Contribution of Muslim Women in Indian Cinema

Contribution of Muslim Women in Indian Cinema :

Contribution of Muslim Women in Indian Cinema S.K.Verma Jamia Millia islamia. New Delhi

Indian cinema:

Indian cinema In Indian continent, films reach a wider audience than literature as they move across the barriers of class, creed, literacy, religion and even language. As a matter of fact, they not only reflect reality, but also construct reality. Muslim women have influenced the course of Indian film history, advanced the standard of women’s roles, and pushed the envelope of human possibility past the closed doors in front of them. It is true that we cannot ignore the contribution of woman in Indian Cinema from ‘Alam aara’ to ‘ Dhobighat ’. There are various movies in which female characters have stronger roles. Indian Muslim women are changing the face of India across all sectors. Now, in their own country, they need to be in the faces, bodies, and stories of their cinema. At the end of the last century, Hindi cinema changed drastically with respect to the portrayal of Muslim character.

Indian cinema:

Indian cinema Here is an intensive study of 10 distinguished Muslim women throughout Indian cinema history, who have redrawn the boundaries of “Muslim” and of “woman’ in influencing the bollywood cinema.

Fatima Begum (1892–1983) India's first female film director:

Fatima Begum (1892–1983) India's first female film director Fatima Begum was born into an Urdu Muslim family in India in 1892. Fatima Begum was married to the Nawab of Sachin and was the mother of silent superstars like Zubeida , Sultana and Shehzadi . She began her career on the Urdu stage, shifted to films and debuted in Ardeshir Irani's silent film, Veer Abhimanyu (1922). In 1926, she established Fatima Films which later became known as Victoria-Fatima Films in 1928. She was an actress at Kohinoor Studios and Imperial Studios, while writing, directing, producing, and acting in her own films at Fatima Films. In 1926, when she directed Bulbul-e- Paristan , she became the first female director of Indian cinema. Leaning towards direction, Fatima continued acting till her last film in 1938, Duniya Kya Hai ?. She died at the age of ninety-one but her legacy was carried on by her legendary actress of a daughter, Zubeida , whom besides being a silent film star, acted in India's first ever talkie, Alam Ara . Fatima Begum was fair skinned and wore dark make-up that suited the sepia/black-and-white images on the screen.

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir, First Indian Talkie Actress in Alam Ara:

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir , First Indian Talkie Actress in Alam Ara Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir , the First Indian Talkie Actress in the film Alam Ara , was one of the earliest superstars of the Indian film industry. She stepped into the realms of cinema at a time when acting was not considered a very revered profession for women, let alone the royal background. It has been 80 years since Hindi cinema has started with sound recording & today we know our cinema as Bollywood. But 70 years ago people use to call it as bioscope, cinema or picture. Now we call Hindi film as movies.

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir:

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir The Zubeida Begam first Indian actress film career began at the age of 12, she signed "Kohinoor". She made her debut in this picture. Later both her sisters joined film industry and they were ruling the film industry for 20 years. By 1925 Zubaida had signed 9 movies &they were released.out which people still remember Devidas , Desh ka Dushman and Kala Chor . These 3 movies were hit which added more stars to Zubaida acting. Later Zubaida & her sister worked together in few movies, out which " Kalyan Khajina " was hit movie. Baburao Krishnarao Mistry had given big guidance in Kalyan Khajinah . Due to which in year 1919, this movie had won Wembley Exhibition in London. Later Baburao Mistry got another debut in film " Sinhagad ".

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir:

Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir In 1930 and 1940 Zubaida Begum gave many hit films She added more fame to her acting after release of " Subhada , Uttara & Draupadi ". Zubaida acted in movies till 1950 and her last movie was " Nirdosh Abla ". In which she resembled helpless lady with lot of problems. Later many offers came to her but she had refused sign any more movies. Zubaida Begum got married to Dhanrajgir Gyan Bahadur . He was one of the Maharajas of Hyderabad. Later on many new actresses started visiting her to take acting tips. In 1945 Suraiya was leading actress who took lot tips from Zubaida Begum. Later on Meena kumari , Madhu Bala , Nargis , Wahida Rahman visited her to take the important tips where it was needed

PARVEEN BABI-Parveen Wali Mohammad Khan Babi :

PARVEEN BABI- Parveen Wali Mohammad Khan Babi Parveen was born in Junagadh , Gujarat in a Muslim family. She did her early schooling in Aurangabad and later attended St. Xavier's College, Ahmedabad . Her father Vali Mohammed Babi , was an administrator with the Nawab of Junagadh

PARVEEN BABI:

PARVEEN BABI She made her film debut with the film Charitra Her first major hit was Majboor (1974) opposite Amitabh Bachchan . Parveen was known for her portrayal of iconoclastic women who did not care about the conventional norms of society. Along with Zeenat Aman , Parveen helped change the image of the Indian film heroine. She was the first Indian actress to have been featured on TIME magazine's cover, in July 1976, much to the consternation of her contemporaries. In her most successful films, she was paired opposite Amitabh Bachchan , who was one of the biggest stars of the decade, in cinematic blockbusters like Deewaar (1975) Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Shaan (1980), Kaalia (1981), and Khud-daar (1982), a pairing which became very popular.

