Fatma Begum

When we talk about the film industry, we hardly pay attention to the first women film director of India. Fatma Begum was an Indian actress, director, and screenwriter. She was born in 1892 in an Urdu family in India. She is considered to be the first female film director of indian cinema. Although, there was no proof of her marriage but she was allegedly married to Nawab Sidi Ibrahim Muhammad Yakut Khan III. Nawab Ibrahim refused to recognize any of Fatma bai’s children as his own . Fatma Begum was the mother of silent superstars named Zubeida , Sultana , and Shehzadi . Her grandson’s name were Humayun Dhanrajgir and Durreshwar Dhanrajgir who were the son of Zubeida and Maharaja Narsingir Dhanrajgir of Hyderabad. Her granddaughter was Jamila Razzaq, daughter of Sultana and Seth Razzaq; a prominent businessman of Karachi. She started her career with urdu stage and later shifted to films.

She debuted in Ardeshir Irani’s silent film, 'Veer Abhimanyu’ and became famous after that. She was fair skinned and always wore dark makeup that suited the sepia /black & white images on the screen. In 1926 “Fatma Films” was established by her which later in 1928 was renamed or became known as “Victoria - Fatma Films.” She used trick photography in fantasy cinema where she was the pioneer and she used those trick photography to have early effects. While writing , directing, or producing her own films in her fatma studio, she was also an actress at other two studios (Kohinoor Studio &Imperial Studio.) She became the first female director in Indian cinema with her film Bulbul-E-Paristan in 1926. Later, she directed many other films and her last being the Goddess of Love in 1929.

She was a brilliant actress , writer, producer but she died at a ripe old age of ninety one in 1983 and after her death Zubeida, her daughter carried on her legacy. Zubeida was also an silent film star and acted in India’s first ever film “Alam Ara.” When Fatma Begum joined entered into the film industry, that time only men were part of the films or film industry. In every play or show or act even the role of women were played by men only but fatma’s determination and dedication for the films broke that male dominating chain. She was completely against that orthodox mentality that males can dominate women in any way they like to do their work. She was completely opposite to this and she marked her as a trailblazer in the sphere of male dominating . Our indian cinema was blessed that women like Fatma begum was the first female director in the industry and she was the legend.