Begum Para was a well-known Hindi film actress who was active mostly in the 1940s and 1950s. She was considered to be a glamour girl and known for her films like Sohni Mahiwal, Zanjeer, Neel Kamal, Mehendi, and many more.
Begum Para was born as Zubeda Ul Haq in Jhelum in British India (present day Pakistan). Her family was from Aligarh. Her father, Mian Ehsanul-Haq, was a judge. She was educated at the Aligarh Muslim University. Her sister Zarina Sultan was the mother of Rukhsana Sultan, who was a close aid of Sanjay Gandhi and the mother of Amrita Singh.
Begum Para’s first break turned out to be 1944 film Chand, from Prabhat Studios in Poona. Prem Adib was the hero, and Sitara Devi was the vamp in the film. She did Sohni Mahiwal (1946) and Zanjeer (1947) with Ishwarlal and Dikshit; Neel Kamal (1947) with Raj Kapoor; Mehendi (1947) with Nargis; Suhaag Raat (1948) with Bharat Bhushan and Geeta Bali; Jhalka (1948); and Meherbani (1950) with Ajit Khan. She also worked in Ustad Pedro (1951), produced and directed by the then-well-known actor, Sheikh Mukhtar. It was a fun film and was packed with action, romance, and stunts.
She was considered a glamour girl of Bollywood. In 1951, she posed for photographer James Burke for a Life magazine photo shoot.
She was considered a glamour girl of Bollywood. In 1951, she posed for photographer James Burke for a Life magazine photo shoot.
She married actor Nasir Khan, who was an actor and filmmaker and the younger brother of Bollywood star Dilip Kumar.They had three children, Lubna, Nadir, and actor Ayub Khan.
After almost 50 years of absence in the industry, she returned to films with her last role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya (2007) as Sonam Kapoor’s grandmother.
Begum Para passed away on 9 December 2008 in Mumbai.
