Just a mention of the song Kunguma Pottin Mangalam will take patrons of the classic age of Tamil cinema into a nostalgic drive. The song, which came out way back in 1968, was picturised on two of the biggest stars of the Tamil industry, both of whom would later go on to become Chief Ministers of the state. If that is not a dead giveaway altogether, we are talking about MG Ramachandran and Jayalalitha on whom the song was picturised. It was from the movie Kudiyiruntha Kovil, which was a remake of the Hindi film China Town. However, do you know that one of the contributors to the song Kunguma Pottin Mangalam was the first Muslim female lyricist in Tamil cinema?
Yes, the lyrics of the evergreen song were written by Roshanara Begum, which sadly, remains the only cinematic achievement she ever made. She made her entry into the entertainment industry at a time when Muslim women were still forbidden from doing so. Things were different back then, and for a Muslim woman, from a conservative background, writing lyrics for a film song was historic.
Roshanara Begum who studied in St. Francis Convent, Coimbatore was gifted even when she was young. Having formally learnt music, she used to win awards at school. Even though her family followed strict Islamic traditions, her father Sheikh Mustafa recognised her daughter’s potential and realised she was meant for bigger things.
He decided to support his daughter. Fortunately, Sheikh Mustafa was friends with composer MS Viswanathan, who used to frequent their house in Coimbatore. MS Viswanathan requested the producer of Kudiyirundha Koyil to give the young woman a chance and the result was the beautiful lyrics of the song Kunguma Pottin Mangalam.
However, unfortunately, this was both Roshanara Begum’s first and last project. Roshanara Begum’s name got lost somewhere in the sands of time but the song will always remind us of her achievement.
