Legendary playback singer Masood Rana remembered

ISLAMABAD: The 23rd death anniversary of famous playback singer Masood Rana, who lent his voice to scores of songs in Pakistani films for three decades, was observed on Thursday.

Masood Rana began his singing career in 1962 with the film Inqalab and remained one of the top male singers in Urdu and Punjabi films for more than three decades till his death in a road accident on October 4, 1995. 

He was born in Mirpur Khas, Sindh, into a Rajpoot landowner family which had migrated from Jalandhar.

He started his career on Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in 1955 and established a group in Karachi in the early 60s with two other famous names in showbiz, Nadeem Baig and Akhlaq Ahmed.

Masood Rana got his first breakthrough when actor Saqi introduced him to the producer and director Iqbal Shehzad and musician Deebo.

His first film song was in the film Inqalab in 1962 but he got fame from his second film Banjaran the same year. He was proudly introduced as Pakistani Rafi and always lived up to his reputation.

In 1964, a Punjabi song Tange Wala Khair Mangda in the film Daachi was a street song.

He then became the most dominating male singer in both Urdu and Punjabi films when his six songs in Hamarahi (1966) were mega hits.

Masood Rana is still the only male singer in Pakistani films who sang more than 300 songs in each of the two languages - Urdu and Punjabi.

He sang in more than 550 films and was considered the most successful singer after Ahmed Rushdi.

In addition to the film assignments he has also sung popular patriotic songs.

For film Aag Ka Darya he sang Ae Watan Hum Hain Teri Shama Kay Parwanon Main.

The other song is Sathio, Mujahido, Jaag Utha Hay Sara Watan (with Shaukat Ali) (Mujahid 1965).

During the 1965 war, he sang Yaad Karta Hai Zamana in the film Hamrahi (1965).