Sultana (actress)

Last updated

Sultana
Sultana Razaaq,(India) Silent film actor and director.jpg
Sultana Begum
Born
Sultana Begum

(1910-02-10)10 February 1910
Died19 September 1990(1990-09-19) (aged 80)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Producer
Years active1922 – 1962
SpouseSeth Razzaq (husband)
Children Jamila Razzaq (daughter)
Parent(s) Fatma Begum (mother)
Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III (father)
Relatives Waqar Hasan (son-in-law)
Zubeida (sister)
Rhea Pillai (great-niece)

Sultana, also known as Sultana Razzaq, was one of the earliest film actresses from India who acted both in silent films and later in sound films. [1] She was one of the most popular actress during 1920s, 1930s and 1940s in Indian Cinema in both silent films and later in the talkies. [2] She was the daughter of India's first female film director, Fatma Begum. [3] She was the elder sister of Zubeida a leading actress of India's first talkie film Alam Ara in 1931. [1]

Contents

Early life

Born in 1910 at Surat city of Gujarat at western India in British India, Sultana was the daughter of Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State and Fatma Begum. [3] She had two sisters, Zubeida and Shehzadi, both actresses. She was among the few girls who entered films at a tender age during a time when it was not considered an appropriate profession for girls from respectable families. [3]

Career

Sultana was a popular actress in the silent movie era, usually cast in romantic roles. [1] She started her career as actress in film Veer Abhimanyu (1922) and later performed in several silent films. Later, she also acted in talkie movies. When India was partitioned in 1947, she migrated to Pakistan with her husband, a wealthy man named Seth Razzaq. Her daughter, Jamila Razzaq, also became an actress with her encouragement. She produced a film in Pakistan, named Hum Ek Hain (1961), written by famous scriptwriter, Fayyaz Hashmi. The film was partly shot in colour, which was rare those days, but it failed miserably and Sultana stopped producing any films afterwards but later the film became popular among the audience the film received critical acclaim for its script and performances. [4] Its reputation has shifted over the following years, and many critics now consider the film to be a masterpiece and one of the best films of the 1960s. [4] [1]

She continued to remain active and worked as a producer in some films and then as her daughter's dress-designer when Jamila started working in films. [4]

Personal life

She married businessman Seth Razzaq and together they had a daughter named Jamila a popular actress during 1950s and 1960s in the cinema of Pakistan. [4] Sultana's daughter, Jamila Razzaq, married the well known Pakistani cricketer Waqar Hasan, who is the brother of filmmaker Iqbal Shehzad. He runs a business under the name National Foods at Karachi. [1]

Death

Sultana died at her family's home in Karachi in 1990 at Pakistan and was laid to rest in a Karachi Graveyard. [4]

Filmography

Silent Movies

YearTitleProducerRoleNotes
1922Veer AbhimaniyuStar FilmsUttariDebut Movie [5]
1924Gul BakavaliKohinoor & Imperial
Kalyan KhajinaKohinoor & ImperialA Fair Maiden [6]
Kala NaagKohinoor & Imperial
ManoramaKohinoor & Imperial
Prithvi Vallabh Ashoka PicturesJakkala Devi
Sati SardarbaSaraswati Film Company
1925Indra SabhaKohinoor & Imperial
1926Bulbul-e-ParistanFatma Films Company
1927 Balidan Orient Pictures Corporation
1928ChandravaliVictoria Fatima Film Company
1929Kanak TaraFatima Film Company
Young IndiaIndulal Yagnik
1930Brand Of FateImperial Film Company
Glory Of IndiaRanjit Film Company
RevenceImperial Film Company
The CometSurya F. Co.
1931Wages of SinSharda Mysore Pictures Corporation

Talkie Movies

YearTitleProducerRoleNotes
1931MilkmaidRanjit Film CompanyFirst Indian Talkie Movie of Sultana
Kamar-Al-ZamanImperial Film CompanyMaimoonah
1932Balwant BhattBalwant Bhatt
1933Intekam Amar Mullick
Shan-e-SubhanBrahma Film Company
1934Afghan AblaKumar M.
AmirzadiKumar M.
Saubhagya LaxmiKumar M.
1935Behan Ka PremProsperity Films
BidroheeEast India Film Company
Kamroo Desh Ki KaminiKumar M.
Maut Ka ToofanAll India Movie
Step MotherEast India Film Company
1936Hoor-E-SamundarVishnu Cine
Sagar Ki KanyaVijay Pictures
Devdas Pramathesh Barua Parvati
1938Talwar Ka Dhani
1939 Indramalati
1940 Usha Haran Popular Pictures
1949Girdhar Gopal Ki Mira

Producer

YearTitleNotes
1961Hum Ek HainPakistani Movie

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fatma Begum</span> Indian actress and director

Fatma Begum (1892–1983) was an Indian actress, director, and screenwriter. She is often considered the first female film director of Indian cinema. Within four years, she went on to write, produce and direct many films. She launched her own production house, Fatma Films, which later became Victoria-Fatma Films, and directed her first film, Bulbul-e-Paristan, in 1926.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khursheed Bano</span> Pakistani singer and actress

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waqar Hasan</span> Pakistani cricketer (1932–2020)

Waqar Hasan Mir was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Test matches from 1952 to 1959, and the last surviving member of Pakistan's inaugural Test team. He scored 1,071 runs in Test cricket, and played in 99 first-class matches.

