The 88th birth anniversary of popular Urdu and Punjabi singer of 1960s and ’70s, Naseem Nazli Begum, popularly known as Mala Begum was observed across the country on Sunday. Mala Begum was a top female singer and only the second best to Madam Noor Jehan as playback singer. Mala Begum started her career somewhere around the late ’50s. She sung more than 300 songs in almost two decades singing career. Prominent musician GA Chishti introduced her in a Punjabi film ‘Aabroo’ in 1961. Her first Urdu film was Suraj Mukhi in which she changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition, Aaya re dekho for the film Sooraj Mukhi (1962). But she got breakthrough from film Mehboob in 1962 with this super hit song: Sapno mein urri urri jaun. Prominent musician GA Chishti introduced her in a Punjabi film ‘Aabroo’ in 1961. Her first Urdu film was Suraj Mukhi in which she changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition, Aaya re dekho for the film Sooraj Mukhi (1962). But she got breakthrough from film Mehboob in 1962 with this super hit song: Sapno mein urri urri jaun Mala was born in Faisalabad, her real name was Naseem Begum and she was the younger sister of Pakistan’s first female music director Shamim Nazli. She died on March 6, 1990. Here are some of her other super hit film songs: Dil deta hai ro ro duhai (Ishq par zor nahin 1963); Agar tum pyar se dekho to apni jan; Tujh peh qurban, dilbar jan (Sarhad 1966); Shama ka Shola bharak raha hai (Aadil 1966); Dil mein basaya pyar se ham ne (Jaag utha Insaan 1966); Kise awaz dun, tere siwa… (Sharik-e-Hayyat 1968); Tere gham se mohabbat ho geye hai (Shab bakhair 1968); Too ne bar bar kiya mujhe beqarar (Saza 1970); Chaley thandi hawa chham chham.