Zubeida

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. Nazir, Asjad. "Lighting Up the Big Screen."Eastern Eye, 26 July 2013, pp. 21-33. ProQuest.{{Cite web |last=Qazi |first=Zainab S. |date=2023-09-07 |title=Zubeida Begum Dhanrajgir: A Force of Nature {{!}} #IndianWomenInHistory |url=https://feminisminindia.com/2023/09/07/zubeida-begum-dhanrajgir-a-force-of-nature-indianwomeninhistory/ |access-date=2024-12-28 |website=Feminism in India |language=en-GB}}

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.{{cite book |last=Willemen |first=Paul |author-link=Paul Willemen |date=2014 |title=Zubeida actress on Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SLkABAAAQBAJ&q=Zubeida#v=snippet&q=Zubeida&f=false |publisher=Taylor & Francis |pages=241–242 |isbn=9781135943189}} 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.

File:AlamAraStill.jpg (1931)]]

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.{{Cite news |date=2011-03-15 |title=Google features 80th anniversary of India's first talkie 'Alam Ara' |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/google-features-80th-anniversary-of-indias-first-talkie-alam-ara/articleshow/7706680.cms |access-date=2025-01-30 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}} 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. She suddenly was highly in demand and got wages high above the standards for a woman in the film industry at that time.{{cite news |last=Khurana |first=Ashleshaa |date=16 March 2011 |title=Google features 80th anniversary of India's first talkie 'Alam Ara' |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/862463709/2D1B6EAC00D49DAPQ |work=The Times of India |access-date=12 August 2021 |via=ProQuest}}

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.

Born in a Muslim family, Zubeida converted to Hinduism to marry Maharaj Narsingir Dhanrajgir Gyan Bahadur of Hyderabad.{{Cite book |last=Roy |first=Piyush |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MlCwDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA62 |title=Bollywood FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the Greatest Film Story Never Told |date=2019-09-20 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-4930-5083-3 |pages=62 |language=en}} She was the mother of Humayun Dhanrajgir and Dur-e-shahwar Dhanrajgir, who is the mother of model Rhea Pillai.

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[http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/94ff8a4a35a9b8876525698d002642a9/5030a7a3f56595f9652572bc00207d00/$FILE/A0190041.pdf With Rani Zubeida Dharajgir's death:Curtain comes down on silent movie]. The Free Press Journal 17 October 1988 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716110633/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/art.nsf/94ff8a4a35a9b8876525698d002642a9/5030a7a3f56595f9652572bc00207d00/$FILE/A0190041.pdf |date=16 July 2011 }} and was laid to rest at Chhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Marg, Apollo Bunder, Colaba, south Mumbai.

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• Gul-e-Bakavali (1924)
• Manorama (1924)
• Prithvi Vallabh (1924)
• Sati Sardarba (1924)
• Ram Sarovar (1924)
• Kala Chor (1925)
• Devadasi (1925)
• Indrasabha (1925)
• Ra Navghan (1925)
• Rambha of Rajnagar (1925)
• Deshna Dushman (1925)
• Yashodevi (1925)
• Khandani Khavis (1925)
• Sati Simantini (1925)
• Bulbule Paristan (1926)
• Kashmeera (1926)
• Raja Bhoj (1926)
• Gulezaar (1926)
• Indrajal (1926)
• Sati Menadevi (1926)
• Laila Majnu (1927)
• Nanand Bhojai (1927)
• Balidan (1927)
• Chamakti Chanda (1928)
• Samrat Ashok (1928)
• Golden Gang (1928)
• Heer Ranjha (1928)
• Kanakatara (1929)
• Mahasundar (1929)
• Milan Dinar (1929)
• Shahi Chor (1929)
• Jai Bharati (1929)
• Devadasi (1930)
• Garva Khandan (1930)
• Joban Na Jadu (1930)
• Veer Rajput (1930)
• Sinh No Panja (1930)
• Meethi Churi (1931)
• Diwani Duniya (1931)
• Roop Sundari (1931)
• Hoor-E-Misar (1931)
• Karmano Kaher (1931)
• Nadira (1931)
• Alam Ara (1931)
• Meri Jaan (1931)
• Veer Abhimanyu (1931)
• Meerabai (1932)
• Subhadra Haran (1932)
• Zarina (1932)
• Harijan (1933)
• Bulbule Punjab (1933)
• Pandav Kaurav (1933)
• Mahabharat (1933)
• Gul Sanobar (1934)
• Nanand Bhojai (1934)
• Radha Mohan/Nand Ke Lala (1934)
• Rasik-e-Laila (1934)
• Seva Sadan (1934)
• Birbal Ki Beti (1935)
• Gulshane Alam (1935)
• Mr. and Mrs. Bombay (1936)
• Aurat Ki Zindagi (1937)
• Kiski Pyari (1937)
• Devdas (1937)
• Nirdosh Abla (1949)
• Awāra (1951): Young Rita

{{reflist}}

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• {{IMDb name|0958239}}
• [http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/person/silentstar.htm India Heritage:Performing Arts:Cinema In India:Personalities:Silent Screen Stars.]

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Category:1911 births

Category:1988 deaths

Category:Indian silent film actresses

Category:Indian film actresses

Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema

Category:20th-century Indian actresses

Category:Gujarati actresses

Category:Actresses from Gujarat

Category:Actresses in Gujarati cinema

Category:Converts to Hinduism from Islam

Category:People from Surat