Jaddanbai

Jaddanbai (1 April 1892 – 8 April 1949) was an Indian singer, music composer, dancer, actress, filmmaker, and one of the pioneers of Indian cinema. She along with Bibbo and Saraswati Devi were one of the first female music composers in Indian cinema. She was the mother of actor Anwar Hussain and the well-known Hindi film actress Nargis, and the maternal grandmother of Priya Dutt and Sanjay Dutt.

Early life Jaddanbai was born around 1892 to Mian Jaan and Daleepabai. Mian Jaan died when she was five. Daleepabai was a well known tawaif (courtesan) of Allahabad. Jaddanbai grew up in Calcutta and later approached Calcutta's Shrimant Ganpat Rao ("Bhaiya Saheb Scindia") and became his student. Shrimant Ganpat Rao died in 1920 while she was still a student. She then completed her training under Ustad Moinuddin Khan, a Hindustani classical singer and thumri specialist. Later she also trained with Ustad Chaddu Khan Saheb, Ustad Laab Khan Saheb and Barkat Ali Khan (brother of Bade Ghulam Ali Khan).

Career Her music became popular and she became an even more famous tawaif than her mother. She began recording ghazals with the Columbia Gramophone Company. She started participating in music sessions and was invited by the rulers of many princely states such as Rampur, Bikaner, Gwalior, Jammu and Kashmir, Indore, and Jodhpur to perform mehfils. She had also rendered songs and ghazals at various radio stations nationwide.

She worked in two more movies, Prem Pariksha (1934) and Seva Sadan (1935), before starting her own production company called Sangeet Films; producing, directing, writing, and composing the music. Becoming one of the first female music composers in Hindi cinema. 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 the film under the name "Baby Rani". In 1936 she acted in, directed, and wrote the music for Madam Fashion, in which she introduced Suraiya. and adopted the name Abdul Rashid. Film actress Nargis (née Fatima Rashid) was their daughter.

Filmography

Film Year Film Role Notes 1933 Raja Gopichand Debut 1934 Prem Pariksha 1934 Naachwali 1935 Talashe Haq Feeroza 1935 Insaan Ya Shaitaan 1935 Seva Sadan 1936 Madam Fashion Sheela Devi 1936 Hriday Manthan 1943 Taqdeer

Composer Year Film Role Notes 1935 Talashe Haq Composer Becomes one of the First Female Music Composers in Indian Cinema (after actress Bibbo, who composed the music for Adal-e-Jahangir in 1934. ) 1936 Madam Fashion Composer She acted in the film 1936 Hriday Manthan Composer 1937 Moti Ka Haar Composer Writer, director

Writer Year Film Role Notes 1935 Talashe Haq Writer She also acted in the film 1936 Madam Fashion Writer She acted in the film 1936 Hriday Manthan Writer Screenplay 1937 Moti Ka Haar Writer Screenplay 1949 Darogaji Writer as Bai Jaddan Bai

Director Year Film Role Notes 1936 Madam Fashion Director She also acted in the film 1936 Hriday Manthan Director 1937 Moti Ka Haar Director 1937 Jeevan Swapna Director as Bai Jaddanbai

Producer Year Film Role Notes 1936 Madam Fashion Producer She also acted in the film 1936 Hriday Manthan Producer Sangeet Films 1937 Moti Ka Haar Producer Sangeet Films 1937 Jeevan Swapna Producer Director