Sultana Siddiqui also known as Sultana Apa ( Sindhi: سلطانا آپي) is a Pakistani

media mogul A media proprietor, also called a media executive, media mogul, media tycoon, or press baron is an entrepreneur who controls any means of public or commercial mass media, through the personal ownership or holding of a dominant position within a ...

, television director, and producer who is the founder of Hum Network Limited. Siddiqui is an active director of Hum Network Limited and the president of Hum Network Limited. By virtue of that she became the first woman in Pakistan to establish a TV station and wa
awarded
Sitara-e-Imtiaz for the same in 2021 by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

Early life

Sultana was born in

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad, also known as Neroonkot, is the capital and largest city of the Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Sindh by population, second-largest city in Sindh, after Karachi, and the List of citie ...

, into a Sindhi qazis (

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

judges) family domiciled therein, Sultana being the seventh of ten children.Asif Noorani (24 June 2013)
"No challenge is too great: Sultana Siddiqi"
'' Dawn News''
Archived
from the original on 30 December 2024. She received her early education from government schools in Hyderabad. She aimed to do her

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including human migration, migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study ...

but stopped due to her marriage in 1966, which would end in a divorce, and she would return to her family home with her three sons. Currently, she resides in North Nazimabad Town in Karachi.

Career

1970s-1980s: Early work as actress and director-producer

Sultana started her career from PTV as a producer in

Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

in 1974. Following a brief acting career, she concentrated on direction and production in both Sindhi and Urdu, her first Urdu-language production being ''Rung Barung'' (1981), a musical show for kids.

1990s: Mainstream success

Sultana reached popular success with Marvi (1993) and since then has directed or produced many appreciated television serials. Siddiqui has also produced children's television, musical performances, television films, serials and documentaries.

2000s-now: Hum Network and return to direction

In 2004 she founded ''Eye Television Network,'' now known a
"Hum Network Limited"
under which her own four cable channels are working, including "Hum TV". Under her direction Hum TV has received Pakistan's Lux Style Awards four years in a row. She is the only woman in Asia who started or owned a TV channel. As a director she remained inactive ten years before her latest drama serial '' Zindagi Gulzar Hai'' (2012-2013), a critically acclaimed serial that has been praised for "breaking the ice across the borders of Pakistan and India in current times" featuring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed.

Awards and recognition

Sultana has won numerous awards, including the Best Producer of a Drama Serial, Best Producer of a Music Production, the Hazrat Khadijat ul Kubra Award, Women of Vision Award, Nigar Award, the Gold Medal Award, Sindh Graduates Association Award, and the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance (), officially known as the Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sp ...

Award from the Government of Pakistan. Her work is well known for its attention to social issues and its focus on female empowerment. Siddiqui has represented Pakistan in numerous international workshops and seminars.

Other work

Public speaking

As a public speaker, Sultana has spoken on many local and international platforms, including the 2013 US Islamic World Forum held in Doha, Qatar and the 2014 Women Leadership Forum held in Silicon Valley, California.

Karachi Film Society

Siddiqui founded the Karachi Film Society (KFS) in 2017. The nonprofit society hosts seminars, workshops, and festivals to promote film and drive the Pakistani film industry in new and creative ways. KFS is also the parent body of the Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF).

Fashion

In 2018 Sultana Siddiqui collaborated with Zac Chaudhri from the

University of The Arts London The University of the Arts London is a public collegiate university in London, England, United Kingdom. It specialises in arts, design, fashion, and the performing arts. The university is a federation of six arts colleges: Camberwell College of ...

to produce the first set of books on Pakistani Fashion to be held in a major western Arts university library. The books are titled ''Fashion Uncovered'' and are an introduction to Pakistani Fashion.

Selected television serials

References

External links

* *
Sultana Siddiqui
at nettv4u {{DEFAULTSORT:Siddiqui, Sultana Living people Sindhi people Businesspeople from Karachi Pakistani television directors Pakistani television producers Pakistani company founders Hum TV people Recipients of the Pride of Performance Women business executives Pakistani women television producers Women television journalists Year of birth missing (living people) Pakistan Television Corporation people Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz Pakistani women television directors