Can anyone tell me who the female singer in this song from the film Chandni Raat is? She sang in a handful of films in the late 1940’s, before becoming much better known as an actress in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s (she stopped singing).
Shweta had the right answer first (she’s very good at trivia!), followed by Pavitra and Bollyviewer. They knew that she is Uma Devi, who was later called Tun Tun and became a beloved film comedienne. She arrived in Bombay at the age of 14 or so, having run away from home, and knocked on composer Naushad’s door. She told him that she could sing and that she would throw herself in the ocean if he didn’t give her a chance. He auditioned her, and hired her on the spot. She immediately had a huge hit with “Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon” from Dard. But her vocal range was limited, and eventually Naushad suggested that she take up acting because she had a very bubbly personality and wonderful comic timing. He asked his friend Dilip Kumar to cast her in one of his films, and she appeared in Babul (1950) with him. In a few years she was “re-named” Tun Tun (some credit Naushad, and some Dilip Kumar for the name) and a comedic legend was born. She died in November of 2003.
Here is “Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon,” her biggest hit:
MemsaabStory 