Ekushey Padak-winning singer Mahbuba Rahman, best known as the playback singer of the country’s first talkie film Mukh O Mukhosh, has passed away. She breathed her last on Thursday evening at a private hospital in Dhaka. She was 92.
According to family sources, the veteran artist had been suffering from age-related complications for some time.
Mahbuba Rahman’s musical journey dates back to 1947, when her songs were first aired from the then Dhaka station of All India Radio. Over the following decades, particularly during the 1950s and 1970s, she emerged as one of the defining voices of radio and film music in the region. She was widely admired for her command over palligeeti and modern Bangla songs.
In recognition of her outstanding contribution to music, she was honoured with the prestigious Ekushey Padak, Bangladesh’s second-highest civilian award.
Her song “Moner Bone Dola Lage,” composed by Samar Das for Mukh O Mukhosh, remains etched in the collective memory of listeners. She went on to deliver several memorable playback performances, including “Nirala Rater Prothom Prohore” and “Tomake Bhalobese Obosheshe Ki Pelam” in Zahir Raihan’s film Kokhono Asheni, tuned by Khan Ataur Rahman. These songs cemented her status as a legend.
Over the years, she lent her voice to numerous early films of the country, including Jago Hua Savera, Asia, E Desh Tomar Amar, Je Nodi Morupothe, Kokhono Asheni, Surjosnan, Sonar Kajol, Nawab Sirajuddaula and Sat Bhai Champa.
In her personal life, Mahbuba Rahman married Abul Hasnat in 1950, though the marriage later ended in separation. They had two sons, Maruf and Baban. Maruf has passed away, while Baban is currently an economics professor at a university in the United States.
In 1958, she married noted filmmaker and musician Khan Ataur Rahman. The couple had one son and two daughters, including popular singer Rumana Islam.
