Begum Para

2022-04-24T05:11:30Z

202.185.27.101:

{{Short description|Indian actress}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Begum Para
| image = File:Hindi film actress Begum Para 13.jpg
| caption = Begum Para photographed by LIFE magazine in 1951.
| birth_name = Zubeda Ul Haq
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|12|25|df=y}}<br />[[Jhelum]], [[Punjab Province (British India)|Punjab]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|2008|12|09|1926|12|25|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
| height =
| othername =
| website =
| spouse = [[Nasir Khan (actor)|Nasir Khan]]
| children = 3, including [[Ayub Khan (actor)|Ayub Khan]]
| occupation = Actress
| yearsactive = 1944–1956, 2007
| relatives = [[Dilip Kumar]] (brother-in-law)<br/>[[Rukhsana Sultana]] (niece)<br/>[[Amrita Singh]] (grandniece)<br>[[Saira Banu]] (sister-in-law)
}}
'''Begum Para''' (née ''' Zubeda Ul Haq'''; 25 December 1926 – 9 December 2008) was an Indian [[Hindi film]] actress who was active mostly in the 1940s and 1950s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/896339/5-noted-personalities-that-left-pakistan-for-india/|title=5 noted personalities who left Pakistan for India}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ms Oomph: V Gangadhar meets Begum Para, the original pin-up girl.|url=http://www.rediff.com/movies/nov/29para.htm |date=29 November 1997 |work=[[Rediff.com]] }}</ref> After almost 50 years of absence in the industry, she returned to films with her last role in [[Sanjay Leela Bhansali]]'s ''[[Saawariya]]'' (2007) as [[Sonam Kapoor]]'s grandmother. In her times in 1950s, she was considered a glamour girl of Bollywood, so much so, that Life magazine had a special session with her devoted to her fine sensuous photographs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldindianphotos.in/2011/04/sensuous-photographs-of-hindi-movie.html|title=Sensuous Photographs of Hindi Movie Star Begum Para by Life Magazine Photographer James Burke - 1951|first=Old Indian|last=Photos|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="thefridaytimes.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/begum-para-the-last-glamour-girl/|title=Begum Para: the last glamour girl|first=Khalid|last=Hasan|date=2 August 2015|website=The Friday Times}}</ref>

==Early life==
Begum Para was born as Zubeda Ul Haq in [[Jhelum]] in British India (present day in [[Pakistan]]). Her family was from [[Aligarh]]. Her father, Mian Ehsanul-Haq, was a judge who at some point in his life went into the judicial service of the princely state of Bikaner, now northern Rajasthan, where he became chief justice of its highest court. He was a fine cricketer of his time.<ref name="thefridaytimes.com"/> She was brought up very disciplined yet liberal. She spent her childhood in [[Bikaner]]. She was educated at the [[Aligarh Muslim University]]. Her elder brother Masrurul Haq, had gone off to Bombay in the late 1930s to become an actor. There he had met and fell in love with the Bengali actress Protima Dasgupta, and married her.<ref name="para">{{cite web|url=http://cineplot.com/begum-para-memories-2/|title=Begum Para – Memories – Cineplot.com|publisher=}}</ref><ref name="thefridaytimes.com"/>

Whenever she visited them in Bombay, she was quite taken up with the glitzy world of her sister-in-law. She used to accompany her on many occasions and get-togethers. People would get quite impressed with her looks and offer her a lot of roles. One such offer came from [[Sashadhar Mukherjee]] and [[Devika Rani]]. Her father consented to her wishes reluctantly, and requested her to never work in Lahore.<ref name="para"/>

==Career==
Begum Para's first break turned out to be 1944 film ''Chand'', from Prabhat Studios in Poona. Prem Adib was the hero, and Sitara Devi was the vamp in the film. It did extremely well and Para started getting paid about Rs. 1500 a month. Soon after, she and her sister-in-law Protima made a film called ''Chamia'' (1945) based on the novel ‘Pygmalion’, which again was a huge success. Para signed a lot of films after Chamia, but she couldn’t quite establish herself as an actress. Because she had a highly scandalous image, people always gave her the role of glamour doll in most films. She didn't mind it because she always played herself on screen.<ref name="facts"/>

