Jaddanbai
Encyclopedia
Jaddanbai was an early singer, music composer, actress and filmmaker of Bollywood
and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She was the mother of well-known actress, Nargis
and maternal grandmother of Sanjay Dutt
.
in a Muslim family of Punjab who moved to Allahabad. Her father died when she was five. Jaddan Bai moved to the city and and became a singer but had difficulty due to her lack of formal training. She later approached Bhayya Saheb Ganpat of Calcutta and became his student. Ganpat died while she was still a student, so she completed her training under Ustad Moinuddin Khan. Later she also trained with Ustad Chaddu Khan Saheb and Ustad Laab Khan Saheb.
Her music became popular. She began recording ghazal
s with the Columbia Gramophone Company. She started participating in music sessions. She was invited by the rulers of many states like Rampur, Bikaner, Gwalior, Kashmir
, Indore
and Jodhpur
. She had also rendered songs and ghazals at various radio stations in the country.
She later began acting when the Play Art Photo Tone Company of Lahore
approached her for a role in their movie Raja Gopichand in 1933. She played the role of the mother of the title character. Later she worked for a Karachi
based film company, in Insaan ya Shaitan.
She worked in two more movies, Prem Pariksha and Seva Sadan, before starting her own production company called Sangeet Films. The company produced Talashe Haq
in 1935, in which she acted and composed the music. She also introduced her daughter Nargis as a child artist. In 1936 she acted in, directed, and wrote the music for Madam Fashion.
Her first marriage was with a Hindu man Narottamdas Khatri who converted to Islam and adopted the name of Bachi Babu their son was Akhtar Hussain. Her second marriage was with Ustaad Irshad Meer Khan and they had a son Anwar Hussain. Her third marriage was to Mohan Babu, originally a Brahmin Hindu who converted to Islam and adopted the name Abdul Rashid.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She was the mother of well-known actress, Nargis
Nargis
Nargis Dutt , born Fatima Rashid but known by her screen name, Nargis, was an Indian film actress. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Hindi cinema. She made her screen debut as a child in Talash-E-Haq in 1935, but her acting carer began in 1942 with Tamanna...
and maternal grandmother of Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
.
Biography
Jaddan Bai Hussain was born in 1892 at AllahabadAllahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
in a Muslim family of Punjab who moved to Allahabad. Her father died when she was five. Jaddan Bai moved to the city and and became a singer but had difficulty due to her lack of formal training. She later approached Bhayya Saheb Ganpat of Calcutta and became his student. Ganpat died while she was still a student, so she completed her training under Ustad Moinuddin Khan. Later she also trained with Ustad Chaddu Khan Saheb and Ustad Laab Khan Saheb.
Her music became popular. She began recording ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s with the Columbia Gramophone Company. She started participating in music sessions. She was invited by the rulers of many states like Rampur, Bikaner, Gwalior, Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, Indore
Indore
Indore is one of the major city in India, the largest city and commercial center of the state of Madhya Pradesh in central India. Indore is located 190 km west of the state capital Bhopal. According to the 2011 Indian census, Indore city has a population of 1,960,631...
and Jodhpur
Jodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
. She had also rendered songs and ghazals at various radio stations in the country.
She later began acting when the Play Art Photo Tone Company of 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...
approached her for a role in their movie Raja Gopichand in 1933. She played the role of the mother of the title character. Later she worked for a Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
based film company, in Insaan ya Shaitan.
She worked in two more movies, Prem Pariksha and Seva Sadan, before starting her own production company called Sangeet Films. The company produced Talashe Haq
Talashe Haq
Talashe Haq is a 1935 Indian film directed by C. M. Luhar....
in 1935, in which she acted and composed the music. She also introduced her daughter Nargis as a child artist. In 1936 she acted in, directed, and wrote the music for Madam Fashion.
Her first marriage was with a Hindu man Narottamdas Khatri who converted to Islam and adopted the name of Bachi Babu their son was Akhtar Hussain. Her second marriage was with Ustaad Irshad Meer Khan and they had a son Anwar Hussain. Her third marriage was to Mohan Babu, originally a Brahmin Hindu who converted to Islam and adopted the name Abdul Rashid.
Filmography (as director)
- Talashe HaqTalashe HaqTalashe Haq is a 1935 Indian film directed by C. M. Luhar....
(1935) (music composer) - Madam Fashion (1936)
- Hriday Manthan (1936)
- Moti Ka Haar (1937)
- Jeevan Swapna (1937)