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Suraiya

Suraiya

Actor · Died January 31, 2004, aged 74 · Lahore, Punjab, British India

Suraiya Jamal Sheikh (June 15, 1929 – January 31, 2004), known by her mononym Suraiya, was an Indian actress and playback singer who worked in Hindi and Urdu films from 1936 to 1964. Regarded among the finest and most accomplished actresses in the history of Indian cinema, as well as the first female star, she dominated the film industry between mid-to-late 1940s and early 1950s. She was the highest paid film star at the time, being the first to be paid more than her male contemporaries. She was titled "Malika-e-Adakari" (Queen of Acting) and "Malika-e-Husn" (Queen of Beauty). Her status as the first superstar singer-actress of Indian films also earned her the title "Singing Star". Suraiya acted in over 70 films and sang hundreds songs, and even received praises from two Prime Ministers of India. Her enchanting screen presence and mesmerizing glamour has been compared to the likes of Hollywood icons Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner and Ava Gardner.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 15, 1929
Died
January 31, 2004 (aged 74)
From
Lahore, Punjab, British India
Works as
Actor
Titles
3 on MovieCove · 45 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 12% in 30 days

What are Suraiya's films like?

Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
53%
Self
17%
Survival
12%
Power
10%
Morality
7%
Romantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 3 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 0 · Dark 3

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 2 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles
Hero
1 of 3
Shapeshifter
1 of 3
Ally
1 of 3
  • Heroas Indira in Dastan (1950)
  • Shapeshifteras Moti Begum / Chaudvin in Mirza Ghalib (1954)
  • Allyas Shobha in Waris (1954)

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
3
Romantic
2
Tense
2
Bittersweet
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Suraiya's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Suraiya's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted.

Filmography

45 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page.

  • Rustom Sohrab (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Shehzadi Tehmina

  • Mr. Lambu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Actor

  • Mirza Ghalib(1954)

    as Chaudhvin, formerly Moti Begum

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Shama Parwana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Sahebzadi Aalam

  • Waris(1954)

    as Shobha

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Goonj (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Actor

  • Diwana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Laali

  • Lal Kunwar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Actor

  • Moti Mahal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Playback Singer · as Roopa

  • Sanam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Sadhna

  • Do Sitare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Rani

  • Rajput (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Actor

  • Shokhiyan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    as Sanwli

  • Nili (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Nili

  • Kamal Ke Phool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    Actor

  • Dastan(1950)

    as Indra

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Afsar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Bimala

  • Singaar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Playback Singer · as Shanta

  • Char Din (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Actor

  • Jeet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Jeet

  • Balam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Playback Singer · as Kamla

  • Dillagi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Mala

  • Bari Behen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    as Shyama

  • Duniya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Playback Singer · Actor

  • Lekh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Playback Singer · Actor

  • Shair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Playback Singer · as Rani

  • Pyar Ki Jeet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Radha

  • Gajre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Playback Singer · as Asha

  • Vidya (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Vidya

  • Dard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Hamida

  • Naatak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Playback Singer · Actor

  • Parwana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    Actor

  • Anmol Ghadi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Basanti

  • Omar Khayyam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Mehru

  • 1857 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Tasnim

  • Jag Biti (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    Actor

  • Yateem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    as Bharti

  • Phool (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Actor

  • Main Kya Karun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Actor

  • Tadbir (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)

    Playback Singer · as Saguna

  • Ishara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Shanta

  • Hamari Baat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    Actor

  • Station Master (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Playback Singer · as Usha

  • Taj Mahal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Child Mumtaz

  • Khiladi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 45 titles, 44 of them dated from 1941 to 1967.

Most popular right now

Mirza Ghalib (1954)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting45 of 45: 35 only acting, 10 with another roleOther crew10 of 45: 0 only other crew, 10 with another role

45 titles, 10 with more than one role — acting and other crew overlap on 10 of them.

By decade

1940s27 · 27 acting · 9 crew1950s16 · 16 acting · 1 crew1960s1 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Suraiya's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 63rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

63rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Reach · how many have seen their films

5thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 3

Midcredits score across 3 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th1
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 3 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · actor

Waris (1954)

72nd percentile spread · 20% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Mirza Ghalib (1954)

Midcredits 77th · 71% liked

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Suraiya work with?

People who share at least 2 of Suraiya's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Murad shares the most, 2.

Actors

Editors

Producers