PARVEEN BABI:

PARVEEN BABI she also gave hits opposite actors like Shashi Kapoor in Suhaag (1979 film) (1979), Kaala Patthar (1979) and Namak Halaal (1982), Jeetendra in Meri Aawaaz Suno (1981) and Vinod Khanna in The Burning Train (1980). She acted alongside Zeenat in Mahaan (1983) and Ashanti (1982). In films like Deewar (1975), Shaan (1980) and Namak Halaal (1982) her screen presence may have been minimal (the films largely working around the hero) but Parveen brought a certain attractive aloofness to the roles and songs she appeared in. In Manoj Kumar's big hit Kranti (1981) she overshadowed Hema Malini who played the main lead. Her success did not run into the mid-eighties as she had left the film industry to move to New York in 1983. Many of her completed films released in the following years right up until her last film, Iraada , which released in 1990.

NARGIS-Fatima A. Rashid :

NARGIS-Fatima A. Rashid She was born on June 1, 1929 as Fatima Rashid in Rawalpindi, British India, daughter to Jaddanbai and Uttamchand Mohanchand , a Hindu Mohyal Brahmin. Her mother was a well-known dancer, singer, actor, composer, and director. This is what paved the way for Fatima to become a child artiste (Baby Rani ) as early as 1935.

NARGIS-Fatima A. Rashid:

NARGIS-Fatima A. Rashid Nargis has appeared in a number of movies opposite filmmaker and actor Raj Kapoor . In 25 years of her film career she has given many superhits , out of which the most famous ones are Barsaat (1949), Andaz (1949), Awaara (1951), Deedar (1951), Shree 420 (1955), Chori Chori (1956), and Mother India (1957). Nargis won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the blockbuster Mother India (1957) which was nominated for the Academy Award. Raat Aur Din (1967) was her last movie, it was a big hit and she earned the National Film Award for Best Actress and she was also nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

Zeenat Aman -Babushka :

Zeenat Aman -Babushka Zeenat Aman (born 19 November 1951) is an Indian actress who has appeared in Hindi films, notably in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the second runner up in the Miss India Contest and went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 1970. Upon making her debut in Bollywood, Aman was credited with making a lasting impact on the image of its leading actresses by bringing the western heroine look to Hindi cinema.

Zeenat Aman -Babushka :

Zeenat Aman -Babushka Zeenat Aman was born in Mumbai Amanullah Khan who was a script writer for such movies as Mughal -e- Azam and Pakeezah . He died when Zeenat was 13. Her mother re-married to a German, Mr. Heinz. Zeenat's mother obtained German citizenship, and took her to Germany, where Zeenat was very unhappy, returning to India as soon as she turned 18.

Zeenat Aman -Babushka :

Zeenat Aman -Babushka Aman graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai and went to University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California for further studies on student aid. Upon returning to India, she first took a job as a journalist for Femina and then later on moved on to modeling. One of the first few brands that she modeled for was Taj Mahal Tea and Television X Debut in 1966 exclusively. She was the second runner up in the Miss India Contest and went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 1970. Dev Anand offered Zaheeda (his second heroine in Prem Pujari ) the role of sister in Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1972). Not realizing the importance of this secondary role, Zaheeda wanted the lead female part (eventually played by Mumtaz ), and she opted out. Aman was chosen as a last-minute replacement. In Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Aman , aided by R. D. Burman's song "Dum Maro Dum" (Take Another Toke), won over the heart's of audience as Janice. She earned a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award [ and BFJA Award for Best Actress.

Zeenat Aman -Babushka :

Zeenat Aman -Babushka Throughout the 1970s, the Dev- Zeenat pairing was seen in half a dozen films: Heera Panna (1973), Ishq Ishq Ishq (1974), Prem Shastra (1974), Warrant (1975), Darling Darling (1977) and Kalabaaz (1977). Of these, Warrant, was the biggest box-office success. She appeared on every Hindi film magazine's cover during 1970s. In December 1974, Cine Blitz magazine was launched with Zeenat Aman on its cover, a testimony to her popularity at the time. However, she went on as the favourite cover girl of the popular magazine 'Stardust'.

