Suraiya Net Worth in 2023 (Bio, Career, Net Worth, Personal Life, Age, etc.)

Suraiya Net Worth. Suraiya Suraiya, as Jamal Sheikh was called, was a renowned actress and playback singer in Hindi-language films in India. She was active from 1936 until 1963, and between the mid and late 1940s, she was the most famous actress until Madhubala and Nargis overtook her. Suraiya’s Net Worth is estimated to be approximately $9 Million.

Suraiya Net worth and profile in one glance

Biography of Suraiya

Early life

Suraiya Jamal Sheikh was born in Lahore on June 15, 1929, to Aziz Jamal Sheikh and Mumtaz Sheikh. Her family came to Mumbai (then called Bombay) when she was one year old to live in the ‘Krishna Mahal’ on Marine Drive. They were soon joined by her maternal uncle, M. Zahoor, a well-known villain in the Bombay film business in the 1930s.

In Bombay’s Fort neighbourhood, she attended New High School, currently known as J.B. Petit High School for Girls. Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan were among Suraiya’s childhood pals, with whom she used to sing in children’s radio shows on All India Radio.

Stepping stone into Suraiya Net Worth (Career)

Suraiya made her acting debut as Miss Suraiya in Jaddan Bai’s Madame Fashion in 1936. Later, with the support of her uncle, M. Zahoor, she was cast in a key part.

She joined him at Bombay’s Mohan Studios during school vacation in 1941 to observe the shooting of Nanubhai Vakil’s film Taj Mahal, which he was directing. Suraiya was chosen for the character of Mumtaz Mahal by Vakil because of her charm and purity.

Primary source of Suraiya Net worth (Singing)

Raj Kapoor and Madan Mohan were her co-artists when she was six years old and singing for children’s programmes on All India Radio (AIR) in Bombay.

They were the ones who originally introduced her to AIR. Both were later linked with her as an adult, appearing in films as her hero and music director, respectively.

Zulfiqar Ali Bukhari was the station director at the Bombay radio station at the time. Suraiya was chosen to sing for Mehtab in Abdul Rashid Kardar’s film Sharda as soon as music director Naushad Ali heard her voice (1942).

He became Suraiya’s coach, and she sang some of her best songs under his direction. Suraiya later became a full-fledged singing celebrity with films like Anmol Ghadi (1946), Dard (1947), Dillagi (1949), and Dastaan (1950).

Other Works

Suraiya excelled as an actress and a singer in Mirza Ghalib (1954), which received the 1954 National Award for Best Feature Film in India, for her portrayal of Ghalib’s lover, ‘Chaudvin’.

After Mirza Ghalib, she appeared in films such as Bilwamangal (1954), Waris (1954), Shama Parwana (1954), Kanchan (1955), Inam (1955), Mr. Lambu (1956), Trolly Driver (1958), Miss 1958 (1958), Maalik (1958).

Suraiya once told Lata Mangeshkar in the mid-1950s that she would soon be reducing the number of films she made. Lata forbade her from doing so. In Shama Parwana, she collaborated with then-newcomer Shammi Kapoor (1954).

Her final film was Rustam Sohrab (1963). Suraiya revealed in an interview that she suffered from low blood pressure while filming the film, which led to her abandoning her acting career.

As a singer

“Boot Karun main polish babu” (as a playback vocalist) in the film Nai Duniya (1942), composed by Naushad, was Suraiya’s first song as a child singer. When her principal, Miss P.F. Puttack, took a severe view of her absence from school, her ‘adventure’ came to an abrupt halt.

She went on to sing playback for actress Mehtab for Sharda (1942), Kanoon (1943), and Sanjog (1942–43) for Naushad and A.R. Kardar (director-producer).

Mehtab was apprehensive to hire Suraiya as a playback singer when she first saw her, but after hearing her sing, she wanted Suraiya to perform all of her songs in her films.

Personal life

From 1948 through 1951, Dev Anand and Suraiya had a four-year love affair. Suraiya called Dev Anand “Nosey,” whereas Dev Anand was known to Suraiya as “Steve,” a name she chose from a book Dev Anand had given her.

Suraiya spoke to Anand as “Devina,” and he referred to her as “Suraiyana,” all while imitating an Italian accent.

Later life and last days

Suraiya resigned from acting in 1963, ostensibly for two reasons. Because of her health troubles, her father, Aziz Jamal Sheikh, died that year.

Suraiya’s maternal grandmother, Badshah Begum, who was instrumental in her professional and personal life, eventually moved to Pakistan to live with her brother and his kid, leaving her mother, Mumtaz Begum, alone.

Her pleasant years were spent with her mother, who took care of her everyday necessities and took her to see her film industry colleagues on occasion.

She had a few acquaintances, including Jairaj, Nimmi, Nirupa Roy, and Tabassum, with who she caught up on occasion. She temporarily returned to the limelight in 1979 after Raju Bhartan published an interview with her in The Illustrated Weekly of India, which she claimed prompted numerous of her former colleagues in the film industry to call her.

Honors and accolades

Suraiya’s picture Anmol Ghadi, starring Noor Jehan and Surendra, achieved a ‘Silver Jubilee’ (a continuous run of 25 weeks in one or more movie theatres) in Bombay (now ‘Mumbai’) and other Indian cities in 1946.

Suraiya was featured on the cover of the first issue of the film news-weekly Screen in 1951.

During the 2nd National Film Awards in 1954, her film Mirza Ghalib received the President’s gold medal for Best Feature Film, with then-Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru remarking at the occasion that she had brought Mirza Ghalib to life (‘Tumne Mirza Ghalib ki rooh ko zindaa kar diyaa’). Suraiya considered his appreciation to be more deserving than an Oscar.

Suraiya was sent to the Soviet Union by the Government of India in November 1956 as part of a delegation that included Raj Kapoor, Nargis, and Kamini Kaushal, where her films were presented.

Conclusion

Suraiya is a well-known and accomplished performer in the Bollywood film business. Suraiya Net Worth serves as a source of inspiration and motivation. You must check out – Tabu Net Worth.