Punjabi Chantuese: Musarrat Nazir (refreshed link)

Musarrat Nazir

This is the second edition of this post. The first (longer) one was deleted forever by accident. 

When I first arrived in Pakistan I knew nothing about Pakistani music. I couldn’t name a single singer or musician. My life long love for that country’s music came through Musarrat Nazir, whose rendition of the Punjabi folk song Mera Laung Gawaacha (My Missing Nose ring) was a huge mid-80s hit.

As soon as she entered the tinsel foray, she was dubbed Pakistan’s first sex symbol, both for her voluptuous figure, beautiful face and springy, sexy gait. She enhanced this screen persona with close fitting outfits that included saris with low necked and torso baring blouses and an acting style that was vigorous, replete with nakhra tinged gesticulation. When she made her foray into films there were only three reigning divas that regularly made movies amid a sea full of hopefuls. These included the queen bee Noor Jehan, Yasmin and Sabiha. It was with the latter that Musarrat developed a rivalry, and often faced off with her new adversary. If Sabiha completed three films in one year, then Musarrat made damn sure she made four.

Because of her glamorous appeal and daring outfits, Musarrat often got on the wrong side of the censors during the 50′s and 60′s. In director S. Suleiman’s 50′s hit Baghi with Sudhir, Musarrat was chastised by the censors for showing too much cleavage. In the 60′s, the censors blanched at her performance in Munawwar Rashid’s Bahadur with Darpan. Other successful and memorable films in Musarrat’s repertoire were Gulfam with Darpan and Thandi Sadak with Kamal. The ever provocative siren also dared to act with a much younger actor Ejaz, in 1959 Raaz, a successful mystery film.

Musarrat ended her film career in 1965, married Dr. Arshad Majeed, and moved to Canada. She briefly returned to Pakistan in the late `70s, but not sure what she would do here returned to the land of frost. Her return to Pakistan in 1983 was momentous. For one, she looked sensational, with dewy skin, layered hair and deeply kohled beautiful eyes. The glamorous singer appeared on `The Tariq Aziz Show’ and re-wooed audiences with the hauntingly lilting Chaley to kat hi jae ga. Her ongoing popularity during this period (1983-85) made the peripatetic star a permanent resident of Lahore.

During the 1980s her nasal lilting voice was ubiquitous at many mehndi ceremonies, especially her hitsLoang Gawancha (1983) and Jogi (1985). However after a few public and tawdry drunken episodes, Dr Arshad Majeed whisked his wife back to Canada. (http://cineplot.com/mussarat-nazir/)

This collection of Punjabi songs is really good showing off Musarrat’s many vocal skills.

Track Listing:

 01 Chitti Meri Veeni

02 Ae Choorra Mendey Sajna

03 Kanwa We Kanwa

04 Janda Hoya Das Na Gaya

05 Main Hijr Wichhorra

06 Kachcha Challa

07 Nika Mota Bajra

08 Lathe De Chadar

09 Main Kamli Da Dhola

10 Kut Kut Bajra

11 Choorri Garan Di

12 Kerra Ain Way Toon

13 Kivain Ruthrra Yaar

14 Mera Laung Gawacha

15 Meri Banh Te Likha De

16 Haye O Mere Dadhia Rabba (Madhaniyan)

Listen here