Akhtari Bai's good looks and sensitive voice made her an ideal candidate for a film career in her early years. When she heard great musicians like Gauhar Jan and Malak Jan, however, she decided to forsake the glamour of the film world for a career in Indian classical music.
In 1945, Akhtari Bai married a barrister from Lucknow and became known as Begum Akhtar. However, after marriage, due to her husband's restrictions, she gave up singing for five years and subsequently fell ill, that is when her return to music was prescribed as a befitting remedy and in 1949, she returned to the recording studios.
Her supreme artistry in light classical music had its moorings in the tradition of pure classicism. She chose her repertoire in primarily classical modes: a variety of raags, ranging from simple to complex. Her voice matured with time, gaining richness and depth.
The first recording is from her Akhtar Bai era - the geet 'Patli Kamar Lambey Baal'
The second recording is from her later age, when she was known as Begum Akhtar. Here she sings Faiz's Sham-e-Firaq.