Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir (1911 – 21 September 1988) was an Indian actress. Early in her career, she starred in a number of silent films, which were followed by a breakthrough in the first Indian talkie Alam Ara (1931). Her other notable works include Sagar Movietone's Meri Jaan (1931) and Devdas (1937).
Early life
Born in 1911 at Surat city of Gujarat in western India, Zubeida was the daughter of Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State and Fatma Begum. She had two sisters, Sultana and Shehzadi, both actresses. She was among the few girls who entered films at a teenager age during a time when it was not considered an appropriate profession for girls from respectable families.[1]
Career
Zubeida was only 12 when she made her debut in Kohinoor, which was a talkies in that time. Through the 1920s she made infrequent appearances on screen along with Sultana who, by then, had become one of Indian cinema's loveliest and popular leading ladies.[2] One of the films to star the two sisters was Kalyan Khajina in 1924. They had also shared the screen in Zubeida's first blockbuster, Veer Abhimanyu released two years earlier in 1922, that also had their mother, Fatma Begum, who playing an important role.
In 1925, Zubeida had nine releases, amongst them Kala Chor, Devdasi and Desh Ka Dushman. A year later she starred in her mother's film, Bulbul-e-Paristan. In 1927, she acted in Laila Majnu, Nanand Bhojai and Naval Gandhi's Sacrifice which were very successful movies at this time in 80s era. The latter, based on Rabindranath Tagore's 'Balidan', also starred Sulochana Devi, Master Vithal and Jal Khambatta. It condemned the age-old custom of animal sacrifice in certain Kali temples in Bengal, India. The Members of the Indian Cinematograph Committee were wowed by this "excellent and truly Indian film". Its European members recommended that it be sent abroad for screening their movie. She also worked in many silent genre movies.
Zubeida starred in a string of silent films before Alam Ara proved to be the turning point in her career and was her biggest hit.[1] She suddenly was highly in demand and got wages high above the standards for a woman in the film industry at that time.[3]
Through the 30s and early 40s she made a hit team with Jal Merchant and starred in several successful historical epic films playing characters like Subhadra, Uttara and Draupadi. She was also successful in portraying emotions with films such as Ezra Mir's Zarina, and Shatir which had her playing a vibrant, volatile circus girl whose kisses steamed up the screen and sparked off heated debate on censorship. Zubeida was one of the few actresses to make a successful transition from the silent era to the talkies and natak.
In 1934 she set up Mahalakshmi Movietone with Nanubhai Vakil and had box-office bonanzas in Gul-e-Sonobar and Rasik-e-Laila. She continued to appear in one or two films a year till 1949 to 1953. Nirdosh Abla was her last film.
Personal life
Born in a Muslim family, Zubeida converted to Hinduism to marry Maharaj Narsingir Dhanrajgir Gyan Bahadur of Hyderabad.[4] She was the mother of Humayun Dhanrajgir and Dur-e-shahwar Dhanrajgir, who is the mother of model Rhea Pillai.[4]
Death
Zubeida spent her last years at the family's Bombay palace in 1987, Dhanraj Mahal. She died on 21 September 1988, aged 76 or 77, in Bombay[5] and was laid to rest at Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, south Mumbai.
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