Fatma Begum (1892 1983) was an Indian actress, director, producer and screenwriter. She is known as The First Female Film Director in Indian Cinema.
Within four years, she went on to write, produce and direct many films. She launched her own production house, Fatma Films, which later became Victoria-Fatma Films, and directed her first film, Bulbul-e-Paristan, in 1926.
Early life Fatma Begum was born into an Urdu-speaking Muslim family in India and came from a background in the Urdu language theater, her family of Muslim background having spoken that tongue. She was trained in theater and mostly acted in Urdu and Hindi plays.
Career She began her career on the Urdu stage. She later shifted to films and debuted in Ardeshir Irani's silent film, Veer Abhimanyu (1922). It was common practice for men to play women in plays and movies, so she became a huge woman superstar. Fatma Begum was fair skinned and wore dark make-up that suited the sepia/black & white images on the screen. Most of the roles required wigs for the heroes as well as the heroines.
In 1926, she established Fatma Films which later became known as Victoria-Fatima Films in 1928. She became a pioneer for fantasy cinema where she used trick photography to have early special effects. She was an actress at Kohinoor Studios and Imperial Studios, while writing, directing, producing, and acting in her own films at Fatma Films.
Begum became the first female director of Indian cinema with her 1926 film, Bulbul-e-Paristan. The film was a high budget production has been described as a fantasy film featuring many special effects and her daughters Sultana, Zubeida also Shehzadi worked in the film. The film places Begum among early pioneers of fantasy cinema such as George Melies. She directed many other films, her last being the Goddess of Luck in 1929. While continuing to produce and appear in her own work, Fatma worked for Kohinoor Studios and Imperial Studios in the film Duniya Kya Hai? in 1937.
She worked in her last film Diamond Queen as Faima in 1940.
Personal life She was married to Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III of Sachin State. Her husband didn't approve of her acting career, as it was not then considered an appropriate profession for girls from respectable families. In response, she divorced him and took custody of her daughter. She was the mother of silent superstars Zubeida, Sultana and Shahzadi. She was also the grandmother of Humayun Dhanrajgir and Durreshahwar Dhanrajgir, son and daughter of Zubeida and Maharaja Narsingir Dhanrajgir of Hyderabad and Jamila Razzaq daughter of Sultana and Seth Razaaq, a prominent businessman of Karachi. She also happened to be the great-grandmother of model turned actress Rhea Pillai who is the daughter of her grand daughter Durreshahwar Dhanrajgir.
Death She died in 1983 at the age of 91.
Filmography Silent Movies Year Film Role Notes 1922 Veer Abhimanyu Subhadra Debuted in Ardeshir Irani's silent film1924 Prithvi Vallabh Mrinalwati Silent film Kala Naag Silent film Sati Sardarba Silent film Gul-e-Bakavali Silent film Raja Harishchandra Silent film1925 Social Pirates Mohini Silent film Nahar Singh Silent film Gaud Bangal Silent film Devdasi Based on Novel Naharsingh Daku Silent film The Magician of Bengal Silent film1926 Indrajal Silent film Khubsurat Bala Actress Silent film Bulbul-e-Paristan Actress First female director of Indian cinema Swarga Kankan Silent film1927 Mumbai Ni Biladi Silent film Kul Dipak Silent film 1928 Rup Basant Silent film1929 Maha Sunder Silent film Mahasundar Silent film Nasib Ni Devi Silent film1930 Am Rande Der Sahara Silent film Zalim Zulekha Zulekha Silent film
Talkie Movies Year Film Role Notes 1931 Discarded Love Actress 1933 Satan's Victim Actress 1934 Seva Sadan Actress Sant Tulsidas Actress Neki Ka Taj Actress Starred with Noor Jehan 1938 Duniya Kya Hai? Actress 1939 Romancero Marroquí Actress 1940 Jai Swadesh Actress Diamond Queen Faima
Writer Year Film Role Notes 1926 Bulbul-e-Paristan Writer Screenplay 1928 Heer Ranjha Writer Screenplay 1929 Wonderful Prince Writer Screenplay
Director Year Film Role Notes 1926 Bulbul-e-Paristan Director First female director of Indian cinema;Used own production house 'Fatma Films' 1927 Goddess of Love Director 1928 Chandravali Director Heer Ranjha Director Director and writer1929 Goddess of Luck Director Director Kanakatara Director Milan Dinar Director Shakuntala Director Kanak Tara Director Nasib Ni Devi Director She also acted in the film
Producer Year Film Role Notes 1928 Heer Ranjha Producer Producer, director and writer
Legacy Her legacy was carried on by her daughters Sultana, Shahzadi and Zubeida acted in India's first ever talkie, Alam Ara, in addition to being a silent film star.
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