Suraiya Jamaal Sheikh was a famous, talented Indian actress and playback singer who hailed from Lahore, located in British India. She was best known for delivering multiple hits, – about 65 films and 338 songs during her career.

She was also known for her personal life and love affair with Dev Anand – another famous actor from the 40s and 50s.

In the late 1940s, Suraiya began working with Dev Anand – she was clearly the better known, better paid actor and the two of them delivered seven films together. Each film was a success at the box office and it is said that the two fell in love while shooting for a song Kinare Kinare Chale Jaayen Gae featured in the film Vidya. During the filming of the song the boat containing them capsized and Dev Anand saved her from drowning.

However, Suraiya Jamaal was Muslim and Dev Anand was Hindu. A meddler artist-director named Naushad (a married man) and M. Sadiq (also a married man who wanted to take Suraiya as another wife) had plans of their own to become more than villains in the love story.

At that time, Suraiya’s grandmother – Badshan Begum – was the boss in their house and happy about Suraiya brining in money, first as a child artist and then as an actor. The grandmother blessed real-life villains like Naushad and others who aspired to marry Suraiya to derail and end Suraiya-Dev love story. The grandmother often manipulated her grand daughter’s career and was seen to be money hungry hag. She was also afraid that Suraiya – the goose who lays the golden egg would no longer be a viable actor and bring in the $$$ after marriage.

Dev Anand’s life was threatened

“Well wishers” forced Suraiya to marry Dev. The lovebirds are said to have eloped to a temple and Suraiya was dragged by goon Naushad and his jihadi brethren threatened Suraiya and said they would KILL Dev if she didn’t back off.

The evil grandmother even forbade Suraiya to act in films with Dev.

Both the premis were heartbroken and poor Suraiya never got married in life. Dev did get married but after Suraiya’s death he mentioned in an interview that he got the feeling that Suraiya wanted to try to get married again but by that time he had moved on. He stated that his love for Suraiya was his first and true real love.

Stories: excerpts from the internet, including https://m.facebook.com/1101247329913779/posts/1119666768071835/?app=fbl#=.

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