Songs of Paradise: Nice Biopic of An Icon?

The Songs of Paradise (2025/Hindi) movie brings to light the moving and uplifting story of the first female singer at Radio Kashmir, India. So, this movie traces the amazing musical journey of a teenage girl, Zeba Akhtar, who rises from obscurity to become the cultural icon and singing legend of Kashmir, Noor Begum.

Notably, Noor Begum’s six-decade life journey coincides with the troubled history of Kashmir since 1947, when India and Pakistan gained their independence from the British Empire. So, we did not see any mention of violent politics in this Kashmiri movie. Some viewers and/or critics may not like this sanitised version.

It is worth watching & listening the Songs of Paradise

Spoiler Free Review: Songs of Paradise (Hindi/2025/India) Movie

Our introduction to the Raj Begum

Now, let us leave the topic of politics behind. And instead, let us focus on this heart-warming tale of a gifted singer, *Noor Begum, growing up in an independent India. It is worth noting that the real-life Kashmiri folk singer, **Raj Begum, has inspired this Hindi movie. The film fictitiously names her as Noor Begum.

The pseudonym *Noor (नूर) is an Arabic word which means 'dawn', 'glow', 'light', 'beacon', etc.

Also, the pseudonym **Raj (राज) is a Hindi word which has two different meanings. The first one means 'to rule'. And the second one means 'the secret'.

Just a few days back, we were raving about the number one Hindi chartbuster of the previous month, Saiyaara, sung by a contemporary Kashmiri male singer, Faheem Abdullah. Now, we came across this movie inspired by the singing legend of Kashmir, Raj Begum. , who

A fairly predictable and sanitised tale by Danish Renzu

We were a bit surprised and happy to watch this Hindi film. We rarely see a mainstream Kashmiri movie in India. Moreover, Danish Renzu, a Kashmiri, wrote and directed this film. We have known Danish Renzu primarily as the director of short movies as well as music videos. So, the ‘Songs of Paradise’ is a positive step towards engaging longer-form storytelling. No doubt, it is a simple tale of a legendary Kashmiri singer who never stopped dreaming and singing the songs of paradise. Her Kashmiri songs provided solace for all the people of Kashmir. Perhaps her songs offered a nostalgic piece of paradise.

Strangely, it reminded us of the famous 'Derry Girls' comedy show. The show creators of that comedic series explored the lives of the young characters, who were school-going kids in the troubled times of Northern Ireland. 

So, what this Hindi film focuses on

The film’s opening scenes introduce us to Noor Begum (Soni Razdan), a woman in her sixties. After years of hard work, she has achieved the highly respected position of a renowned Kashmiri folk singer. One day, one of her ardent fans, Rumi (Taaruk Raina), crosses her path, wishing to learn more about her life story and musical journey. So, his persuasiveness won, and Noor Begum (Soni Razdan) began to narrate her life story. The film uses flashbacks to offer us a peek into a traditional Muslim dominated society in Kashmir of the 1950s, when professional female singers were non-existent.

To reiterate, the movie Songs of Paradise focuses entirely on the personal life story of Noor Begum. It is not about anxious Kashmir. Although the movie depicts the peaceful Kashmir, many of us know that the reality was very different. Maybe the filmmaker suspected that the CBFC folks would have cut most of the scenes which would have tried to deviate from the personal tale of Noor Begum. Moreover, it seems that the honest portrayal of the politics in Kashmir would not have passed the scrutiny of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in India. 

A flashback reveals the life of younger Noor Begum, when she was known as Zeba Akhtar

As Noor retraces her steps back into her distant past, we learn that despite growing up in a traditional society, she has become a trailblazer. Additionally, we gain insight into the arduous singing journey undertaken by Noor Begum and her family. However, this movie completely focuses on the personal life of Noor Begum. Before becoming famous, people knew the Noor Begum as Zeba Akhtar (Saba Azad) in her younger days. We have two actresses: Soni Razdan portrays the older singer, while Saba Azad plays her younger version. Moreover, we also watch the growth of a young and gawky teenage girl, Zeba Akhtar (Saba Azad), who becomes the first Muslim female singer at All India Radio in Kashmir.

We loved the performances of Soni Razdan, Saba Azad, Sheeba Chaddha, Zain Khan Durrani, and others

Both the leading actresses, Soni Razdan and Saba Azad, portrayed their characters very well. Now, it will be difficult for us to choose between Soni (Noor Begum) and Saba (Zeba Akhtar), but Saba wins by a thin margin. Not to forget the irrepressible actress Sheeba Chaddha, who seemed to be giving one good performance after another, in so many different movies/series. In this movie, Sheeba Chaddha plays a typical-traditional Indian mother, who is only worried about her daughter’s marriage. Then there is Zain Khan, who played the part quite well, as the supportive husband of Saba. The rest of the ensemble cast was good too.

The conclusion about this personal tale

This is a nice and inspiring tale about a cultural icon, focusing on the first female singer at Radio Kashmir In Post-Independent India, but it is not an official biopic. And if we can ignore the fact that this film consciously omitted the minefield of harsh political realities in Kashmir, then Songs of Paradise is a heart-warming movie. This Hindi movie smartly integrates Kashmiriyat into it and narrates a lesser-known tale about a forgotten singing star of the bygone era. Moreover, it seems to be made with a lot of love and respect by a Kashmiri-origin writer-director, Danish Renzu.

FM Rating

Poster of the Movie | Official

An extraordinary tale of the first female singer at Radio Kashmir.

Key Details of the Movie

Trailer & Synopsis of the Movie | Official

A young musician, Rumi, seeks the truth behind Noor Begum, a reclusive icon of Kashmiri music. Once Zeba, the valley’s first female radio singer, Noor’s journey from silence to song broke social barriers. As Rumi unearths her past, Songs of Paradise reveals a legacy of defiance, resilience, and the power of a voice that refused to be forgotten.

We liked the Dil Tsooran song from the movie Songs Of Paradise - Abhay Sopori - Masrat Un Nissa - YouTube Link - Official Video.

Bonus Information about Raj Begum

We are sharing the extra information about the real-life singer Raj Begum, who has inspired the fictional Noor Begum of this movie, Songs Of Paradise. Sadly, many of her songs (sung in live performances) seemed to have been lost forever.

Raj Begum, known originally as Rehti, was born into a humble family in Magarbal Bagh, Srinagar, on March 27, 1927. Her father was Ghulam Rasool Sheikh. Like many distinguished singers, she commenced her singing career in her early years. As she grew older, she participated in marriage festivities. It was not until later in her life that she received formal training in singing from well-known musicians like Ustad Jhandee Khan, Ustad Muhammad Abdullah Tibetbakal, Ustad Muhammad Qaleenbaaf, and others.

In the early 1950s, Raj Begum was introduced to Radio Kashmir, Srinagar, by the distinguished folk singer Ghulam Qadir Langoo. A few years later, she officially joined the All India Radio (AIR) from the Srinagar Station in 1954, soon emerging as one of its defining live voices in an era with few archival recordings. After performing for many years, she retired in 1986 from AIR. As she was a distinguished Kashmiri playback and folk singer, famously known as the "Nightingale" or "Melody Queen" of Kashmir. Her contributions to Indian music were recognised with the Padma Shri in 2002 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2013. She passed away on 26 October 2016 in Srinagar.

The Poster and the Featured Image of the Songs of Paradise (2025/India) Movie are credited to Prime Video.