Recent DEATHS

Shamshad Begum

Legendary singer Shamshad Begum died on 23 April 2013 in Mumbai due to illness. She was 94 years of age. She was one of the first few playback singers of the Hindi film industry. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law.
About Shamshad Begum

·         Shamshad Begum was born on 14 April 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab.

·         Her debut was in Lahore on the Peshawar Radio on 16 December 1947.

·         Some of her popular Hindi songs include Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar, Kajra Mohabbat Wala and Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon.

·         Her hit tracks included Saiyan Dil Mein Aana Re, Chod Babul Ka Ghar, Leke Pehla Pehla Pyar, Kahin Pe Nigahen Kahin Pe Nishana and Boojh Mera Kya Naam Re.

·         Shamshad Begum started her singing career in early thirties.

·         She sang under the contract with Jenophone Record Company, for which she received 12.50 Rupees per song in 30s. She recorded around 200 songs for this company under baton of Ghulam Haider. Her songs were broadcasted on radio but not on gramophone.

·         Before she made her debut in Hindi films, she sang in Punjabi film of Dalsukh Pancholi called Yamla Jat with the music given by Ghulam Haider.

·         The first Hindi film of Dalsukh Pancholi was Khazanchi in which there were nine songs, all of which were recorded in Shamshad Begum’s voice.

·         She was among the most sought-after female playback singers of 40s.

·         She sang in various languages such as Tamil, Punjabi, Gujarati, Marathi and Bengali apart from Hindi in multi-lingual song Ye Duniya Roop Ki Chor.

·         Shamshad Begum also sang for All India Radio (AIR) through the musical group called The Crown Imperial Theatrical Company of Performing Arts.

·         She was conferred with the O P Nayyar award for contribution to Hindi film music, in the year 2009.

·         In 2009 again, she was conferred with the third-highest civilian honour of India, Padma Bhushan.

Jiah Khan

Jiah Khan, the 25-year old Bollywood actress died on 3 June 2013 at her Juhu residence in Mumbai. She allegedly committed suicide. Jiah Khan’s real name was Nafisa Khan. She was born on 20 February 1988 in Chelsea, London. She debuted in Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, opposite veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan in the year 2007. She also got the Filmfare Best Debutant Nomination for Nishabd. Jiah Khan also appeared with Aamir Khan in A R Murugadoss’s Ghajini. She also starred in Sajid Khan’s comedy film Housefull in 2010. Housefull was her last film. Jiah was raised in England and later moved to Mumbai to make a mark in Bollywood industry.

Penne Hackforth-Jones

Penne Hackforth-Jones, one of Australia’s most recognisable actors died at the age of 64 after battling lung cancer. Born in 1949 in the US state of Connecticut, she was brought up in Australia. Her first credited role was in the 1969 TV series Riptide. Hackforth-Jones appeared in many well-known Australian television series, including A Country Practice, All Saints and Mother and Son. She also featured in a number of movies, including Mao’s Last Dancer in 2009 and Muriel’s Wedding in 1994. Her last appearance was in The Doctor Blake Mysteries.

Deanna Durbin

Deanna Durbin, the renowned face of Hollywood in 1930s and early 40s died on 20 April 2013 in the village outside Paris. She was 91 years of age. Deanna Durbin was among the highest paid stars in US in 1947. She retired at the age of just 27 years. She debuted in 1936 MGM short Every Sunday. She appeared with Judy Garland. Deanna Durbin’s first movie was Three Smart Girls for the Universal studios. This movie was also nominated for best picture Oscar in 1937. In 1939, she won Juvenile Academy Awards for her significant contribution to screen, along with her fellow teen stars. Her most notable achievement was that her films’ success saved the Universal Studios from Bankruptcy in late 1930s. It was estimated that her films accounted for 17 percent of overall revenue of the Universal Studios during that decade.
In 1946, Deanna Durbin’s salary was 323477 US dollar, which made her the second highest-paid woman in America, behind Bette Davis. She retired from the films at the peak of her career in 1949 and moved to a village in France.

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar (1932-2013), the dhrupad vocalist passed away on 8 May 2013 following brief illness at his Gurukul near Panvel. He was 80 years of age. Drupad is the oldest existing north Indian classical music form.
About Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar

·         Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan on 15 June 1932.

·         He was also the court musician of Maharana Bhupal Singh of Udaipur.

·         He played a prominent role in reviving the dhrupad tradition in the 20th century along with his brother late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, the legendary rudra veena player.

·         He was the master of srutis. He was renowned for his drupad vocal in not just India, but also across the world.

·         He gave performances in various popular festivals in India and abroad.

·         He won various prestigious honours and awards such as Tagore Ratna Award, Tansen Samman and Sangeet Natak Academy Fellowship.

·         He was also conferred upon with the Padma Shri- India’s fourth highest civilian honor in 2012, but he turned it down.

·         He also remained a distinguished guest faculty at the Dhrupad Sansar of IIT Bombay for 5 years.

Rituparno Ghosh

Rituparno Ghosh, the renowned Bengali film maker died on 30 May 2013 of cardiac arrest at his south Kolkata residence. 49 Years old Rituparno Ghosh is the winner of 12 national and some of the international awards.

Ghosh came into limelight by his direction of a children’s film Hirer Angti in year 1994. His film Unishe April won national award winner in 1995. Some of his famous films include Dahan, Asukh, Chokher Bali, Raincoat, Bariwali, Antarmahal and Noukadubi.
A brief  Insight into Ghosh’s Career

·         Rituparno started his career as a advertising Professional and his directional debut was Hirer Angti (The diamond ring).

·         He won the National film award for Best Director for his Bengali film Abohoman starring Jishu Sengupta, Ananya Chatterjee, Dipankar Dey and Mamata Shankar.

·         He made his first screen presence in an Oriya film Katha Deithilli Ma Ku which is directed by Himanshu Parija and released in 2003.

·         He hosted two celebrity chat shows, namely Ebong Rituporno on ETV Bangla and Ghosh and co. on Star Jalsha.

·         He was also the scriptwriter of Gaaner Opa.

Sailendra Nath Roy

Sailendra Nath Roy, an Indian Guinness World Record holder who on 28 April 2013 attempted to cross a river called Teesta suspended from a zip wire attached to his ponytail has died during the stunt. He was trying to cross the Coronation Bridge over the Teesta river near Siliguri town suspended from a zip wire 600ft (180m) long at a height of 70ft (20m).
In March 2011, Sailendra was named a Guinness World Record holder for travelling the farthest distance on a zip wire using hair. In 2008, Sailendra pulled the Darjeeling toy train with his ponytail. And in 2007, his ponytail tied to a rope, he flew from one building to another in front of television cameras.