Naseem Banu

Naseem Banu (1916-2002) was an Indian film actress. She was referred to as Naseem and known as "Beauty Queen" and the "first female superstar" of Indian Cinema. Starting her acting career in the mid-1930s she continued to act till mid-1950s. Her first film was Khoon Ka Khoon (Hamlet) (1935) with Sohrab Modi under whose Minerva Movietone banner she acted for several years. Her high-point came with Modi's Pukar (1939) in which she played the role of Empress Nur Jahan. According to composer Naushad she got the sobriquet Pari-Chehra (fairy face) Naseem through the publicity advertisements of her films. She was the mother of popular actress Saira Banu and mother-in-law to the renowned actor Dilip Kumar.

Born in Delhi, India, to the head of a wealthy aristocratic family, Naseem’s father was Nawab Abdul Waheed Khan of Hasanpur. Naseem, named Roshana, studied at Queen Mary’s High School, Delhi; her mother Shamshad Begum, wanted her to become a doctor. Shamshad Begum, also known as Chhamian Bai was a famous and well earning singer of those days. Naseem once stated that her mother earned more than her even when she, Naseem, was earning a salary of INR 3,500.