A tawaif was a highly successful entertainer who catered to the nobility of the Indian subcontinent, particularly during the Mughal era. The tawaifs excelled in and contributed to music, dance (mujra), theatre, and the Urdu literary tradition, and were considered an authority on etiquette. Tawaifs were largely a North Indian institution central to Mughal court culture from the 16th century onwards and became even more prominent with the weakening of Mughal rule in the mid-18th century. They contributed significantly to the continuation of traditional dance and music forms.
Abdul Hayee, popularly known by his pen name (takhallus) Sahir Ludhianvi, was a Pakistani/Indian poet and he left India after the partition. He was a student at Government College, Lahore, however, in 1949 left Pakistan and returned back to India. film song lyricist who wrote primarily in Urdu in addition to Hindi. He is regarded one of the greatest and revolutionary film lyricist and poet of the 20th century India.
Mirza Ghalib is a 1954 Indian Hindi and Urdu language biographical film, directed by Sohrab Modi. Based on the life of well-known poet Mirza Ghalib, the film was acclaimed upon release. It stars Bharat Bhushan as Ghalib and Suraiya as his tawaif lover. The film won the President's Gold Medal for the All India Best Feature Film and the President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Hindi in the 2nd National Film Awards for 1954. Suraiya's singing and her acting was specially applauded by the Prime Minister, Jawahar Lal Nehru, who remarked to her, "You have brought back Ghalib to life", in a special screening of the film at Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Trishul (transl. Trident) is a 1978 Indian Hindi-language action drama film, directed by Yash Chopra, written by Salim–Javed and produced by Gulshan Rai. It features music by Mohammed Zahur Khayyam, with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. The film features an ensemble cast of Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Raakhee Gulzar, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Sachin and Waheeda Rehman.
K. Asif was an Indian film director, film producer and screenwriter who is known for his epic film, Mughal-e-Azam (1960).
Neel Kamal is a 1968 Indian Hindi-language romantic thriller directed by Ram Maheshwari, starring Waheeda Rehman as the eponymous lead, Raaj Kumar, Manoj Kumar, Mehmood, Balraj Sahni, Lalita Pawar and Shashikala.
Mehboob Ki Mehndi is a 1971 Indian Hindi-language romantic musical film produced and directed by H. S. Rawail. The film stars Rajesh Khanna and Leena Chandavarkar. The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal with lyrics by Anand Bakshi. It was based on Muslim Tahzeeb (culture) of the bygone Nawab era, wherein the a young rich Muslim man Yusuf agrees to marry a prostitute's daughter. The movie was released on 30 January 1971. It showed the importance of education in Muslims as preached by Mahatma Gandhi. Shabana, the heroine is able to save herself, and her family, only by educating herself and doing the job of tutor. Rajesh Khanna was the co-producer. Although the film popularly counted among the 17 consecutive hit films of Rajesh Khanna between 1969 and 1971, but the Box Office record cites, the movie was flop commercially.
Sayyid Waris Ali Mirza Khan Bahadur was the last Nawab of Murshidabad before a prolonged interregnum caused by a succession dispute within the family that was only resolved in 2014 by the Indian Supreme Court. He succeeded his father, Wasif Ali Mirza.
Umrao Jaan Ada is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa (1857–1931), first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many and tells the story of a tawaif and poet by the same name from 19th century Lucknow, as recounted by her to the author.
Shahid Hameed, known simply as Shahid, is a Pakistani film actor who starred in many films of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Muslim social is a film genre in Bollywood that portrays Islamic culture in India. It flourished in the 1950s and 1960s and lasted till the early 1980s. Muslim socials are divided into two categories: "classic Muslim socials" that explore nawabi culture and focus on upper class or elite Muslim families, and "new wave Muslim socials" that portray middle class Muslim families who experience economic problems, discrimination and communal violence. Muslim socials often include ghazals, qawwalis, Urdu poetry and expressions, and musical forms commonly associated with Islamic culture. However, lately the label has also been criticized for cultural ghettoization of minority cinema. Director M.S. Sathyu who made Garam Hava (1973), called it "a skewed way to look at cinema. When there is no Hindu social or Christian social, how can there be a Muslim social".
Dard (Pain) is a 1947 Bollywood drama film directed by Abdul Rashid Kardar. The film was produced by Kardar Productions. It was a surprise "musical hit" at the box office as it had an ordinary star cast. Suraiya played the second lead, with Munawwar Sultana as the main heroine. The film was Suraiya's first "big hit", becoming a popular singing star following the success of the film. The hero of the film was Kardar's brother Nusrat (Kardar), who shifted to Pakistan following Partition in 1947, where he acted in a few films.
Bahu Begum ka Maqbara, the Tomb of the Queen Bride Begum Unmatuzzohra Bano alias Bahu Begum, is a memorial built for the queen of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula. It is one of the tallest buildings in the Ayodhya district and is a notable example of non-Mughal Muslim architecture. Sadly, this monument is a victim of neglect and is depleting.
Gazal is a 1964 Urdu romance musical film directed by Ved-Madan, starring Sunil Dutt, Meena Kumari and Prithviraj Kapoor. The muslim social film is about the right of young generation to the marriage of their choice. It had music by Madan Mohan with lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi, featuring notable filmi-ghazals such as "Rang Aur Noor Ki Baraat", performed by Mohammed Rafi and "Naghma O Sher Ki Saugaat", performed by Lata Mangeshkar.
Mirza Jawan Bakht was the son of Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and Zeenat Mahal. He was the fifteenth son of his father, but the only son of his mother. She nursed the ambition of placing him on the Mughal throne.
Chandni Chowk is a 1954 classic Muslim social drama film directed by B. R. Chopra.
Deedar-E-Yaar is a 1982 Hindi-language romance film, produced by Prasan Kapoor under the Tirupati Pictures Enterprises banner and directed by Harnam Singh Rawail. It stars Jeetendra, Rishi Kapoor, Rekha, Tina Munim and music composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
Gulabo Sitabo is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language comedy drama film directed by Shoojit Sircar, produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar, and written by Juhi Chaturvedi. Set in Lucknow, it stars Amitabh Bachchan, Ayushmann Khurrana, Abhinav Pundir and Farrukh Jaffar. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was not released theatrically, but on Amazon Prime Video worldwide on 12 June 2020.
Bahu Begum is an Indian romantic drama television series that aired from 15 July 2019 to 21 January 2020 on Colors TV. Produced by Prateek Sharma under LSD Films, it starred Arjit Taneja, Samiksha Jaiswal and Diana Khan.
Zareen Panna, also known as Panna or Zarrin is a Pakistani actress and former classical dancer. She acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films.
