Playback singer Meena Kapoor came from a family steeped in the the film industry. Actor Bikram Kapoor was her father and director P.C. Barua, a relative. Discovered as a formidable music talent by composer Ninu Mujumdar, she started singing at the age of eleven. While her first recorded song was for Mujumdar, her first released song was for S.D. Burman’s “Aath Din” (1946).
Soon she was to sing the popular C. Ramchandra song “Meri Jaan Sunday Ke Sunday” (“Shehnai”, 1947) along with the composer himself and Shamshad Begum. She met her future husband, composer Anil Biswas while recording songs for “Anokha Pyar” (1948), including the popular “Ae Dil Meri Wafa Mein.” Despite the big age difference, the two got married in 1959.
Meena Kapoor almost fell silent in the 60s except for the occasional song for her husband. The song “Kuch Aur Zamana Kehta Hai” (“Chhoti Chhoti Baatein”, 1965) would be her last for Anil, who was getting increasingly bitter about his career. The couple shifted to Delhi when Anil Biswas was offered a position at All India Radio. Meena Kapoor’s promising career came to end with the move. Their sons Amar and Utpal Biswas went on to compose music for Hindi films as Amar - Utpal.
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