Swaran Lata
Encyclopedia
Swaran Lata was a Pakistan
i film actress. She started her career in the film industry in British India and later moved to Pakistan
. She was described as a Tragedy Queen because of her intense presence on screen and her apt dialogue delivery.
family in Rawalpindi
, British India on December 20, 1924. She did her Senior Cambridge
from Delhi
and then joined Academy of Music and Arts, Lucknow
. In early 1940s, her family was moved to Bombay.
Sawarn Lata was born a Sikh
and converted to Islam
after she married Nazir Ahmed, a famous actor, director and producer at the time. She changed her name to Saeeda Bano. The Swaran-Nazir pair was a very creative ensemble, churning out many movies together both before and after Partition.
Swaran Lata started her career as a stage actress. Her first film was Awaaz released in 1942. Swaran and Nazir migrated to Pakistan
at the time of the Partition of India
. They left everything they had behind in Bombay and shifted to Lahore
. The duo had to start from scratch and in the process became one of the pioneers of the Pakistan film industry.
Swaran Lata was heroine of Pakistan's first ever silver jubilee film Pherey
. The film was a Punjabi
film but she was an Urdu
speaker who was trained in Lucknow
, the home of Urdu
littérateurs. For the film, she was coached in Punjabi language
by Baba Alam Siahposh, a Punjabi poet, who was also one of the lyricists of the film songs.
As heroine, Laarey, Naukar, Heer and as character actress Sawaal were her famous films. From 1960 onwards, she reduced her appearances and mainly shifted towards character roles.
In her lifetime, Swaran has worked with great names like Prithviraj Kapoor
, Motilal
and Dilip Kumar
in India
and with Santosh Kumar
, Darpan, Inayat Hussain Bhatti
and Habib in Pakistan
.
on February 8, 2008. Swaran Lata had four children - three daughters (Ismet Murshed, Iffat Rashed and Talat Abbasi) and a son (Aslam Nazir).
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i film actress. She started her career in the film industry in British India and later moved to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. She was described as a Tragedy Queen because of her intense presence on screen and her apt dialogue delivery.
Early life
Swaran Lata was born into a Syal SikhSikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
family in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, British India on December 20, 1924. She did her Senior Cambridge
Senior Cambridge
The Senior Cambridge examinations were General Certificate of Education examinations held in Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Jamaica. They were preceded by the Junior Cambridge and Preliminary Cambridge examinations.-India:...
from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and then joined Academy of Music and Arts, Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. In early 1940s, her family was moved to Bombay.
Sawarn Lata was born a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
and converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
after she married Nazir Ahmed, a famous actor, director and producer at the time. She changed her name to Saeeda Bano. The Swaran-Nazir pair was a very creative ensemble, churning out many movies together both before and after Partition.
Career
An exceptional and wondrous story about how she entered the realm of acting trails Swaran. Her parents died when she was very young and she lived most of her adolescent life with her elder brother, whom she recalls "very strict". However, it is the story of how she got discovered that Swaran tells with great passion: "I was a student at college in Lucknow, India. When I was traveling from Delhi to Lucknow, a few directors saw me. They approached me to act in films but I was not interested at first. One of them then went to my elder brother with the offer, and to my utmost surprise he agreed".Swaran Lata started her career as a stage actress. Her first film was Awaaz released in 1942. Swaran and Nazir migrated to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
at the time of the Partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
. They left everything they had behind in Bombay and shifted to Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
. The duo had to start from scratch and in the process became one of the pioneers of the Pakistan film industry.
Swaran Lata was heroine of Pakistan's first ever silver jubilee film Pherey
Pheray (1949 film)
Pheray was a Pakistani Punjabi film released on July 28, 1949. The film was directed by Nazir Ahmed. The story of the film was a copy of Nazir's own film Gaon Ki Gori, that was released in 1945 in India before partition. The music of Pheray was given by G. A. Chishti and lyrics were written by G....
. The film was a Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
film but she was an Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
speaker who was trained in Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
, the home of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
littérateurs. For the film, she was coached in Punjabi language
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
by Baba Alam Siahposh, a Punjabi poet, who was also one of the lyricists of the film songs.
As heroine, Laarey, Naukar, Heer and as character actress Sawaal were her famous films. From 1960 onwards, she reduced her appearances and mainly shifted towards character roles.
In her lifetime, Swaran has worked with great names like Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor
Prithviraj Kapoor , 3 November 1906 – 29 May 1972) was a pioneer of Indian theatre and of the Hindi film industry, who started his career as an actor, in the silent era of Hindi cinema, associated with IPTA and who founded Prithvi Theatres, a travelling theatre company based in Mumbai, in...
, Motilal
Motilal (actor)
- External links :* http://www.3to6.com/final_retro/legend-motilal.htm...
and Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar
Dilip Kumar , is an Indian actor and a former Member of Parliament.He lives in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai, India. He is commonly known as "Tragedy King",and is described as "the ultimate method actor" by Satyajit Ray....
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and with Santosh Kumar
Santosh Kumar
Syed Musa Raza better known as Santosh Kumar was a famous Pakistani film actor of 1950s and 1960s era. He belonged to a well educated family from Uttar Pradesh, India. He was married to Sabiha Khanum. His brother Darpan was also a renowned film actor during that period. His other brother S...
, Darpan, Inayat Hussain Bhatti
Inayat Hussain Bhatti
Inayat Hussain Bhatti was a Pakistani singer, actor, producer, director, script writer, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a protagonist of the development of Punjabi language and literature.- History :...
and Habib in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
Death
Swaran Lata died at the age of 83 in LahoreLahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
on February 8, 2008. Swaran Lata had four children - three daughters (Ismet Murshed, Iffat Rashed and Talat Abbasi) and a son (Aslam Nazir).
Filmography
- Awaaz (1942) Hindi film
- Tasveer (1943) Hindi film
- Pratigya (1943) Hindi film
- Ishara (1943) Hindi film
- Us Paar (1944) Hindi film
- Raunaq (1944) Hindi film
- Ratan (1944) Hindi film
- Ghar Ki Shobha (1944) Hindi film
- Preet (1945) Hindi film
- Laila Majnu (1945) Hindi film
- Pratima (1945) Hindi film
- Chand Tara (1945) Hindi film
- Wamaq Azra (1946) Hindi film
- Shaam Savera (1946) Hindi film
- Abida (1947) Hindi film
- Gharbar (1948) Hindi film
- Sachai (1949) Urdu film
- Pherey (1949) Punjabi film
- Anokhi Daastan (1950) Urdu film
- Laaray (1950) Punjabi film
- Bheegi Palken (1952) Urdu film
- Sheri Babu (1953) Punjabi film
- Khatoon (1955) Urdu film
- Naukar (1955) Urdu film
- Heer (1955) Punjabi film
- Sabira (1956) Urdu film
- Soteeli Maa (1956) Urdu film
- Noor-e-Islam (1957) Urdu film
- Shama (1959) Urdu film
- Billo Jee (1962) Punjabi film
- Azmat-e-Islam (1965) Urdu film
- Sawaal (1966) Urdu film
- Duniya Na Maney (1971) Urdu film