Noor Jehan
(نور
جہاں) was
the adopted stage name for Allah Wasai
(September 21, 1926 – December 23, 2000) who was a
singer and actress in British India and Pakistan.
She is renowned as one of the greatest and most
influential singers of her time in South Asia and
was given the honorific title of Mallika-e-Tarranum
(
ملکہ ترنم,
the queen of melody).
Born
in a family of musicians, Wasai was pushed by her
parents to follow in their musical footsteps and
become a singer but she was more interested in
acting in films and graced the earliest Pakistani
films with her performances. She holds a remarkable
record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in
various languages of Pakistan including Urdu,
Punjabi and Sindhi languages, she is also considered
to be the first female Pakistani film director.
In
1957, Jehan was awarded the President's Award for
her acting and singing capabilities.