Shahnaz Rahmatullah

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Shahnaz Rahmatullah

singer

Born
January 2, 1952
Died
March 23, 2019
Age
67 years
Cause
heart attack

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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.

60 Seconds Life Story

Shahnaz Rahmatullah

1952 – 2019

0:00 / 1:04

60 Seconds: Shahnaz Rahmatullah's Life Story

1:05Added 2026-10-24Generated

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.

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Visual credits: Ojarchokhnai (CC BY-SA 4.0) · AzamKamolov / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License) · Unsplash (CC0) · Template:Nothin' Fancy, LLC (Public domain) · Ojarchokhnai (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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Full Biography

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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
Albums
  • Badal Diner Pakhi

Film songs

Non-film songs

Songs for television

Awards

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

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