He was introduced to the Pakistani film industry by the experienced film music director Ghulam Ahmed Chishti.

His first big chance came in 1955 with the film Naukar. He sang a sad song called Taqdeer kay malik deikh zara kya zulm hai. He also sang in another film that year, Qatil. However, his most famous song was Yaaro mujhe muaaf rakho, main nashey mein hoon from the 1957 film Saat Lakh. He continued to sing many songs for films like Aas Paas (1957), Do Rastey, Hamsafar (1960), and Seema (1963). His last film song was for Payal Ki Jhankar in 1966.

Career Challenges

Saleem Raza was a very popular singer in the late 1950s, especially for his sad songs. However, by the early 1960s, he faced strong competition from other talented singers.

In 1961, music director Khalil Ahmed recorded a sad song for the film Aanchal (1962) with Raza's voice. But Khalil Ahmed wasn't completely happy with the style. He considered having Mehdi Hassan sing it, but the song had very high notes that were difficult. Finally, he asked the famous singer Ahmed Rushdi to sing it. Rushdi's version was a big hit.

Besides Ahmed Rushdi, Saleem Raza also competed with other skilled singers like Munir Hussain, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Mujeeb Aalam, and Bashir Ahmad. Also, his voice was often used for actors Syed Musa Raza (Santosh Kumar) and Darpan. When these actors became less popular in the mid-1960s, it also affected Saleem Raza's career. As recording technology changed, he found it hard to adjust to the new equipment, which added to his career difficulties.

Later Life and Passing

In 1975, Saleem Raza moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There, he opened a music school. For eight years, from 1975 to 1983, he taught music to many students. He also performed at local South Asian music concerts.

Sadly, Saleem Raza suffered from kidney failure. He passed away on November 25, 1983, at the age of fifty-one.

Notable Film Songs

Here are some popular songs Saleem Raza sang for Urdu and Punjabi films:

• Bedard zamanay walon nay kab dard kisi ka jaana hai, from film Aas Paas (1957)
• Shah-e-Madina (saw), Yasrib kay wali, from film Noor-e-Islam (1957)
• Ae nazneen tujh sa koi haseen ham nay kabhi dekha nahin, from film Shama (1959)
• Zindgi mein ek pal bhi chain aye na, iss jahan main kash koi dil lagaey na, from film Hamsafar (1960)
• Bana kay mera nasheman, from film Do Rastay (1961)
• Tujh ko maalum nahin, tujh ko bhala kya maalum, from film Aanchal (1962)
• Jan-e-baharan, rashke-e-chaman, ghuncha dahan, shireen badan, from film Azra (1962)
• Tum jug jug geo maharaj ray, hum teri nagarya main aaey, from film Mousiqar (1962)
• Ae dil kisi ki yaad mein hota hay beqarar kyun, jiss nay bhula dia tujhay us ka hai intezar kyun, from film Ik Tera Sahara (1963)
• Na milta gar yeh tauba ka sahara hum kahan jatay, from film Tauba (1964) – A Qawwali song
• Jo kisi kay qareeb hotay hain, woh baray khush naseeb hotay hain, from film Shabnam (1965)
• Ek hamein awara kehna, koi bara ilzam nahin, from film Insaan (1966)
• Husn ko chand jawani ko kanwal kehtay hain, tairee surat nazar aaey to ghazal kehtay hain, from film Payal Ki Jhankar (1966)
• Yaro mujhay muaf rakho main nashay main hoon, ab jaam do to khali do main nashay main hoon, from film Saat Lakh (1957)
• Meray dil ki anjuman main teray ghum say roshni hai, na bhula sakoon ga tujh ko tera pyar zindagi hai, from film Qaidi (1962)

Awards and Recognition

Saleem Raza received several awards for his singing:

• Nigar Award for Best Singer for the film Hamsafar (1960)
• Nigar Award for Best Singer for the film Seema (1963)
• Gold Medal Award in 1966 from the Pakistan Arts Council, Lahore