Danish Renzu’s Songs of Paradise is an ode to the powerful name Raj Begum, who not just dared to dream but also paved the way for millions of females. The film, streaming on Amazon Prime Video, features Saba Azad playing the role of a young Raj Begum, while Soni Razdan brings in the veteran singer’s later years to life.
Who was the iconic singer, Raj Begum?
Hailed as Kashmir’s Nightingale, Raj Begum was born in Srinagar in 1927 and raised in a humble household, where her father encouraged her singing talent from a very young age. It was a time when Muslim women, clad in their burqas, were not even allowed to talk. The young Raj began singing at weddings as she absorbed the Kashmiri folk idioms.