Madame Azurie

Last updated

Madam Azurie
Born
Anna Marie Gueizelor

1907/1916
Bangalore, British India (now in India)
DiedAugust 1998
NationalityBritish India (1907/1916-1947)
Pakistani (1947-1998)
Occupation(s)Dancer and actress (film)
Years active1934-60
SpouseSayyed Allauddin Ahmed Gelani [1]

Anna Marie Gueizelor better known as Azurie [2] or Madam Azurie [1] (1907, Banglore - 1998, Rawalpindi) was a classical dancer and actress in British India and later Pakistan. She starred in many Indian, Pakistani and Bengali films and is considered the first item dance r of the Indian film industry. [3] [4]

Contents

Personal life

Azurie was born as Anna Marie Gueizelor in 1907 (some accounts put it as 1916) in Bangalore, British India (now in Karnataka, India). [2] Her mother was a Hindu Brahmin [2] nurse while her father was a Jewish German doctor. When her parents separated, she lived with her father who encouraged her to study ballet but not eastern dance. [1] He let his daughter study ballet and piano with a group of Russian emigrants. Azurie and her family moved to Bombay when she was in her adolescent years. Her father became a part of Three arts circle which allowed Azurie to interact with its organizer, Begum Atiya Fyzee-Rahamin. With Atiya, Azurie studied eastern arts and dance. [5] Azurie moved with Atiya when her father died. [6] [7] Azurie passed away in August 1998. [8]

Career

Azurie explored different dances of the subcontinent and studied under different masters. She soon became a part of the Bombay film industry. Her first film was Nadira. After that, She starred in many films like Pardesi Saiyaan, Qatl-e-Aam, The Bombay talkies and Naya Sansar. Azurie starred in more than 700 films and was well known for her dances. Movies were sold for Azurie's dance and she became a well-known item number dancer. She was also invited to Buckingham Palace for a dance performance. [9] Azurie also acted in Bengali films like Maya, Sonar Sansar and Lagna Bandhan. [1] [10]

Pakistan

During this time she married a Muslim man and settled in Rawalpindi, Pakistan after independence. [11] [12] There she opened the academy of classical dance where Azurie taught for many years. Azurie also acted in a few Pakistani films but retired from it soon. [13] [14] She travelled with a group of artists and performed in different places. [15] [16]

In Islamabad, Azurie was a member of the board of the National Council of the Arts. She was founding member of the Pak-American Cultural Centre, in Karachi, where she taught classical dance for many years. [17] [18] [19]

Filmography

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 Iyer, Usha. "The audacious and amazing Azurie, 'a League of Nations in whom every dance of the world is found'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. ↑ Rehman, I. A. (5 November 2020). "The end of spring". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Homegrown. "How A Half-German Woman Became India's First Item Girl". homegrown.co.in. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  5. ↑ WMC-Pakistan (22 November 2014). "THE CITY'S UNSUNG WOMEN ARE ITS REAL HEROES, SAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS". Women Media Center. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. ↑ "Azurie – Cineplot.com" . Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kathak dancer Adnan Jehangir performs in Italy – Business Recorder" . Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  8. ↑ thebusiness.pk. "Madam Azurie" (PDF).{{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "Songs of Yore completes three years". Songs Of Yore. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. ↑ Kahlon, Sukhpreet. "Brilliant, dazzling Azurie, Indian cinema's first dancing star". Cinestaan. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  11. ↑ "Saleem Asmi — a journalist and a lover of artwork and music". Publishing News. 1 November 2020. Archived from the original on 23 March 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "Travelplannings, Pakistan". www.travelplannings.it. Retrieved 6 December 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Saleem Asmi — a journalist and a lover of art and music". The Express Tribune. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  14. ↑ "What we learn from Saleem Asmi". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  15. ↑ "Cinema Citizens". INDIAN MEMORY PROJECT. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  16. ↑ worldchristquest (24 December 2019). "Baloch ice cream karachi branches of christianity". World Christ Quest. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  17. ↑ Iyer, Usha. "The audacious and amazing Azurie, 'a League of Nations in whom every dance of the world is found'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  18. ↑ "Did 'U' Know - Additions in April 2020". narthaki.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  19. ↑ "Saleem Asmi – a journalist and a lover of artwork and music". News Headlines, English News, Today Headlines, Top Stories | ENGLISH HEADLINE. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  20. ↑ "With 'Veere', the Women of Mumbai Cinema Are Taking Back Their Power". The Wire. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "Suresh Complete Movies List from 2009 to 1935". www.bollywoodmdb.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  22. ↑ Iyer, Usha (2014). Film Dance, Female Stardom, and the Production of Gender in Popular Hindi Cinema (PhD dissertation). University of Pittsburgh.
  23. ↑ "Search Results". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  24. ↑ Asmi, Saleem; Shāhid, Es Em; Rehman, I. A. (2012). Saleem Asmi: interviews, articles, reviews. Karachi: S.M. Shahid. ISBN   978-969-8625-19-1.
  25. ↑ admin. "The end of spring". IBC ENGLISH | latest News. Archived from the original on 5 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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