Nasreen (Senior), Nasreen (Junior) and Naseem Akhtar

From left to right - Nasreen (Senior) and Nasreen (Junior)

A query by one of the readers prompted me to write this post. Here are few clarifications :-

1. Nasreen (Senior) – Salma Agha’s mother appeared in 2 films – Shah jehan (1946) and Ek Roz (1947). She migrated to Pakistan after independence and married a wealthy carpet dealer from Karachi. Nasreen was the daughter of actress Anwari and music-director/actor Rafiq Ghaznavi. Rafiq and Anwari played the title roles in 1932 version of Heer Ranjah (also the first talkie produced in Lahore). Nasreen died in 2004.

Naseem Akhtar singing for Nasreen in Shah Jehan (1946), music by Naushad.

2. Nasreen (Junior) – Nasreen was a Pakistani starlet who was introduced by Anwar Kamal Pasha in Gumnaam (1954). She is best remembered for her role as the female vampire in Zinda Laash (1967). Some websites like thehotspotonline are confusing her with Salma Agha’s mother in their review of the film Zinda Laash.

Nasreen as female vampire in Zinda Laash (1967) trying to seduce Asad Bokhari.

3. The girl who sang “Aag lagi dil mein woh pyari” for Nasreen (Senior) in Shah Jehan (1946) was Naseem Akhtar. A popular playback singer of the ’40s Naseem sang for many music directors including Naushad and Khemchand Prakash. Here is her brief profile :-

Naseem Akhtar

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