Meena kumari =Begum Mahjabeen Bux :

Meena kumari = Begum Mahjabeen Bux Meena kumari is the talented Indian actress  traditionally known for perfecting the role of the tragedy in films ,is actually the embodiment of the woman as Essence rather than flesh .In a career spanning three decades ,she chiseled the contours of two role models and created some kind of an ideal in the mind of the viewer .This was the image of the woman as wife and the woman as mother .

Meena kumari =Begum Mahjabeen Bux :

Meena kumari = Begum Mahjabeen Bux The first  role  done by perfection was in Guru Dutt `s movie Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (in 1962), and as protagonist as Chhoti Bahu . Kumari is often cited by media and literary sources as "The Tragedy Queen", both for her frequent portrayal of sorrowful and dramatic roles in her films and her real-life story Meena kumari represent the concept of traditional womanhood that was divested of all its physical antecedents. If beauty ,not sensuality ,was the defining characteristic of her physicality ,then pain ,not pleasure ,was the predominant emotion which she opted for. Purity was the keynote of this metaphor for melancholia ,where suffering and self –sacrifice became more pleasurable than satiation and self –appeasement.

Meena kumari =Begum Mahjabeen Bux :

Meena kumari = Begum Mahjabeen Bux Meena Kumari gained fame with her role as a heroine in Vijay Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952). This heroine always negated herself for the material and spiritual advancement of the man she loved and was even willing to annihilate herself to provide him the experience of pain so that his music would be enriched. She became the first actress to win the Filmfare Best Actress Award in 1953 for this performance. Meena Kumari highly successfully played the roles of a suffering woman in Parineeta (1953), Daera (1953), Ek Hi Raasta (1956), Sharda (1957), and Dil Apna Aur Preet Parayi (1960). Though she cultivated the image of a tragedienne, she also performed commendably in a few light-hearted movies like Azaad (1955), Miss Mary (1957), Shararat (1959), and Kohinoor (1960).

Salma Agha:

Salma Agha Salma Agha (born April 3, 1962) is a popular singer from Pakistan who sang as well as acted in Indian films in the 1980s and the early 1990s. She won the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award in 1982 for the ghazal " Dil ke Armaan " in Nikaah . Salma was grand daughter of 30's/40's famous actress Anwari Begum who played the role of Heer in the first ever Punjabi film in the Indian sub-continent Heer Ranjha (1932). Famous musician Rafiq Ghaznavi was her grand father and her mother Nasreen worked with K. L. Saigal in Shahjahan (1946) and Aik roz (1947). She was born to a wealthy father in Karachi and moved to London at the age of 9. Agha is the granddaughter of famous Indian actor - Prithviraj Kapoor's brother-in-law; thus she is related to the famous Indian film family - Kapoors .

Salma Agha:

Salma Agha When acclaimed Indian director Raj Kapoor was at the London reception of his son Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh's wedding, he invited his cousin Zarina Agha ( Salma's mother) to the reception. Present at the wedding were many prominent Indian directors, including B.R. Chopra. Chopra had just finished a female oriented hit with Zeenat Aman called Insaf Ka Tarazu . He had just commissioned a heroine-oriented movie called Talaq Talaq Talaq and was on the look out for a Muslim actress. Zeenat Aman (even though, half Muslim) he felt had a much too urban look to portray the character of Neelofar in his movie. Raj Kapoor too was on the lookout for a Muslim girl his movie Heena . Soon Raj Kapoor nixed plans and went ahead withPrem Rog . Hearing that Chopra was looking for a Muslim girl, Salma flew to Bombay to meet him. Using her uncle Raj Kapoor's connection, Salma was soon hired.

Salma Agha:

Salma Agha When the music directors heard Salma's ABBA hits they signed her on to sing her own playback songs. The songs were a huge success even before the movie was released. The movie got stuck with the Islamic clerics who were to approve the movie before its release. They insisted on a name change and Chopra rechristened the movie Nikah . The movie went on to be a huge success and is considered a classic. It is one of the strongest debuts for an actress and a huge vehicle for a newcomer. She earned a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. In addition to winning the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award for the song " Dil Ke Armaan ," she also earned two Filmfare nominations: one for the song " Pyar Bhi Hai Jawan " and the other for the song " Dil Ki Yeh Arzo ".

Shabana Azmi:

Shabana Azmi One of the leading lights of the now-largely-defunct Indian New Wave, Shabana Azmi was one of the main female actors who dominated the films of the so-called "Parallel Cinema" in India in the 1970s and 1980s. Born to noted Urdu progressive poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi , Shabana has acted in films by virtually all of India's most famous arthouse directors including Shyam Benegal , Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen , Aparna Sen and others, as well as in commercial and middle-of-the-road Hindi films, where she has essayed several strong female characters (e.g., in Death Sentence (1997) and Godmother (1999)).

