Bibbo (actress)

Bibbo
Image of Bibbo from Sneh Bandhan (1940)
Born
Ishrat Sultana

1906 (1906)
Delhi, British India
Died25 May 1972(1972-05-25) (aged 65–66)
Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Burial placeKarachi
Occupations
  • Actress
  • Composer
  • Singer
  • Music director
Years active1931 - 1972
Known forFirst female music director of Indian Cinema
SpouseKhalil Sardar

Bibbo (born Ishrat Sultana 1906 – 1972) was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films. She acted in Indian cinema from 1931 to 1947 before moving to Pakistan, following Partition of India in 1947. She started her acting career with Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. in 1933, working with directors like M. D. Bhavnani and A. P. Kapoor. She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu.[1] She was referred to as "one of the most important female stars of the 1930s and 1940s".[2] Her fame had her featured in the lyrics of a popular song from the film Gharib Ke Lal (1939) sung by Mirza Musharraf and Kamla Karnataki, with music by Sagheer Asif and lyrics by Rafi Kashmiri. "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ke Sulochana" (Should I call you Bibbo or Sulochana), where Sulochana referred to another popular actress of the time. This was the first time a song featuring famous actors was used in the lyrics of a film song.[3][4]

Bibbo became the first female music composer of Indian cinema, when she composed the music for Adal-e-Jahangir in 1934, a year before Jaddanbai, mother of actress Nargis, composed music for Talash-e-Haq (1935).[5] She was also the music director for a second film called Qazzak Ki Ladki (1937).[5][6]

She worked with actors like Master Nissar, Surendra and Kumar. She formed a popular working relationship with them. Her pairing with Surendra was especially well-liked with the pair giving several hits like Manmohan (1936), Jagirdar (1937), Gramaphone Singer (1938), Dynamite (1938) and Ladies Only (1939). Her first film was Rangila Rajput, followed by Mayajaal, both in 1933.[7] She worked in nearly thirty films as a lead actress in India from 1933 to 1947, shifting to character roles in later years, following her move to Pakistan. She won the Nigar Award for the best character actress for her role in the Pakistani film Zehr-e-Ishq (1958).[8]

  1. ^ Pran Nevile (2006). Lahore : A Sentimental Journey. Penguin Books India. p. 86. ISBN 978-0-14-306197-7.
  2. ^ Ashok Raj (2009). Hero Vol.1. Hay House, Inc. p. 87. ISBN 978-93-81398-02-9.
  3. ^ Singh, Surjit. "A Year in Hindi Movies 1939". hindi-movies-songs.com. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Tujhe Bibbo Kahoon Ki Sulochana". lyrics-hindi.com. LyricsHindi.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2015. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Fairer sex makes a mark in cinema". The Times of India. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2014.
  6. ^ "First Female Music Composer of Bollywood". cineplot.com website. 12 September 2021. Archived from the original on 19 February 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  7. ^ Jha, Pitambar. "1933 and our film industry". idb.ub.uni-tuebingen.de (in Hindi). Eberhard Karls Universitat Tubingen. Retrieved 27 July 2015.
  8. ^ Shahid, Zulqarnain (12 September 2021). "Bibbo". Cineplot. Archived from the original on 16 March 2018. Retrieved 8 November 2016.