Jahanara Kajjan (1915–1945), hailed as the “Nightingale of Bengal,” was a pivotal, yet often overlooked, figure in the early history of Indian cinema and music. Her brief 30-year life spanned a transformative period, witnessing the shift from silent films to talkies and establishing musical precedents that would influence filmmaking for decades. Kajjan’s unique background, combining aristocratic lineage with the artistic traditions of the Lucknowi tawaifs—highly cultured courtesans who preserved classical music and dance—set the stage for her remarkable career.
Born as Jahanara Begum in Patna, Bihar, her family background was rooted in the performing arts. Her mother, Suggan, was a highly regarded courtesan (tawaif) and singer, and her father was Nawab Chammi Saheb of Bhagalpur. Kajjan was educated at home in the classical arts, receiving training in music under the tutelage of Ustad Hussain Khan. This classical foundation would become a hallmark of her singing and acting career. Her entry into the entertainment world was facilitated by her mother’s profession, a common path for talented female performers during that era, particularly as the rise of the “anti-nautch” campaign pushed many tawaifs from traditional court performances towards the new medium of cinema.
Kajjan began her career as a stage actress with Madan Theatres, a leading film studio in Calcutta. She quickly gained popularity in silent films, but it was with the advent of sound that she became a sensation. Her ability to sing her own songs in films made her an invaluable asset. Following the success of India’s first talkie, Alam Ara (1931), she starred in Shirin Farhad (1931), the second Indian sound film. The film, which featured 42 songs, was a cultural phenomenon and cemented Kajjan as a superstar. Her pairing with Master Nissar became legendary, and their subsequent film, Laila Majnu (1931), further solidified their status as the premier singing duo of the era. Her most significant achievement was the film Indrasabha (1932), which holds the Guinness World Record for featuring the most songs in a musical, with an astounding 71 tracks. This three-and-a-half-hour film, composed entirely in verse, showcased Kajjan’s incredible versatility across classical and folk traditions and highlighted the crucial role of music in early Indian cinema.
Kajjan’s life was as unconventional as her career. She led a lavish lifestyle, keeping tiger cubs as pets and socialising with the colonial elite at the Calcutta Club. Her personal life, which included relationships with prominent actors like Najmul Hassan, challenged social norms and demonstrated her independence. As cinema evolved, however, her classical style fell out of favour with changing public tastes, leading her to move to Bombay (now Mumbai), where she took on smaller roles.
Her legacy extends far beyond her own performances. She was a mentor to several budding artists, most notably a young Noor Jehan, whom she and her husband Ghulam Mohammed taught music and guided into the film industry. Kajjan’s role in mentoring the future “Malika-e-Tarannum” (Queen of Melody) of the Indian Sub-continent is a profound and lasting contribution to the history of South Asian music and cinema. Her untimely death in 1945 marked the end of an era, but her influence as a singing star and a pioneering figure of Indian talkies remains an essential chapter in the history of Indian cinema.
Jahanara Kajjan died of cancer in 1945 at the young age of 30. Her legacy, however, is profound. She was a bridge between the traditional performing arts of the courtesans and the new medium of cinema, helping to preserve and transform these art forms for a modern audience. As one of Indian cinema’s first female superstars, she challenged gender norms and established precedents for women’s roles in the industry. Her career exemplifies the adaptability and resilience of Indian performing arts, and through her mentorship, she ensured that the artistic traditions she mastered would continue to enrich South Asian music and cinema for generations to come.