These days, a Kashmiri Hindu farmer’s daughter, who professionally uses an Urdu name, is taking steady steps towards establishing her musical presence in both the Hindi and Punjabi film industries (Bollywood and Pollywood).
Mannat Noor is a Hindu Rajput who fluently speaks in Dogri, Punjabi and Hindi. Hailing from J&K’s Reasi district, Noor (original name Kelmash Devi), has sung in Bollywood films like ‘Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety’ and ‘Indoo Ki Jawani’, besides a few Pollywood movies.
Mannat told Brighter Kashmir that she has a large family comprising her father, Tej Ram, five sisters and three brothers. She says she lost her mother when young and was raised by her elder sister who lives in Mohali.
Mannat says she shifted to Mohali after she had completed her schooling.
“I completed my matriculation and intermediary studies at a government school in Reasi and then did my graduation and post-graduation in Urdu from the University of Jammu,” she states.
Her journey in the world of music started by singing jingles, but she realised soon enough that it wasn’t her calling.
“I always wanted to be a playback singer in films and give a lot of credit to renowned music director Gurmeet Singh for introducing me to the Punjabi film industry. Whatever I am today is only because of him,” said Mannat
When asked why she changed her name, Mannat said: “When I entered the industry, well-wishers suggested that the name ‘Kelmash’ would be too modern for the audience and told me to change it. It was Punjabi comedian and actor Gurpreet Ghuggi who gave me the name ‘Mannat’. For the professional surname, I tried out several, including ‘Kaur’, but finally decided that the name ‘Noor’ fitted well. Together, both names sounded good and I decided to use it professionally.”
When we asked her whether her being a Hindu and using an Urdu name had caused confusion in the minds of people, Mannat said: “Not really, but there have been times when people think I am a Muslim because of my name. I am a Hindu Rajput who speaks Dogri and hail from Jammu and Kashmir.”
A fan of 90s music, Mannat likes listening to both Bollywood and Pollywood songs. Her Bollywood playback singing idol is Alka Yagnik, while in Pollywood, she loves listening to Amrinder Gill, Surinder Kaur, and Milind Gaba.
“Gill’s and Gaba’s voices are melodious and Kaur’s singing inspires me to keep folk music alive,” she says.
She adds: “I love watching Bollywood family dramas like ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ and all Punjabi comedy films. I am a big fan of love stories and ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ is my favourite in that genre.”
She has sung songs in Punjabi movies like ‘Laung Lacchi’, ‘Carry On Jatta 2’, ‘Muklawa’, Laavan Phere and national award-winning film ‘Harjeeta’ to name a few.
‘Sari Raat Nachna’, Sachian Gallan’, ‘Surma’, ‘Suit Patiala’ and several others are some of her solo numbers.
Recently, she has released a duet titled ‘Thar’ in which she features with Rajvir Jawanda.
Her recording label is called ‘MN Melody’.
As to what her claim to fame is, Mannat says, “Definitely the song ‘Long Laachi’. It not only gave me recognition in the industry, but also made me a household name. I feel happy to share that this is the first Indian song to reach one billion views on YouTube.”
As for her secret for success, Mannat says, “Hard work, talent, and destiny. They are the three main ingredients for success. If you are talented and hardworking, and if luck is on your side, then there is nothing that can stop you from progressing.”
She also predicts that the Punjabi music industry will soon give good competition to the Hindi music industry.
“It is interesting to see how new music trends are coming up and how the industry is evolving day-by-day,” she says.
On challenges faced during her music career, Mannat said: “I hav