Sultana (actress)

Sultana, also known as Sultana Razaaq, was one of the earliest film actresses from India and acted both in silent movies and later in talkie movies. She was daughter of India’s first female film director Fatima Begum.^[1] Zubeida (leading actress of India's first talkie film Alam Ara (1931)) was younger sister of Sultana.^[2]

She was among the few girls who entered films at a time when it was not considered an appropriate profession for girls from respectable families, let alone Royalty. Born in Surat city of Gujarat in western India, Sultana was a stunningly beautiful Muslim princess, the daughter of Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State and Fatima Begum. She had two sisters, Zubeida and Shehzadi, both actresses. However, there is no record of a marriage or a contract having taken place between the Nawab and Fatima Bai or of the Nawab having recognised any of her children as his own, a prerequisite for legal paternity in Muslim family law.

Career

Sultana was a popular actress in the silent movie era, usually cast in romantic roles. She started her career as actress in Veer Abhimanyu (1922)^[1] film in 1920s 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 person named Seth Razaaq. Her daughter, Jamila Razaaq was also encouraged by her to act in Pakistani films and she produced a film in Pakistan, named Hum Ed 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. ^[2]

Sultana's daughter Jamila Razaaq married the well known Pakistani cricketer, Waqar Hasan, who is the brother of the film maker, Iqbal Shehzad. He runs a business under the name National Foods at Karachi.^[2]

Filmography

Silent Movies

Talkie Movies

Producer

References

External links

• Sultana brief biography
• List of films