Profile via TMDB · Courtesy of TMDB
Kajjanbai
Sign in to saveJahanara Kajjan (15 February 1915 – 20 December 1945), or "Miss Kajjan", was an Indian singer and actress active during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, often referred to as the "Nightingale of Bengal". The reigning queen of early talkie films, glamorous movie sensation, the trained classical singer, the fashion icon and the trendsetter, she was known as "Lark of Hindi Cinema", "The Lark of India" and the "Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen". She along with Master Nissar made most sought after and popular singing pair of the stage and film. She was a popular star of silent films.
Film & TV
Jahanara Kajjan (1915–1945), often known simply as Kajjan or Miss Kajjan, was one of the earliest female stars of Indian cinema. Trained in classical music and theatre, she came from the tawaif (courtesan) tradition and rose to fame on the Parsi stage before transitioning to films in the early 1930s. Her refined Urdu diction, musical prowess, and elegant screen presence made her a standout…
Known for
- Mumtaz Mahal — Queen Noor Jehan1944
- Bhartrahari1944
- Ghar Sansar — Lata1943
- Prarthana — Sunderbai1943
- Suhagan1942
- Zinda Bhoot1937
- Anokha Prem1934
- Indrasabha — Sabj Pari1932
- Shirin Farhad — Shirin1931
- Laila Majnu — Laila1931
via TMDB
Wikidata facts
Show 3 more facts
- date of death
- 1945-00-00
- date of birth
- 1915-00-00
- start of work period
- 1930-00-00
Sources (3)
via Wikidata · CC0
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
11 sectionsContents
- Early life
- Career
- Notable films
- Personal life
- Death
- Songs
- Filmography
- Film
- References
- Sources
- External links
Jahanara Kajjan (15 February 1915 – 20 December 1945), or "Miss Kajjan", was an Indian singer and actress active during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, often referred to as the "Nightingale of Bengal". The reigning queen of early talkie films, glamorous movie sensation, the trained classical singer, the fashion icon and the trendsetter, she was known as "Lark of Hindi Cinema", "The Lark of India" and the "Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen". She along with Master Nissar made most sought after and popular singing pair of the stage and film. She was a popular star of silent films.
She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Bibbo, Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Kajjan Kahoon Ke Shanta" (Should I call you Kajjan or Shanta), where Santha Kumari referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Kajjanbai” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.