Shabana Azmi:

Shabana Azmi Azmi was linked to director Shekhar Kapur but then married lyricist Javed Akhtar on 9 December 1984. Shabana Azmi graduated in 1979 and then she signed movies like Faasla by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas ' and also Parinay by Kanti Lal Rathod but her first release was Shyam Benegal's Ankur . This film brought her a National Film Award for Best Actress. She also recieved awards for her films Arth , Khandhar and Paar (1983 to 1985) and in 1999 for her performance in Godmother. Shabana has always showed the viewers something different in all her movies. She had put on weight and chewed beetel nuts for her film Mandi and Jamini in Khandhar and was seen as a normal house wife in Masoom . She also acted in Deepa Mehta's Fire. There was a lot of controversy as the movie talked about Lesbianism which was not acceptable by the Indian Authorities. But at 32nd Chicago Film Festival she recieved the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress and Jury Award for Best Actress at Outfest , Los Angeles. She has done more than 100 Hindi movies and is also seen in a lot of foreign films like Nicholas Klotz’s Bengali Night, Channel 4’s Immaculate Conception, Blake Edwards' Son of the Pink Panther, Roland Joffe’s City of Joy and Ismail Merchant’s In Custody. Some of her films got noticed by Norwegian Film Institute, Smithsonian Institution, and also American Film Institute. Some of the most famous films include Saeed Mirza’s Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai , Sai Paranjpye’s Sparsh , Shyam Benegal's Nishant (1975), Junoon (1978), Susman (1986), Antarnaad (1992), Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khiladi , Mrinal Sen’s Khandhar , Genesis, Ek Din Achanak , Sati, Disha , Gautam Ghose’s Paar and Aparna Sen’s Picnic. She also took part in a small screen opera, Anupama . Shabana is also a social activist and has fought against injustice and AIDS.

Waheeda Rehman :

Waheeda Rehman One of the most prominent actresses of the golden era, Waheeda Rehman was born into a traditional Muslim family in Chengalpattu , Tamil Nadu, India.[1] She and her sister learnt Bharatnatyam at Mumbai's Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir , where Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai , doyen among nattuvanars taught [2] and performed on stage together. Her father, who was a District Commissioner, died while she still in her teens.

Waheeda Rehman:

Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman was discovered by Guru Dutt in a film and was brought to Bombay (now Mumbai) and cast as a vamp in his production C.I.D. (1956), directed by Raj Khosla . A few years after joining the Hindi film industry, she lost her mother. After the success of C.I.D., Dutt gave her a leading role in Pyaasa (1957). Their next venture together, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), depicted the story of a successful director's decline after he falls for his leading lady. Dutt's existing marriage and her film successes with other directors caused them to drift apart personally and professionally, although they continued to work together into the 1960s Chaudhvin Ka Chand . She completed Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) under some strain. They broke away from each other after the film's indifferent reception at the Berlin Film Festival in 1963. Soon afterward, Guru Dutt died on 10 October 1964 in Mumbai reportedly from an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. Rahman was cast as " Gulabi " in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Abhijan in 1962.

Slide 27:

Her career continued throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her roles in Guide (1965), where she hit the peak of her career and Neel Kamal (1968), but despite excellent offbeat roles in subsequent films, including a National award winning performance in Reshma Aur Shera (1971), some of the films failed at the box office. At around this time, Kamaljit who starred opposite her in Shagun (1964) proposed. She accepted and they were married on 27 April 1974. After her marriage, she shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore. She bore two children named Sohail and Kashvi . After her appearance in Lamhe (1991) she retired from the film industry for 12 years. On 21 November 2000, her husband died following a prolonged illness. She moved back to her ocean view bungalow in Bandra , Bombay where she lives currently.

Waheeda Rehman:

Waheeda Rehman In recent years she made a comeback playing elderly mother and grandmother roles in Om Jai Jagadish (2002), Water (2005) and Rang De Basanti (2006) and Delhi 6 (2009) which were all critically acclaimed. In October 2004, a Waheeda Rehman film retrospective was held at the Seattle Art Museum and the University of Washington where Waheeda participated in spirited panel and audience discussions on her most memorable films — Pyaasa , Teesri Kasam and Guide — although her most successful film is still considered to be Khamoshi , with costar Rajesh Khanna .

Awards :

Awards National Film Award for Best Actress for Reshma Aur Shera in 1971. Filmfare Best Actress Award for Guide in 1966 Filmfare Best Actress Award for Neel Kamal in 1968 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, Best Actress (Hindi) for Teesri Kasam in 1967, and for Sunghursh in 1969 Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994 NTR National Award for 2006. Padma Shri in 1972. Padma Bhushan in 2011