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When Saira Banu rose to fame, comparisons with her mother were inevitable. Naseem Banu, often hailed as the “first female superstar” of Hindi films, had already enchanted audiences with her ethereal beauty and grace decades earlier. Many considered her even more mesmerizing than her celebrated daughter.
Naseem Banu was born on July 4, 1916, in Delhi, as Roshanara and was the daughter of Shamshad Begum, a renowned courtesan and singer popularly known as Chhamia Bai, and Nawab Abdul Waheed Khan of Hasanpur. Born into privilege at a time when most actresses came from humble backgrounds, Naseem’s entry into films was incidental. Naseem had been passionate about films and deeply admired the actress Sulochana (Ruby Myers) ever since watching one of her movies, though her mother disapproved of her interest in cinema
During a summer vacation from Queen Mary’s High School in Delhi, she visited Bombay with her mother, Shamshad. A visit to a film studio changed her life forever. Watching a shoot inspired her to pursue acting; a decision that met with strong resistance from her mother, who wished for her to study medicine. Determined, Naseem went on a hunger strike until Shamshad finally relented.
Naseem Banu made her screen debut in 1935 with Sohrab Modi’s first directorial venture, Khoon Ka Khoon, an adaptation of Hamlet, where she played the role of Ophelia. Impressed by her poise and expressive face, Modi signed her under his Minerva Movietone banner, where she starred in several notable productions. It was her portrayal of Empress Nur Jahan in Pukar (1939) that established her as a leading star.
To prepare for the role, Naseem learned horseback riding and singing, adding authenticity to her performance. Her song “Zindagi Ka Saaz Bhi Kya Saaz Hai” from the film became widely popular. Audiences were so captivated by her beauty that they fondly began calling her Pari Chehra, meaning the “Fairy-Faced”.
Over the years, Naseem Banu worked with some of the era’s most prominent directors and actors. She shared screen space with Ashok Kumar in Chal Chal Re Naujawan (1944), a Gyan Mukherji film written by Saadat Hasan Manto that achieved major box-office success. Other significant films included Mehboob Khan’s Anokhi Ada (1948), Sohrab Modi’s Sheesh Mahal (1950), and Shabistan (1951), opposite Shyam, who during the shooting of this film fell from the horseback and died.
In the early 1940s, Naseem Banu and her husband, architect Mian Ehsan-ul-Haq, co-founded Taj Mahal Pictures, producing films such as Ujala (1942), Begum (1945), Mulaqat (1947), Chandni Raat (1949), and Ajeeb Ladki (1952). They had two children, Saira Banu and Sultan Ahmad. Following the partition, Ehsan moved to Pakistan while Naseem chose to remain in India with her children. Though their marriage ended, his release of their films in Pakistan introduced her to audiences there as well.
By the late 1950s, Naseem gradually withdrew from the limelight, turning her creative energy to fashion and costume design. She often designed wardrobes for her daughter Saira Banu’s films, ensuring her legacy continued both on and off screen. Recently, Saira, while remembering her late legendary mother, shared a heartfelt post describing her inner strength. In her post, she reflected on how Naseem, from a very young age, took on the responsibility of sustaining the family and did everything in her power to ensure they were provided for.
She wrote, “We were a family of four, my grandmother Shamshad Begum, my mother, her sister Khurshid Begum, my elder brother Sultan Ahmed, and me. Life brought us face-to-face with hardship early on. At just sixteen, Appaji stepped into the role of our protector and guide. With a strength far beyond her years, she nurtured us with love and gave us the wings to rise.”
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She also mentioned how her mother’s beauty was not only admired by those closest to her, including her husband Dilip Kumar but also by other legends like Amitabh Bachchan. Saira wrote, “Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan often regarded her as the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. But her beauty wasn’t just skin-deep. It was in her spirit, how she balanced tradition and modernity with grace. Though we were educated in London, she kept us firmly rooted in our Indian heritage. Every summer was spent in Bombay or Delhi, reconnecting with our roots.”
Saira Banu went on to share how her mother played a pivotal role in shaping her own career, especially in her debut film, Subodh Mukerji’s Junglee, co-starring Shammi Kapoor. She recalled, “When I chose cinema over further studies, it was her creative vision that shaped my path. She played a pivotal role in styling Junglee, redefining cinematic fashion and revolutionizing make-up in Indian cinema, innovations that became milestones in my career.”
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