Like her, her art was also unpretentious. Unfettered by convention or custom. Embracing and evolving. Blending the best of both the West and East, Nazia Hassan was titled Pakistan’s first popstar. Not only did her Aap jaise koi meri zindagi mein aaye hoist Zeenat Aman’s diva act in Qurbani, cutting across borders it left the two nations dancing to Nazia’s tunes…
Her next, Disco Deewane, with brother Zoheb Hassan vended 60 million copies across 14 countries – a blockbusting Asian pop record of all time. In quick succession, Boom Boom, Young Tarang, Hotline… earned the siblings comparisons with the Beatles ‘minus the crazy haircut’! “Nazia’s voice was like the ABBA singers. When it hit the microphone, it had a two-tone kind of split. It sounded like a double track,” Zoheb once underlined his sister’s singularity. Leather jackets and midis, dungarees and jumpsuits, campus-girl braids… and a casual demeanour on stage, Nazia’s allure was universal.
An activist and lawyer, she was offered a scholarship in Columbia University’s Leadership Program in the early ’90s. But a rude cancer diagnosis threw her humanitarian plans off gear. After treatment, a restored Nazia got married to entrepreneur Mirza Ishtiaq Baig in 1995. The birth of son Arez seemingly completed the ‘happy-ever-after’ picture. But towards the end of 1998, however, the cancer retaliated. What made the tragedy darker were reports of her seeking divorce from Baig just 10 days before she passed away on 13 August 2000. The urgency to severe ties with him in the twilight of her life still remains open to conjecture.
Art has a strange way of reincarnating. Her track Disco Deewane was reprised in Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year (2012) … prompting a Nazia Hassan revival of sorts. A few years ago, she was honoured with a Google Doodle… her sinuous hair and dupatta juxtaposed with the disco globes of the ’80s… endorsing her as a pioneer, a globalist… in the genre.
HERE ARE SOME NUGGETS FROM NAZIA’S LIFE…
- Born in Karachi, Pakistan on 3 April 1965, Nazia Hassan was the first born of social worker Muniza and entrepreneur Basir Hassan. She was followed by brother Zoheb and sister Zahra.
- The Hassan siblings spent their initial years in Karachi. Later, they lived in England with their grandmother. The pop and rock music mood in Manchester, a departure from the classical, enthralled the musically-inclined Nazia and Zoheb.
- Enthused by American pop band Jackson 5 and American instrumentalists The Carpenters, the teens began writing music on the guitar. The ‘fusion artistes’ blended the ‘rock’ in their immediate world with their Eastern legacy.
- Destiny sealed Nazia’s deal with stylish Indian filmmaker Feroz Khan. The siblings were introduced by Zeenat Aman to Vinod Khanna and Khan at a get-together in London. When Khan heard the 14-year-old Nazia sing, he was swayed by her new-age resonance. He promptly signed her for his musical-actioner Qurbani (1980).
- Unwilling to bunk school, Nazia recorded Biddu Appaiah’s club track Aap jaisa koi on a Sunday. At 15, she won the Filmfare Award for Best Playback for it.
- Nazia and Zoheb collaborated again for Biddu’s Disco Deewane (1981). The album became a bestseller not only in Pakistan and India, it was lapped up in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia. Biddu offered Nazia and Zoheb a chance to act in his production Star (1982). But they preferred to do the soundtrack. The album of Star (starring Kumar Gaurav-Rati Agnihotri), included part of Boom Boom.
- Their next offering Young Tarang (1984) in Pakistan featured music videos made in London by David Rose and Kathy Rose. Ankhien milane wale from it was a runaway hit. The next, Hotline (1987), featured the chartbuster Aa Haan.
- The pair hosted Music ‘89, the first pop show to be aired on Pakistan television, in which they introduced singers including Ali Azmat and the Sufi rock band Junoon. They also triggered a parallel personal album trend in India by singers Alisha Chinai, Lucky Ali and Shweta Shetty among others.
