Begum Para

Begum Para Biography

Begum Para was a Bollywood glamour queen of yesterdays most active during the eras of 1940’s and 1950’s. She was one of the earliest heroines and vamps of Indian talkies, quite known for her glamour quotient. In 1951, a photo shoot was conducted by Life Magazine photographer James Burke for Life Magazine in which she appeared in a bold avatar, dressing in front of a mirror. These 1950's photographs are very bold even on today’s standards. Begum Para passed away in her sleep on December 11 2008 at the age of 81. She was last seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya (2007) as Sonam Kapoor's grandmother, which was her comeback movie after a long period of 50 years! Before that she was last seen in Kar Bhala in 1958 with husband Nasir Khan as co-star. Noted actor Ayub Khan is the son of Nasir Khan-Begum Para couple.

She was born on Dec 23 1926 at Jehlum, Punjab. Her father was the Chief Justice of Bikaner and he didn’t have any objections for Para joining film industry. She was married to Nasir Khan, younger brother of Dilip Kumar. Begum Para voluntarily quit films, though her husband never insisted on it. She played a pivot role in Raj Kapoor – Madhubala starrer Neel Kamal in 1947 directed by Kidar Sharma. She acted in lead female role opposite Bharat Bhushan in 'Suhag Raat' (1948) directed by Kidar Sharma. 'Laila Majnu', 'Chand, Zanjeer, Baghdad and Pehli Janak are a few more noted roles.

Her pairing with anti-hero, Sheikh Mukhtar was quite appreciated in those days. She had close friendship with Nargis, Nadira and Shyama and she used to have blast on her friends. She has been one of the bold actresses of the era, mostly appearing in vamp roles and backless blouses and swimming costumes.

Published: N/A

Updated: May 19, 2014