Sharda (Sharda Rajan Iyengar) was a playback singer in Bollywood during the 1960s and seventies. Her most famous rendition, “Titli Udi” (“Suraj”, 1966) was also her first song in the industry. However, acclaim came her way in the form of a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1970 when she sang the cabaret “Baat Zara Hai Aapas Ki” (“Jahan Pyar Mile”). Recently in 2007, an album of her own ghazal compositions, “Andaaz-e-Bayan Aur” was released.
Her talent was spotted by Raj Kapoor who brought her under the tutelage and patronage of Shankar (of Shankar-Jaikishan) for whom she sang most songs until his death. She has also sung for music directors like Dattaram, Iqbal Qureshi, Ravi and Usha Khanna.
Having sung in Telugu, English, Gujarati and Marathi, she has also composed music for movies like “Maa, Bahen Aur Biwi” (1973), “Mandir Masjid” (1977) and “Maila Aanchal” (1981). She has sung with top singers of her time including Kishore Kumar, Suman Kalyanpur, Yesudas, Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosle.
Popular songs by her are “Jaan-e-Chaman” (“Gumnaam”, 1965), “Leja Leja Mera Dil” (“An Evening In Paris”, 1967), “Chale Jana Zara” (“Around The World”, 1967) and “Tum Pyar Se Dekho” (“Sapno Ka Saudagar”, 1968).
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