Sultana, also known as Sultana Razaaq, was one of the earliest film actresses from India and acted both in silent films and later in sound films. She was a daughter of India’s first female film director,

Fatima Begum 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 p ...

Zubeida Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir (1911 – 21 September 1988) was an Indian actress. She starred in the first Indian talkie movie ''Alam Ara'' (1931). Her credits include early hits ''Devdas'' (1937), and Sagar Movietone's first talkie, ''Meri Jaan''. ...

(leading actress of India's first talkie film ''

Alam Ara ''Alam Ara'' () is a 1931 Indian Hindustani-language historical fantasy film directed and produced by Ardeshir Irani. It revolves on a king and his two wives, Navbahaar and Dilbahaar, who are childless; soon, a '' fakir'' (Muhammad Wazir Khan) ...

'' (1931)) was her younger sister. Sultana was born in

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

in western

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. She had two sisters, Zubeida and Shehzadi, both actresses. Their mother, Fatima Begum, claimed that her three daughters were fathered by Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of

Sachin State The Sachin State ( gu, સચીન રિયાસત; ur, سچن ریاست) 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, ...

. However, there is no record of a marriage or any contract having taken place between the Nawab and Fatima Begum or of the Nawab having recognized 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) film and later performed in several silent films. Later, she also acted in talkie movies. When India was partitioned in 1947, she migrated to

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

with her husband, a wealthy man named Seth Razaaq. Her daughter, Jamila Razaaq, also became an actress with her encouragement. She produced a film in Pakistan, named Hum Ek Hain (1961), written by famous scriptwriter,

Fayyaz Hashmi Fayyaz Hashmi ( ur, ; 1920 2011) was a Pakistani poet and screenwriter who worked both in the Cinema of India, Indian and Cinema of Pakistan, Pakistani film industry. He penned some memorable songs such as the famous nazm Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na ...

. The film was partly shot in colour, which was rare those days, but it failed miserably and Sultana stopped producing any films afterwards. Sultana's daughter, Jamila Razaaq, married the well known Pakistani cricketer

Waqar Hasan Waqar Hasan Mir ( ur, وقارحسن; 12 September 1932 – 10 February 2020) was a Pakistani cricketer who played in 21 Test matches from 1952 to 1959, and the last surviving member of Pakistan's inaugural Test squad. He scored 1,071 runs in ...

, who is the brother of filmmaker Iqbal Shehzad. He runs a business under the name National Foods at Karachi.

Filmography

Silent Movies

Talkie Movies

Producer

References

External links

Sultana brief biography

List of films
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sultana Year of birth missing Year of death missing 20th-century Indian actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema Gujarati people Indian film actresses Indian silent film actresses Pakistani people of Gujarati descent People of British India