She did ''[[Sohni Mahiwal]]'' (1946) and ''Zanjeer'' (1947) with [[Ishwarlal (actor)|Ishwarlal]] and Dikshit; ''[[Neel Kamal (1947 film)|Neel Kamal]]'' (1947) with [[Raj Kapoor]]; ''Mehendi'' (1947) with [[Nargis]]; ''Suhaag Raat'' (1948) with [[Bharat Bhushan]] and [[Geeta Bali]]; ''Jhalka'' (1948); and ''Meherbani'' (1950) with [[Ajit Khan]].<ref name="para"/> She also worked in ''Ustad Pedro'' (1951), produced and directed by the then well-known actor, [[Sheikh Mukhtar]]. It was a fun film, and was packed with action, romance, and stunts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.rediff.com/entertai/nov/29para.htm|title=Rediff On The Net, Movies: An interview with Begum Para|website=m.rediff.com}}</ref>

In 1951 she posed for photographer James Burke for a [[Life magazine]] photo shoot.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/tft/begum-para-1951/|title=Begum Para (1951)|first=Isa Daudpota|last=collection|date=22 August 2014|website=The Friday Times}}</ref> Para's last role was in the movie ''Kar Bhala'' in 1956.<ref name="facts">{{cite web|url=http://www.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/6-facts-about-begum-para-one-of-bollywood-s-most-legendary-actresses-ever-248167.html|title=6 Facts About Begum Para, One Of Bollywood's Most Legendary Actresses Ever|date=8 December 2015|website=indiatimes.com}}</ref> She was also offered to play [[Nigar Sultana (actress)|Nigar Sultana]]’s role 'Bahar' in ''[[Mughal-e-Azam]]'' (1960). However, she refused to play the role because she considered it against her image.<ref name="para"/>

She made a powerful comeback on the silver screen in [[Sanjay Leela Bhansali]]'s ''Saawariya'' in 2007 as [[Sonam Kapoor]]'s grandmother (after 50+ years of disappearance in movies and eventually became her final film, before her death the following year, 2008).<ref name="facts"/>

==Personal life==
She married actor [[Nasir Khan (actor)|Nasir Khan]], the younger brother of Bollywood actor [[Dilip Kumar]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/09/17/stories/2006091700120500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112124228/http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/09/17/stories/2006091700120500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=12 November 2007 |title=The return of Begum Para |first=V. |last=Gangadhar |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=17 September 2006}}</ref> They had three children, including the actor [[Ayub Khan (actor)|Ayub Khan]]. Begum Para's father Mian Ehsan-ul-Haq of [[Jalandhar]], was a judge who joined the princely state of [[Bikaner]], now northern [[Rajasthan]], where he became chief justice of its highest court.{{citation needed|date=February 2015}} Her husband died in 1974.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?203606 |title=Begum Para | Begum Para |publisher=Outlookindia.com |date=1997-05-28 |access-date=2014-02-22}}</ref> Following her husband's death, she briefly moved to [[Pakistan]] in 1975 to be with her family, two years later she relocated back to India.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/896339/5-noted-personalities-that-left-pakistan-for-india/|title=5 noted personalities who left Pakistan for India|date=2 June 2015|website=The Express Tribune}}</ref><ref name="thefridaytimes.com"/>

==Death==
She died in her sleep on 9 December 2008 at the age of 82.<ref>{{cite web|author=Courtesy: Bollywood Hungama |url=http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2008/begum-para-died-121208.html |title=Begum Para passed away - Oneindia Entertainment |publisher=Entertainment.oneindia.in |date=2008-12-12 |access-date=2014-02-22}}</ref>

==Filmography==
*''[[Saawariya]]'' (2007) - Sakina's grandmother
*''[[Kar Bala]]''
*''[[Kismet Ka Khel]]'' (1956)
*''[[Pehli Janak]]'' (1955)
*''[[Shahzada (1955 film)|Shahzada]]'' (1955)
*''[[Laila Majnu]]'' (1953)
*''[[Naya Ghar]]'' (1953)
*''Baghdad'' (1952)
*''[[Pagle]]'' (1950)
*''[[Meharbani]]'' (1950)
*''[[Jharna]]'' (1948)
*''[[Shahnaz]]'' (1948)
*''[[Suhaag Raat]]'' (1948) - Paro
*''[[Mehandi (1947 film)|Mehandi]]'' (1947)
*''[[Neel Kamal (1947 film)|Neel Kamal]]'' (1947)
*''[[Zanzeer (1947 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1947)
*''The Chain'' (1947)
*''[[Sohni Mahiwal (1946 film)|Sohni Mahiwal]]'' (1946)
*''Chand'' (1944)

==References==
{{refbegin}}
{{refend}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0660788|name=Begum Para}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Para, Begum}}
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Aligarh Muslim University alumni]]
[[Category:Indian expatriate actresses in Pakistan]]
[[Category:People from Jhelum]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Pakistan]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Begum Para