Modern Portrait. Screenshot.

About this Artwork

Rashid Behbudov was an Azerbaijani singer and actor. He sang in Azerbaijani Turkish , Istanbul Turkish, Russian, Persian, Georgian, Hindi, Armenian, Urdu, and Bengali among other languages. Rashid Behbudov was born in Tbilisi, in 1915. His father, Majid Behbudoghlu, was a singer as well. From 1938 to 1944, Rashid moved to Armenia and worked at Yerevan State Philharmonia and Opera House, and in 1945, upon the invitation of Tofig Guliyev, Rashid Behbudov moved to Baku. In the same year, he was assigned the main role of Asgar in the film "Arshin Mal Alan". The Cloth Peddler, based on a play by Uzeyir Hajibeyov. His role in this film combined with his vocal skills brought him fame throughout Azerbaijan. In a short time, Behbudov became also prominent Azerbaijani pop singer. His combination of vocal masterpieces ranged from classical performances to lyrical songs. Behbudov's rare vocal talent gave him opportunity to travel beyond the "Iron Curtain" of the Soviet Union, and as a singer he toured with concert performances in several countries of the world, including Iran, Turkey, China, India, Japan, Argentina, and many other countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In 1966, he created the State Song Theater, which still carries his name, and became its soloist and artistic manager. Rashid was almost 30 years old when he was chosen to perform the lead role of Asgar. It was the third time a film had been made The Cloth Peddler ("Arshin Mal Alan"), based on the music comedy by Uzeyir Hajibeyov (1885–1948). Asgar was the rich merchant, who disguised himself as a cloth peddler just to get the chance to enter the courtyards of homes so that he could catch a glimpse of all the pretty young women and choose one for his bride. This version of the movie came at the end of World War II and was so successful that it not only made Rashid famous, but it won Hajibeyov the coveted Stalin Prize. When the directors were getting ready to cast the film, one of them, Rza Tahmasib, had thought he would offer Rashid the role of Vali, Asgar's servant. Vali's character was comical, a trait which came naturally for Rashid. However, during the audition, Tahmasib heard Rashid sing an aria written for Asgar and decided to give him the lead role instead. The film turned out to be so successful that it was shown in more than 25 countries.