Patience Cooper was an Anglo-Indian actress, and one of the early superstars of Bollywood. She was the daughter of Phoebe Stella Gamble (born in Calcutta in 1881; daughter of John Frederick Gamble and Phoebe Stella Clement whose mother was Armenian and James Alfred Cooper. An Anglo-Indian born in Howrah, West Bengal, and baptised on 30 May 1905, Cooper had a successful career in both silent and sound films. She is credited with the first double roles of Indian cinema—as twin sisters in Patni Prataap and as mother and daughter in Kashmiri Sundari, even though earlier in 1917, actor Anna Salunke had played roles of both the male lead character Ram and the female lead character Seeta in the film Lanka Dahan.
Khursheed Bano, often credited as Khursheed or Khurshid, was a singer and actress, and a pioneer of the Indian cinema. Her career ran through the 1930s and 1940s, before she migrated to Pakistan in 1948. Making her debut with Laila Majnu (1931), she acted in over thirty films in India. She is best known for her film Tansen (1943) with actor-singer K. L. Saigal, which featured many of her memorable songs.
Ghulam Haider (1908 – 9 November 1953), also known by the honorary title Master Ghulam Haider, was a Pakistani music composer who worked both in India and later in Pakistan after its independence in 1947.
Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir was an Indian actress. In addition to acting in silent films, she also starred in the first Indian talkie movie Alam Ara (1931). Which was their first talking movie. Her credits include early hits Devdas (1937), and Sagar Movietone's first Natak Meri Jaan.
Abdur Rashid Kardar (1904–1989) was an Indian film actor, director and producer. He is credited with establishing the film industry in the Bhati Gate locality of Lahore, British India.
The East India Film Company was an Indian film production company, based in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. It was the first Indian film company to screen a movie at an international film festival. Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. L. Khemka, it went on to be a pioneer in producing films across the several regional film industries, including Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, and Tamil, in the decade after its founding; till then, production companies were restricted regionally.
Allauddin Butt, better known as simply Allauddin (Urdu: علاءُ الدین; 2 February 1920 – 13 May 1983) was a Pakistani actor who worked in Pakistani Lollywood movies. His film career spanned over 4 decades.
Agha Hashar Kashmiri was an Urdu poet, playwright and dramatist. A number of his plays were Indian Shakespearean adaptations.
Shatir Ghaznavi was a playwright, lyricist, story/screenplay and dialogue writer for movies both in British India and later in Pakistan.
Sarfarosh also called Brave Hearts was a 1930 Indian silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. Made as action adventure film based on the RKO dramas, it was produced by Kardar's production company, "Playart Phototone". According to Hameeduddin Mahmood, the films had double titles up until the mid-1930s; the Hindi/Urdu name for the home market (India), and the English name for the overseas market. Kardar gave up acting after having starred in Husn Ka Daku (1929) and cast Gul Hamid in the main role. He also gave Rafiqe Ghaznavi a break as an actor in the film. Ghaznavi went on to become a famous music director.
Safdar Jung is a 1930 action costume silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was the third to be produced by Kardar's United Players Pictures, following Husn Ka Daku (1929) and Sarfarosh (1930).
Baghi Sipahi is a 1936 Hindi/Urdu film directed by A. R. Kardar. It was an adaptation of Cardinal Richelieu (1935) directed by Rowland V. Lee, a Twentieth Century Pictures production, which was a big success at the box-office. Baghi Sipahi, a costume action drama, was produced by the East India Film Company.
Aurat Ka Pyar is a 1933 Indian film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was produced by the East India Film Company, in Calcutta. Kardar had moved from Lahore to Calcutta where he directed several films for the company from 1933–36, including Aurat Ka Pyar. The music composer was Mushtaq Ahmed and lyrics were by Agha Hashar Kashmiri, who also scripted the film. It starred Gul Hamid, Mukhtar Begum, Mazhar Khan, Anwari Bai, Bacha, Abdul Sattar and Athar.
Farebi Shahzada also called The Shepherd, is a 1931 Indian cinema's action silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was also known as Gudaria Sultan or The Shepherd King and was the fourth of seven films Kardar produced under Kardar's United Players Corporation, Lahore.
Khooni Katar also called Golden Dagger is a 1931 Indian cinema's action adventure silent film directed by A. R. Kardar. The film was also called Sunheri Khanjar and the fifth film to be produced by Kardar for his United Pictures Corporation. The film is famous for the debut of the actor-producer-director Nazir.
Farebi Daku also called Mysterious Bandit is a 1931 action silent film produced and directed by A. R. Kardar. Kardar set up his own production company "United Players Corporation" in 1928 and in quick succession produced and directed seven pictures, Husn Ka Daku (1929), Safdar Jung (1930), Sarfarosh (1930), Farebi Shahzada (1931), Khooni Katar (1931), Farebi Daku and The Wandering Dancer or Awara Raqasa. Awara Raqasa was the only film out of the seven produced by Kardar, which was directed by J. K. Nanda, who had received his direction and cinematography training in Germany.
Mazhar Khan was an actor, producer, and director in Indian Cinema. He began his career as a police officer, which he left to study law for a short period. After abandoning his studies, he came to Bombay and started his career in cinema with the silent film Fatal Garland (1928) opposite the top actress of the time, Ermeline. He became a popular actor, gaining success in several silent films. During his stint in silent films he worked with directors such as Bhagwati Prasad Mishra, Ezra Mir, Moti P. Bhagnani, R. S. Chowdhary, and M. D. Bhavnani. Magazines in the 1940s compared Khan to Hollywood actors such as Paul Muni, Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff.
Playart Phototone was a film studio established in 1929 by Abdur Rashid Kardar.
Hiralal Thakur, known mononymously as Hiralal, was an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi films. Known for his performances as a character actor, he was called the 'bad man of the Indian screen' for his portrayal of roles with negative shades. He made his debut with the silent film Safdar Jung (1930).
