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Shahnaz Rahmatullah
singer
- January 2, 1952
- March 23, 2019
- 67 years
- heart attack
About Shahnaz Rahmatullah
Shahnaz Rahmatullah, 67, Bangladeshi singer, heart attack.
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60 Seconds Life Story
Shahnaz Rahmatullah was a celebrated Bangladeshi singer whose voice defined an era of music.
Shahnaz Rahmatullah
1952 – 2019
60 Seconds: Shahnaz Rahmatullah's Life Story
A look at the life and career of acclaimed Bangladeshi singer Shahnaz Rahmatullah.
Transcript
Shahnaz Rahmatullah was a celebrated Bangladeshi singer whose voice defined an era of music. Born in 1952, she debuted as a playback singer at age eleven in the film Notun Sur. Over her prolific career, she became renowned for her modern and patriotic songs, including the iconic Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay. Her talent earned her prestigious recognition, including the 1992 Ekushey Padak and a National Film Award. Four of her tracks were even named among the twenty greatest Bangla songs of all time in a BBC survey. Beyond the studio, she remained a beloved cultural figure for millions of listeners. Rahmatullah passed away on March 23, 2019, from a heart attack at her home in Dhaka. At age sixty-seven, her enduring legacy continues through the melodies she shared with the world.
Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.
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Full Biography
|Shahnaz Rahmatullah (née Begum; 2 January 1952 – 23 March 2019) was a Bangladeshi Bengali singer.
Her notable songs are Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay, Prothom Bangladesh Amar Sesh Bangladesh, Ekbar Jete De Na Amar Chotto Sonar Gaye, Je Chilo Drishtir Shimanay and Ek Tara Tui Desher Kotha. She was the recipient of the Ekushey Padak in 1992 and Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the film Chhutir Phande (1990).
Background
Rahmatullah was born on 2 January 1952 as Shahnaz Begum in Dhaka to M Fazlul Haq and Asiya Haq. Actor Zafar Iqbal and music director Anwar Parvez were Rahmatullah's brothers. She was trained by ghazal maestro Mehedi Hassan, Ustad Phul Mohammad, Ustad Munir Hossain and Altaf Mahmud.
Rahmatullah was married to Maj (retd) Abul Bashar Rahmatullah.
Career
Rahmatullah debuted in singing at the age of 11, as a playback singer for the film Notun Sur (1963). She first performed on television in 1964. She sang in Bangladeshi and Pakistani films. She mostly sang modern (Adhunik Gaan) and patriotic songs. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, she sang patriotic songs such as Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhe and Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan. She released an album with Samina Chowdhury called Megh Roddur on which she sang six songs composed by Shafiq Tuhin. She released four albums in total.
Four of Rahmatullah's songs were selected in a BBC survey of 20 greatest Bangla songs of all time.
Rahmatullah died on 23 March 2019 of a heart attack at her residence in Baridhara, aged 67.
Pakistani journalist, Hamid Mir said, "Shahnaz Begum passed away in Bangladesh on March 23 when many Pakistanis were listening to her famous song Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay on Pakistan Day."
Works
- Films
- Notun Sur (1962)
- Abar Tora Manush Ho (1973)
- Ghuddi (1975)
- Albums
- Badal Diner Pakhi
Film songs
Non-film songs
Songs for television
Awards
- President's Pride of Performance Medal (1965)
- Ekushey Padak (1992)
- Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer (1990)
- Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award
- Bangladesh Chalachitra Sangbadik Samity Award
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shahnaz_Rahmatullah
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- October 21, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
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