Noor Jehan

Noor Jehan (, born Allah Rakhi Wasai; 21 September 1925 – 23 December 2000), better known by her honorific title Malika-e-Tarannum (), was a Pakistani singer and actress who worked first in British India and then in Pakistan. Her career spanned more than six decades (1930s–1990s). She was renowned as one of the greatest and most influential singers of all time especially throughout South Asia and was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum (the queen of melody) in Pakistan.She had a great command on Hindustani classical music as well as other genera of music. Born into a family with music traditions, Noor Jehan was pushed by her parents to follow in their musical footsteps and become a singer but she was more interested in acting in films. She recorded over 18,000 songs in various languages of India and Pakistan including Urdu, Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and also in Persian. Along with Ahmed Rushdi, she holds the record for having given voice to the largest number of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. She is also thought to be one of the most prolific singers of all time, alongside her protégé: renowned Indian playback singer Lata Mangeshkar. She is also considered to be the first female Pakistani film director. Noor Jehan was awarded the Pakistan President's Award by Ayub Khan (general) in 1965 for her acting and singing capabilities, especially for singing patriotic songs passionately during Indo-Pakistani War of 1965.Moreover, she also received one of the highest Pakistani civilian awards "Tamgha-e-Imtiaz" and "Sitara-e-Imtiaz". Noor Jehan received Life Time Achievement Award for twice, once in 1987 and second in 2002 after her death.