- Their neoteric vibe often invited criticism from purists, who viewed it as a departure from cultural sensibilities. Nazia’s rationale was, “It’s the kind of the music we dig, take it or leave it. They say classical music is the only real music. Whenever I’m attending a classical music recital, I feel like I’m attending a funeral. You have to sit grim and still…” (Herald).
- The so-called ‘culture warriors’ launched Camera Camera (1992) but before that they announced it would be their last album. Nazia’s personal life then on took priority.
- Brilliant in academics, Nazia received her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Economics at the Richmond American University in London. She also held a London University Law (LLB) degree.
- Deeply compassionate, she worked for underprivileged children, youth and women in Karachi. She established the organization BAN (Battle Against Narcotics). She joined the United Nations Security Council in New York in 1991 and worked there for two years. Following this, she was offered a scholarship in Columbia University’s Leadership Program. Unfortunately, she couldn’t avail of it as she was diagnosed with cancer soon after.
- A feature in rediff.com cited reports of Nazia undergoing an operation after she was diagnosed with ‘stage one ovarian carcinoma’. She remained well for four years. Healed and happy, she married businessman, Mirza Ishtiaq Baig on March 30, 1995 in Karachi.
- The birth of son Arez on 7 April 1997 was an incredible point in her life. Sadly, towards the end of 1998, her left lung reportedly showed ‘a solitary deposit’ of carcinoma. Hesitant about chemotherapy, she eventually began treatment.
- Nazia was discharged from hospital in 1999. In an interview (Zee TV UK June 1999) post that, also her last, she sounded positive. “It’s the kind of illness that you have good days and some bad days and I had some scary moments in between… I’m getting better,” she said.
- She mentioned that while chemotherapy takes its toll physically such testing times, “reaffirm what is important… family… spending time with people you care about… not getting involved in petty issues… In our day to day lives we overlook them.” She wistfully said, “All of us have to die one day. But I felt it wasn’t my time yet… it sounds cliched… the outpouring of prayers saved me.”
- Another excerpt of the Zee TV UK interview, has her saying, “You can get worried about the future… about dying… but it’s important to be positive… I cherish everyday…I love spending time with my family. I have a little son…. a two-year old monster.”
- However, within months she fell seriously ill and was admitted to North London Hospice in London. She showed signs of retrieval a day before her health took a turn for the worse. Nazia died of lung cancer on 13 August 2000. The 35-year-old songstress was buried at Hendon Cemetery in London.
- In a strange twist, 10 days before she passed away, Nazia reportedly divorced husband Mirza Ishtiaq Baig. He, on his part, has always denied it. Zoheb mentioned that she kept the family in the dark about her allegedly troubled marriage. Confiding how the void could never be filled he said, ‘the wound will always be there’.
- “She died an unhappy person, she died in pain…. She never told me she was going to die so soon… I will never forgive her for this,” said Zoheb in an interview with The Express Tribune (tribune.com.pk)
- More recently, Ishtiaq Baig, speaking to Samaa TV Pakistan stated, “Our problems started when Nazia gave up singing after marriage and due to that, Zohaib’s career plummeted and he blames me for it,” alleged Ishtiaq. “I loved Nazia a lot and love her still,” said Baig founder of Make-A-Wish Pakistan.
- Nazia donated her royalties to charity during her life. In 2003, her parents formed the Nazia Hassan Foundation to honour their daughter’s philanthropic efforts. A Nazia Hassan Tribute Concert was held in Karachi in 2002, where she was conferred with the Pride of Performance posthumously.
- In a documentary, Nazia’s mother Muniza revealed that three plaintive songs sum up the story of her daughter’s life – Dhundhli raat ke dukhiya saaye and the Nazia penned Lekin mera dil ro raha hai (both from Disco Deewane) and Hamesha (written by Nazia), which speaks of immortal love.
- A decade later in 2013, Nazia’s teenaged son Arez Hassan launched the ‘Music That Becomes A Message’ event for the Nazia Hassan Foundation in London. “Music was so important to my mum… I hope one day I can make music, not only to make her proud but also to give others happiness,” he said (business-standard.com). A noble thought indeed.
Source:Pinkvilla.com