There has been no female singing star in Bollywood since the incredibly beautiful yesteryears actress Suraiya.
Born in pre-partition India at Lahore in 1929, Suraiya Jamal Sheikh made her acting debut as a child in "Taj Mahal" in 1941.
Soon after, she also became a playback singer for senior actresses. But after her launch as a leading lady in "Hamari Beti" in 1943, Suraiya sang only for herself.
For a while, Suraiya was neck-and-neck with the other singing star, Nurjehan. The two acted in a successful film "Anmol Ghadi" in 1946 where they played rivals in love.
Soon after the film, directed by Mehboob Khan, was released, Nurjehan migrated to Pakistan, leaving the coast clear for Suraiya's uninterrupted run at the top.
Her most prominent role as a singing star was in the historical "Mirza Ghalib", where Suraiya not only enacted the part of the Urdu poet Ghalib's beloved but also got the privilege of singing some of the finest poetry by Ghalib.
The 1950s also saw Suraiya participate in filmdom's first glamorous romance. Her fondness for the debonair Dev Anand was said to have had its roots in his resemblance to Hollywood's Gregory Peck, whom Suraiya had met and had taken a shine to.
The Indian Gregory Peck, Dev Anand, is rumoured to have become enormously fond of Suraiya. The two did several films together, like "Jeet" and "Afsar".
Legend has it that Suraiya was forced to fling a ring given to her by Dev Anand into the sea at the say-so of her disciplinarian grandmother.
In the same year as "Afsar", Suraiya did the mammoth musical romance "Dastaan", where she was paired with Raj Kapoor and sang all her songs herself.
Her last film as an actress was the pseudo-historical "Rustam Sohrab" in 1963, where she co-starred with the mighty Prithviraj Kapoor, father of Raj Kapoor.
Life had come a full circle for the actress. Like Vyjayanthimala, Suraiya cut loose from celluloid at her prime instead of hovering at the fringes to play supporting roles.
She made rare public appearances until her death, her face immaculately made up with a mask-like imperviousness. Unattached and reclusive Suraiya was the eternal spinster. No one was good enough to marry her.
Though she shunned the limelight, Suraiya remained the consummate star to the end. As an actress, she didn't achieve the acme of stardom. But her songs like "Tere Naino Ne Chori Kiya" and "Tu Mera Chand" will continue to charm listeners.