Sharda
Sharda Rajan Iyengar was discovered by Raj Kapoor at a party in Tehran and brought to Shankar-Jaikishan; Titli Udi in Suraj (1966) was an instant hit and an instant controversy. Her thin, untrained, oddly placed voice divided listeners completely, but Shankar stood by her for a decade, and she won a Filmfare Award in 1970 for Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki.
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Life
She was born in Madras in 1933 and grew up partly in Tehran, where her family lived; she had no formal training. Raj Kapoor heard her sing at a gathering there in the mid-1960s and introduced her to Shankar, who used her in Suraj, Around the World, Gumnaam and then a long run of films into the 1970s — Shikar, Sachaai, Jahan Pyar Mile, Jawan Mohabbat. Her preference by Shankar is often cited as one reason for his falling out with Jaikishan's circle and with Lata.
She composed music for a few films in the late 1970s and recorded Hindi pop albums; after Shankar's death in 1987 she worked little. She died in Mumbai in June 2023.
The voice
Sharda's voice is unmistakable — thin, nasal, placed high in the head, with a childlike quality and an almost instrumental tone. Shankar used it for the bright, bouncing pop-flavoured song of the late 1960s, and in that setting it has a charm its critics never granted.
Composers
- Shankar-Jaikishan
- Sharda
Sang for
- Vyjayanthimala
- Rajshree
- Saira Banu
- Mumtaz
Sang with
Honours
Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, 1970 (Jahan Pyar Mile)
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