Nazia Hassan (1965-2000) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, lawyer and social activist. She is famous for singing the Hindi song “Aap Jaisa Koi” in the Bollywood film “Qurbani” (1980). She has won several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, making her the first Pakistani to win the award. She is known for introducing pop and disco music in Pakistan. She is popularly known as the “Queen of South Asian Pop” and the “Sweetheart of Pakistan”.
Wiki/Biography
Nazia Hassan was born on Saturday, April 3, 1965 in Karachi, Pakistan (age 35 at the time of death). She later moved to London with her family to study for a BA in Business Administration and Economics at the American University of Richmond. She received her LLB from the University of London. In 2014, her son Arez received a posthumous honorary doctorate in her name from the American University of Richmond in London.
Nazia Hassan childhood photos
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′6”
Weight (approximately): 55kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
She comes from a Muslim family in Pakistan.
Parents and siblings
Her father, Bashir Hassan, is a businessman. Her mother Muniza Basir is an active social worker. She has a brother Zoheb Hassan and a sister Zara Hassan.
Nazia Hassan (far right) with her parents and brother
husband and children
Nazia Hassan married Karachi businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig on March 30, 1995, and they divorced in 2000 (three months before her death ). However, Ishtiak claimed in an interview that there was no divorce between them. The couple has a son, Arez Hassan, born on April 7, 1997. After her death in 2000, her son was raised by Nazia’s parents.
Nazia Hassan with husband and son
In an interview with the famous Pakistani newspaper Daily Jang, Nazia Hassan talked about the difficulties she faced during her marriage to Ishtiaq and revealed that he was unfaithful to her with a Pakistani actress. She revealed that while she was battling cancer, her ex-husband refused to pay for her treatment and she was cared for by her parents. During the interview, she further revealed that her ex-husband once forced her to make false statements about their married life.
Profession
Bollywood
Nazia Hassan began her official singing career at the age of fifteen. During her stay in London, she met Bollywood film director Feroze Khan at a party. He heard her voice at a party and was impressed. Later, he invited her to audition London-based Indian music composer Biddu Appaiah for the Bollywood film “Qurbani” (1980). Later, she was selected to sing the song “Aap Jaisa Koi” for the Bollywood film “Qurbani” (1980), which proved to be her career breakthrough.
Movie “Gurbani” poster
In 1982, part of the soundtrack to her album Boom Boom appeared in the Bollywood film Star. However, the film did not do well at the box office, but the songs of the film received huge praise from the audience.
Movie “Star” poster
She later sang songs in several Bollywood films, including Dilwaala (1986), Main Balwaan (1986), Ilzaam (1986), Adhikar (1987) and Saaya (1989).
Music album
In 1981, Nazia and her brother Zoheb formed the pop duo “Nazia and Zoheb” and released their debut album “Disco Deewane”. The album became a huge hit for the brother-sister duo and broke sales records with 65 million copies sold worldwide. The album also became one of the best-selling albums in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia at the time. It became popular in Western countries under the title of “Dreamer Devine”.
The cover of the album “Disco Deewane”
In 1982, the two released another album “Boom Boom”, for which she was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Vocalist.
album cover
In 1983, they released her third album, Young Tarang, the first Pakistani album to feature video songs. In 1984, the album was released globally and became one of the most popular video albums in Asia. The album consists of ten songs, the most famous of which is “Ankien Milane Wale”.
Album “Young Tarang” cover
In 1987, the two released their fourth album “Hotline”, which included 13 songs, the most famous of which is “Aan Haan”.
Album “Hotline” cover
Nazia and Zoheb recorded their fifth album, Camera Camera, in 1991 and announced before its release in 1992 that it would be their last album together. Later, Nazia quit her singing career to focus on her personal life.
television
Nazaia made her television debut at the age of ten in the television program “Kaliyon Ke Mala” (1975) aired on Pakistan Television Network (PTV). In the show, she appeared as a child artist and sang the song “Dosti Aisa Naata”. In 1988, Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan appeared as guests on the TV show “Sung Sung” with music maestro Sohail Rana. In 1989, the siblings hosted the television program “Music ’89” broadcast on Pakistan Television. It was the first popular music stage show to be broadcast on Pakistani television. In the same year, Nazia Hassan hosted another show “Dhanak” which was aired on PTV.
Charitable activities
Members of various charitable organizations
Nazia is a member of several charitable organizations dedicated to helping children, teenagers and women living in impoverished areas of Karachi. She is a member of the women’s organization ‘Inner Wheel Club of India’. She founded the “BAN (Bight Against Narcotics)” organization in Pakistan. She is also known for her involvement in the introduction of mobile clinics in Lyari town, which made medical facilities more accessible in the area. She has been actively involved in various funding schemes and is a member of several funding organizations including Women’s Voice. In 1991, the singer became a member of the United Nations Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where he worked for two years. Later, she provided her services to UNICEF. She also received a scholarship from Columbia University’s Leadership Program; however, she was unable to accept the offer because she was diagnosed with cancer at the time.
