"Akhtar was a master of what Brecht called the alienation effect; she had the ability to sing the saddest song with a bright smile."

“But Begum Akhtar who had trained long and hard under various Ustads is I think, and forgive the opinion of a rank amateur, in point of classical technique the more consummate artist.”

“...singing sensation in the Indian subcontinent, feted by the cognoscenti and the commoner alike.”

“People don't want to listen to an imitation. If they want to listen to my style, they will go and buy my records.”

“Begum Akhtar's life perhaps mirrors an image where we too may briefly perceive ourselves and question the veracity of our own lives.”

“Begum Akhtar is a classic example of how personal tragedy is often that differentiating edge between a great performer and a truly exceptional one.”

“She had lovers and, if the secret must be out, she drank. What else accounts for the naughtiness of her eyes? Like so many tawaifs there were ups and downs in her childhood, the father leaving the mother and so on, but she was blessed with the divine gift and her art transcended the various accidents of her life. In the end all else was forgotten. Only the legend and the accomplishment survive.”