Sultana (actress) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sultana
Sultana or Sultana Razaaq
Born	Sultana Surat, Bombay Presidency, British India
Occupation	Actress, producer
Years active	1922–1937
Spouse(s)	Seth Razaaq
Children	Jamila Razzaq
Parent(s)	Fatima Begum Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III
Relatives	Waqar Hasan (son-in-law) Zubeida (sister) Rhea Pillai (great-niece)

Sultana, also known as Sultana Razaaq, was one of the very first film actresses in India. She acted in both silent films and later in movies with sound. Her mother, Fatima Begum, was India’s first female film director. Sultana's younger sister, Zubeida, was the main actress in Alam Ara (1931), which was India's first movie with sound.

Sultana was born in Surat, a city in Gujarat, western India. She had two sisters, Zubeida and Shehzadi, and both of them also became actresses. Their mother, Fatima Begum, said that the father of her three daughters was Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State. However, there are no official records that show the Nawab was married to Fatima Begum or that he recognized her children as his own.

Sultana's Acting Journey

Sultana was a very popular actress during the silent movie era. She often played romantic characters in her films. She started her acting career in 1922 with a movie called Veer Abhimanyu. After that, she appeared in many other silent films.

Later, she also acted in "talkie" movies, which were films with sound. When India was divided in 1947, Sultana moved to Pakistan with her husband, Seth Razaaq, who was a wealthy man.

Becoming a Producer

Sultana encouraged her daughter, Jamila Razzaq, to become an actress too. Sultana also tried producing a film in Pakistan. This movie was called Hum Ek Hain (1961) and was written by the famous scriptwriter Fayyaz Hashmi. Parts of the film were even shot in color, which was quite rare back then! However, the movie did not do well, and Sultana stopped producing films after that.

Sultana's daughter, Jamila Razzaq, later married Waqar Hasan, a well-known Pakistani cricketer. Waqar Hasan is also the brother of filmmaker Iqbal Shehzad. He runs a business called National Foods in Karachi.

Sultana's Movies

Sultana acted in many films during her career. Here are some of her notable works.

Silent Films

Sultana starred in several silent movies, where actors used expressions and actions to tell the story without spoken words.

• Veer Abhimaniyu (1922) – This was her very first movie.
• Gul Bakavali (1924)
• Kalyan Khajina (1924)
• Prithvi Vallabh (1924)
• Indra Sabha (1925)
• Kanak Tara (1929)
• Young India (1929)
• Brand Of Fate (1930)

Talkie Films

When movies started having sound, Sultana continued her acting career in these new "talkie" films.

• Milkmaid (1931) – This was Sultana's first Indian talkie movie.
• Kamar-Al-Zaman (1931)
• Intekam (1933)
• Afghan Abla (1934)
• Behan Ka Prem (1935)
• Devdas (1936) – She played the role of Parvati in this film.
• Talwar Ka Dhani (1938)
• Indramalati (1939)

Film Production

Sultana produced one film during her career.

• Hum Ek Hain (1961) – This was a Pakistani movie.