DHAKA: The cultural world has, in 2013, lost many of noted persons. The list include, legendary singer Shahshad Begum, ‘Fast & Furious’ famed actor Paul Walker, Indian National Award Winning filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh, singer Noel Harrison and others. Some of their details are given below.
Legendary singer Shamshad Begum
Legendary singer Shamshad Begum died on 23 April 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.
Born on 14 April in 1919 in Amritsar, Punjab, Shamshad made her debut in Lahore on the Peshawar Radio on 16 December in 1947.
Some of her popular Hindi songs include ‘Kabhi Aar Kabhi Paar’, ‘Kajra Mohabbat Wala’ and ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon’.
She conferred with the third-highest civilian honour of India, Padma Bhushan.
Indian National Award Winning filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh
Rituparno Ghosh, the renowned Bengali film maker died on 30 May of cardiac arrest at his south Kolkata residence.
Forty nine 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’.
Bollywood actress Jiah Khan
Jiah Khan, the 25-year old Bollywood actress died on 3 June at her Juhu residence in Mumbai. She allegedly committed suicide.
Born on 20 February in 1988 in Chelsea, London, Jiah Khan’s real name was Nafisa Khan. 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 AR Murugadoss’s ‘Ghajini’. She also starred in Sajid Khan’s comedy film ‘Housefull’ in 2010. It was her last film.
Singer Noel Harrison
Singer Noel Harrison has died at his home in Devon, aged 79 on 22 October. He was best known for recording the hit song ‘The Windmills Of Your Mind’ on The Thomas Crown Affair soundtrack.
He was the son of the actor Rex Harrison. It won best song at the 1968 Oscars and was later covered by artists including Dusty Springfield.
Harrison was born in London on 29 January in 1934.
Legendary Pakistani folksinger Reshma
Legendary Pakistani folk singer Reshma passed away in Lahore, Pakistan on 3 November after a long battle with throat cancer.
She was 66 years old. She is known for her popular songs such as Lambi Judai and Dama Dam Mast Kalandar. She is survived by a son and a daughter.
Reshma was born in 1947 in Bikaner, Rajasthan, in a Banjara family. She won various national awards such as Sitara-i-Imtiaz as well as Legends of Pakistan, by the President of Pakistan.
Nobel Prize-Winning Author Doris Lessing
British Nobel Prize-winning author Doris Lessing was died on 17 November at London. She was 94 years old.
Her best-known works are ‘The Golden Notebook’, ‘Memoirs of a Survivor’ and ‘The Summer Before the Dark’.
In her life time she wrote more than 80 books, including poetry, two operas, short stories, plays and non-fiction. In 2007, the 88-year-old Doris Lessing became the oldest recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature and only the 11th woman to win the award.
Actor Paul Walker
‘Fast & Furious’ star Paul Walker was killed by impact and fire in a crash that occurred while he was a passenger in a Porsche driven by his friend.
Walker died on November 30.
The 2005 Porsche Carrera GT was driven by Roger Rodas, who was killed by the impact alone, according to the autopsy released by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
British author Paul Torday
Paul Torday, the British businessman who turned an author died on 19 December at the age of 67 in Northumberland.
His debut novel ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’ was his comic best seller.
His novel, Salmon Fishing won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize in 2007 and went on to be filmed in 2011 and starred Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt.
It also won the Waverton Good Read Award in 2008 and has been sold over 500000 copies in the UK. ‘Light Shining in the Forest’ was his most recent novel and was published in 2013.
Bollywood actor Farooq Sheikh
Veteran Bollywood actor Farooq Sheikh died on 28 December due to heart attack in Dubai. He died at the age of 65 and was born on 25 March in 1948.
He was best known for roles in films like Garam Hawa (1973), Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977), Noorie (1979), Chashme Baddoor (1981), Umrao Jaan (1981), Bazaar (1982) and Kissi Se Na Kehna (1983).
He won 2010 National Film Award for best supporting actor in Lahore (a sports film).
The Pianist Composer Wojciech Kilar
Polish pianist and composer Wojciech Kilar, who was Bafta-nominated for his score to Roman Polanski’s Oscar-winning film ‘The Pianist’, has died aged 81.
The composer died in his hometown Katowice, southern Poland, following a long illness.
His work as a film composer included ‘Dracula’ and ‘Polanski’s The Ninth Gate’.
In Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, eminent actor Anwar Hossain, honoured as Nawab of Bangla cinema, passed away on September 13. Stage performer and director Khalid Khan died on December 20, Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra-famed singer Bipul Bhattacharya died on July 5.
Legendary folksinger Abdur Rahman Bayati died on August 19 and actress Mita Noor committed suicide on July 9.
Veteran cultural personality and drama director Atiqul Haque Chowdhury died on June 17 and actor Baby Zaman died on January 25.
BDST: 1912 HRS, DEC 31, 2013
Edited by Robab Rosan, Current Affairs Editor