Pervez Sajjad Hasan is a Pakistani former cricketer who played in 19 Tests from 1964 to 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zubeida</span> Indian actress

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.

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.

Begum Khurshid Mirza, also known by her screen name as Renuka Devi, was a Pakistani television actress and a film actress in the pre-partition era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sachin State</span> Princely state of India

The Sachin State was a princely state belonging to the Surat Agency, former Khandesh Agency, of the Bombay Presidency during the era of the British Raj. Its capital was in Sachin, the southernmost town of present-day Surat district of Gujarat State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zeenat Begum</span> Pakistani singer

Zeenat Begum, sometimes known as Zeenat, was a Pakistani singer. She was known as The Queen of Yesteryear for singing songs in films and on radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tamanna (actress)</span> Pakistani actress

Tamanna Begum was a Pakistani film and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nayyar Sultana</span> Pakistani film actress

Nayyar Sultana, she was known as Malka-i-Jazbaat and Queen of Emotions, was a Pakistani film actress. She became one of the foremost screen actresses of Lollywood in the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bibbo (actress)</span> Hindi and Urdu film actress

Bibbo was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films. She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu. She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s". Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana", where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ragni (actress)</span> Pakistani actress

Ragni, also known as Shaado, was a Pakistani actress. She worked in Urdu and Punjabi films under her stage name Ragni. She also worked in Hindi films in cinema of India. She was known for her beautiful doe like eyes and was known as Almond-eyed Beauty. Ragni is considered to be the highest-paid actress of her time in 1940s, being paid 1 lakh rupees by AR Kardar for her role in Shahjehan.

<i>Saheli</i> (film) 1960 Pakistani Urdu film

Saheli is a 1960 Pakistani Urdu language music blockbuster classical film directed by S. M. Yusuf and co-produced by F. M. Sardar. It is written by Hasrat Lakhnavi while music is composed by A. Hameed. It features Nayyar Sultana, Shamim Ara and Darpan in the lead while supporting actors features Aslam Pervaiz along with others. It was screened in 2016 by the Lok Virsa Museum. Saheli is the first film of Yusuf to be made in the country after he migrated to Pakistan, and the 1960s first prominent film of Sultana, Ara and Darpan, leading the film to celebrate golden Jubilee.

Anna Marie Gueizelor better known as Azurie or Madam Azurie 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 dancer of the Indian film industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nighat Sultana</span> Pakistani actress

Nighat Sultana was a Pakistani actress. She acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films and is known for her roles in films Chann Mahi, Umar Marvi, Saat Lakh, Insaf, Insan Badalta Hai, Neend, Dil Mera Dharkan Teri, Afsana Zindagi Ka and Kabhi Alwida Na Kehna.

Naghma Begum, or just Naghma, is a Pakistani actress. She has worked in more than 350 Urdu and Punjabi movies from 1960 to 2018. In 2000, she was honoured with the "Lifetime Achievement Nigar Award" for her 50 years long acting career. For her contributions towards the television industry, she was honoured by the Government of Pakistan with the Pride of Performance in 2023.

Jamila Razzaq is a Pakistani actress. She acted in Urdu films in Pakistani cinema and she is known for her roles in films Neya Dour (1958), Faisala (1959), Aur Bhi Gham Hayn (1960), Gul Bakavli (1961), Inqilab (1962) and Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1963).

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Sultana". Cineplot.com. Archived from the original on 18 June 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  2. Willemen, Paul (2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Taylor & Francis. pp. 241–242. ISBN   9781135943189.
  3. 1 2 3 Nazir, Asjad. "Lighting Up the Big Screen."Eastern Eye, 26 July 2013, pp. 21-33. ProQuest.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "سلطانہ ہندوستان کی مشہور فلمی اداکارہ میں سے ایک ہیں". Weekly Nigar Karachi (Golden Jubilee Number): 118. 2000.
  5. "Sultana – Filmography". Cineplot.com. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  6. Garga, Bhagavan Das (1996). So Many Cinemas. Eminence Designs. p. 32,43,52. ISBN   9788190060219 . Retrieved 18 September 2012.