Sabiha Khanum: The Trailblazing Heroine Who Defined Pakistani Cinema in the 1950s

 

Sabiha Khanum was one of the most celebrated film heroines of the 1950s. She made her debut as a co-heroine in the film “Beli” (1950). Sabiha became the leading lady in Pakistan's first silver jubilee film, “2 Aansoo” (1950), and later starred in the first-ever golden jubilee film, “Sassi” (1954). She was also the heroine in Pakistan’s first blockbuster, “Dulla Bhatti” (1956), and appeared in many other major films, including “Gumnam” (1954), “Qatil” (1955), “Chhoti Begum”, “Sarfarosh” (1956), “Ishq-e-Laila”, “Waada”, “Saat Lakh” (1957), “Mukhra” (1958), “Mousiqar” (1962), “Daaman” (1963), “Kaneez” (1965), and “Sawal” (1966).

 Born in Gujrat in 1935, Sabiha Khanum was the daughter of Balo (Iqbal Begum), a renowned stage and film actress from the 1930s known for her roles in “Heer Sial” (1937) and “Sassi Pannu” (1938). Her father, Mohammad Ali Mahiya, was a producer, and he produced Sabiha’s notable film “Naji” (1959).