If you’ve ever wondered where the inspiration for those exorbitant love stories that make our Hindi films comes from, you’ll find it right here in the lives of our tinsel town gods and goddesses. Imagine two star-crossed lovers who can never be united but unlike a Romeo and Juliet are doomed to spend their lives in the same city and the same film industry, trailing each others lives through newspaper headlines, with each year adding its distance. That was the life of Suraiya. Suraiya was the reigning singing film star of her times and everything that made up the bubble of stardom was hers. Long traffic lines winded on Marine Drive as people thronged to catch a glimpse of that beautiful face. And her aura was there for all to see. “When Suraiya arrived all attention was diverted to her. She had quite a retinue accompanying her: her make-up man and maid, her granny entering majestically smoking a cigarette, her uncle carrying his tin of expensive cigarettes and two thermos bottles of freshly squeezed juice and hot flavoured tea for ‘Baby’,” narrates Dev Anand in his autobiography. Destiny had cast Suraiya in the mould of a star and her career began as a child artiste, starting with the day her mama Zahoor took her to watch the shooting of Prakash Pictures' TAJ MAHAL. A chance meeting with the producer, Nanubhai Vakil, and she became the face of young Mumtaz Mahal at 12! Her path was then strewn with offers and Suraiya the star was born! Singing happened by chance as well. “I was never trained in singing. Madan Mohan, who lived close by, and Raj Kapoor once dragged me to participate in the children's programme on the All India Radio. Naushad Sa'ab, who heard my voice on the radio, got in touch with me to sing for Kardar Sa'ab's film, SHARDA. And I sang ‘Panchi ja peeche raha hain bachpan mera…' which was picturised on Mehtab. I was 11 years old then,” admitted Suraiya. Luck, as always, was on her side. “Most of my roles were simple, but the audiences loved them. And I was lucky to have got simple, melodious and easy to pick up songs to sing, and worked with the best composers of the day like Naushad, Husnlal-Bhagatram and Anil Biswas,” she candidly revealed. K.L Saigal was enamoured by her voice and recommended her as a heroine in TADBIR (1945). The duo then acted together in OMAR KHAYYAM (1946) and PARWANA (1947). Suraiya worked with the biggest stars of the time, including Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand. Every movie and song created the Suraiya hysteria which she thus described… “When I went for the premiere of the movie BADI BAHEN, there was such a big crowd outside! As I walked into the theatre, they pulled at my clothes. There was a lathi charge and people were injured. I stopped going for premieres thereafter.” This was also the beginning of her Garboesque way of avoiding her fans and becoming reclusive. As Dhimant Thackar, her advocate says, “She led a secluded life, not out of compulsion, but out of pleasure. She enjoyed it!”