Charitable public welfare funds the education of poor children
The singer has worked with former Pakistan Information Minister Javed Jabbar to raise funds for children in Tharparkar and Rajasthan. She often goes to schools to give talks on social awareness and distributes toys to underprivileged children. After Nazia’s death, her parents established the charity organization “Nazia Hasan Foundation” in 2003 to help people in need without any discrimination based on caste, creed and religion. In 2016, Nazia’s parents decided to open a school to provide education for the children of street workers. The school was earlier named ‘Nazia Hassan Foundation’ but later it was changed to ‘Nazia Hassan Learning School’.
dispute
Testimony against her ex-husband
Her brother Zoheb revealed in an interview that before her death, Nazia Hassan had given testimony against her husband Ishtiaq Baig in the British High Court. In her testimony, she claimed that her Her husband had physically molested her and at one point fed her harmful substances. She also claimed he hid his previous marriage from Nazia’s family. She mentioned in her testimony that Ishtiaq’s first wife was Hazel, a Filipino dancer, and they had a son named Imran Baig (born in 1984). Later, he married Pakistani actress Shazia. Nazia claims her family did not know this before he married her.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- In 1981, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Singer for the song “Aap Jaisa Koi”. She became the first Pakistani to win the award.
Nazia Hasan wins Filmfare Award
- She was posthumously awarded the Pride of Performance Award; in 2002, the award was received by her mother.
- She is a recipient of the Golden Disc Award.
- She is also a Double Platinum Award winner.
- She was named one of the 50 most influential people by India Today magazine.
- On October 31, 2014, Global Voices Online, an international community of writers, bloggers and digital activists, recognized Nazia Hasan as “a young independent woman creating a space for herself in the Pakistani music industry” .
- “ARY News” included Nazia Hasan in the list of “11 Pioneer Women of Pakistan” in 2014.
die
Nazia Hassan died in London on August 13, 2000, at the age of 35. She had long suffered from lung cancer and spent three days in a North London hospice. She was buried according to Islamic rites in Hendon Cemetery (Muslim Quarter), London, on 5 September 2000, following the Namaz-e-Janaza ceremony at Golders Green Crematorium.
Tomb of Nazia Hassan, London
Facts/Trivia
- Nazia is known as the “Princess Diana of Southeast Asia” by fans because of her beauty, intelligence and kindness.
- After the success of their debut album “Disco Deewane”, Nazia and Zoheb were signed by EMI Group, becoming the first Pakistani singers to be signed by an international music company.
- In an interview, Nazia Hassan talked about bringing a cultural revolution to Pakistan by introducing popular music in Pakistan and said:
Yes, some people don’t even think of it as music; that’s what we dig, take in, or let go of. They say classical music is the only real music. Whenever I attend a classical music recital, I feel like I’m at a funeral. You must sit upright and not cough or talk, lest people think you are impolite. “
- In 1982, the duo Nazia and Zoheb were invited to star in the Bollywood film Star; however, they rejected the offer.
- Her songwriter Biddu composed a song “Made in India” (1995) and invited Nazia to sing the song; however, the singer declined the offer as she thought it might Offend Pakistan. The song was later sung by Indian singer Alisha Chinai.
- The singer also served as a political analyst for the United Nations in New York.
- In 1991, she interned with the United Nations Women’s International Leadership Program and subsequently served on the United Nations Security Council.
- In the same year, Nazia was appointed Cultural Ambassador of Pakistan.
- On March 9, 2002, a tribute concert to Nazia Hassan was held in Karachi, where the famous Pakistani rock bands “Vital Signs” and “Jupiters” performed together on the stage.
- In 2007, Pakistani director and producer Ahmed Hasib filmed a biographical documentary “Music Fairy” to commemorate Nazia Hassan. The film was subsequently screened at the Kara Film Festival and Ankara University. Haseeb won the Best Documentary Award at the Kara Film Festival in the same year for this film.
- In 2012, the song “Dum dum de de” from her album “Young Tarang” (1984) appeared in the Bollywood film “Miss Lovely” starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
- The same year, a remake of her song “Disco Deewane” appeared in the Bollywood film “Student of the Year”. The cover song is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan.
- On November 16, 2014, Zoheb Hasan and Zoe Vikaj (Pakistani singer) performed Nazia’s song “Jaana” on the music show “Coca-Cola Studio Pakistan” as a tribute to her.
- In 2022, a remake of the song “Aap Jaisa Koi” appeared in the Bollywood movie “Action Hero”. The song was featured as a single in the movie starring Malaika Arora and Ayushmann Khurrana, to which Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiqui reacted and slammed the actors for ruining the song via a tweet.
Is there a sudden tendency in the world to destroy perfectly good classics? Even reinvention requires talent. Nasia Hassan is definitely turning in her grave. #AapJaisaKoi Nashi…
— Adnan Siddiqui (@adnanactor) November 28, 2022
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education