Kajjanbai

Jahanara Kajjan
Born	Jahanara Begum 15 February 1915 Patna, Bihar British India
Died	20 December 1945(1945-12-20) (aged 30) Bombay, Maharashtra, British India
Other names	Nightingale of Bengal[1] Lark of Hindi Cinema[1] The Lark of India[2] Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen[1] Miss Kajjan[3]
Occupations	Singer actress model
Years active	1920–1945
Parent(s)	Suggan begum (mother) Nawab Chammi Saheb of Bhagalpur (father)

Jahanara Kajjan (15 February 1915 – 20 December 1945), or "Miss Kajjan",^[3] was an Indian singer and actress active during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, often referred to as the "Nightingale of Bengal".^[1] The reigning queen of early talkie films, glamorous movie sensation, the trained classical singer, the fashion icon and the trendsetter, she was known as "Lark of Hindi Cinema", "The Lark of India" and the "Beautiful Nightingale of Bengal Screen". She along with Master Nissar made most sought after and popular singing pair of the stage and film. She was a popular star of silent films.^[3]

She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Bibbo, Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu.^[2] She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Kajjan Kahoon Ke Shanta" (Should I call you Kajjan or Shanta), where Santha Kumari referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.^[4]