Pramila

Trend-setting model and popular actress Pramila, born Esther Victoria Abraham, is credited with being the first woman film producer in the Hindi film industry as well as the first ever beauty queen of independent India in 1947, in addition to being an emblem of feminism and secularism. Largely stereotyped onscreen as a bold girl as opposed to the virtuous damsel, she starred in more than 30 stunt films and social dramas, right from Return of the Toofan Mail (1935), which was never completed, up until Amol Palekar’s Marathi film Thaang (2006), aged 89. Some of the films she starred in include Ulti Ganga (1942), Jungle King (1959), Jhankar (1942), Our Darling Daughter (1936), Maha Maya (1936), Basant (1942), and Beqasoor (1950). A born rebel, she had walked out of her conservative Baghdadi Jewish home in Calcutta at 17 to join a theatre company. She went on to make her cinematic dreams come true, blazing across the Indian film screen as a vamp and a fearless stunt star. D M Madhok wrote Choli ke andar lyrics for her decades before Madhuri Dixit made waves with a similar song. In a big bad man's world, she wore the pants, so to speak, and also led an interesting personal life. 

She was born Esther Victoria Abraham on 30 December 1916, into a conservative migrant Iraqi Jewish family in Calcutta. Her father was a successful businessman; one of his companies would be contracted by the British government to lay railway lines and construct signal stations. He was married twice, and Esther lived with her stepsiblings from her father’s earlier wife and her own two sisters. After her mother’s demise, Esther was cared for by her paternal grandmother, after whom she had been named. She started schooling at Calcutta Girls School but with the decline of her father’s business fortunes, she was enrolled at the more modest St James School. At school, she shone not only in academics but also at other extra-curricular activities including music and dance. A sports enthusiast, she also became a hockey champion. Excelling at drawing, she received a degree in the arts, dispensed by Cambridge University. 

She planned to be a Montessori teacher after completing her education; however, her real interest lay in the performing arts of theatre and films. She faced enormous opposition from her orthodox father, but wasn’t swerved. Entering the realm of theatre, she would go on to fall in love with a Marwari theatre artiste, Manicklal Dangi. The duo eloped and married, and she soon gave birth to a baby boy, Maurice. However, her marriage didn’t last long and the couple divorced. With her baby being brought up by her family, Esther headed to Bombay to meet her cousin, Rose who was working in films. Initially, during the early years of talkie cinema, she performed dances during the 15-minute breaks when the reels would be changed by the projectionist. Eventually, she was noticed and cast in Ardeshir Irani’s Imperial Film Company production The Return of the Toofan Mail, replacing Rose. The film, however, never saw the light of day, owing to various reasons. Speaking about the less-than-pleasant experience in an interview decades later, she would recall, “I might have been raised in an open and modern environment but I was still an Indian woman at heart. It was not possible for me to compromise with my culture, my self-respect, or my integrity. And hence, for the same reason, when I heard the director’s unnecessary chatter I had to tell him on his face that as an actress it was my duty to follow his directives but other than shooting, I would not indulge in any of his trivialities. On seeing my no-nonsense attitude, he got so irritated that on the pretext of shooting, on the first day itself, he made me climb up and down the Qutub Minar three times. It was only later that I came to know that there was no such scene in the script and that there wasn’t any reel in the camera either.”

Disappointed, she was set to return to Calcutta when producer Ardeshir Irani tried to convince her otherwise and signed a five-film contract with her to persuade her to stay. She had come to the notice of other film producers in Bombay as well, and more offers came her way. She would be first seen onscreen in Kolhapur Cinetone’s film Bhikharan (1935). She played an important character called Chandra, a westernised vamp in the film, which became highly popular with audiences. Directed by Premankur Atorthy with music composed by Harishchandra Bali, the main leads of film were Master Vinayak and Ratan Bai. The film also featured a comedy song Tilchatta haye tilchatta chhipkali ne pakad liya that was filmed on her. Her anglicised Hindi was accepted and became quite the rage. Christened Pramila by the influential actor-producer-writer-director Baburao Pendharkar, there was no stopping her as she went on to become a popular and adored star. 

According to Pramila, the films Ardeshir Irani had signed her on with Imperial were Mahamaya (1936) directed by Gunjal, Hamari Betiyaan (Our Darling Daughters) directed by R S Choudhury, and the Premankur Atorthy-directed Sarla - all of which released in 1936, the R S Chaudhury-directed Mere Laal (1937) and Mother India (1938). 

Incidentally, Pramila’s biography, published by Mumbai-based organisation Sparrow, also states Imperial Film Company as the producer of Mother India; however, as per Hindi Film Geetkosh, compiled by Harmandir Singh Hamraaz, and A to Z Film Directory compiled by Javed Mohammad Zaidi, this film was produced by India Cine Pictures. Hindi Cinema Ka Sunehra Safar, written by Shri Badri Prasad Joshi, claims Cine Color as the producer for Mother India. Made in 1938, Mother India remains a landmark in the history of Indian cinema as the first successfully made colour film. Prior to Mother India, three attempts had been made to make a colour film in India – namely, Bilwamangal (1932) of Madan Theatres - Calcutta, Sairandhri (1933) of the Prabhat Film Company - Pune and Kisan Kanya (1937) of the Imperial Film Company - Bombay. However, due to technical reasons, they remained unsuccessful. Directed by Dada Gunjal with music by Ram Gopal, along with Pramila, important characters were played by Sharifa, Wazir Mohammad Khan, Ghulam Mohammad, Ghulam Rasool and Ashiq Hussain. 

She essayed her very first stunt role in Jungle King (1939). It was Wadia Movietone’s first film to feature another actress under their banner other than Nadia, their permanent actress. The directorial debut of Nari Ghadiyali, the male lead was John Cavas. Three out of the six songs in the film - Mere sajan ab tak nahin jaage dekho ho gai bhor, Prem nadi lehrati hai madhur swaron me gaati hai and Hook uthat hai mera jiya ghabraaye were picturised on Pramila. 

The year also saw the release of three more films of Pramila, including Bijli directed by Balwant Bhatt and the Shanti J Dave directorial Huqum Ka Ikka produced by Prakash Pictures and Wadia Movietone’s Kahan Hai Manzil Teri.  

In 1940, Pramila featured in Prakash Pictures’ Sardar, opposite Jayant. Directed by Dwarka Khosla, the rest of the cast comprised M Nazir, Nirmala and Amir Bai Karnataki. 

In 1939 Pramila had married Mijjan Kumar (real name: Sayyad Hassan Ali Zaidi), the hero of films like Mahamaya, Our Darling Daughters, and Sarla. He would later be seen in the role of the sculptor in the film Mughal-E-Azam (1960), on whom the famous song Aye mohabbat zindabad was filmed. 

The 1940s proved to be a period of great change for Pramila, as she went on to essay important characters in Chitra Productions’s film Kanchan (1941) and in Mohan Pictures’s film Shehzadi (1941), the J P Advani directorial in which she starred opposite Trilok Kapoor.

She also acted in Bombay Talkies film Basant (1942), featuring in the song Hua kya qusoor jo humse ho door which had become very popular at that time. 

When Pramila’s husband M Kumar and his friend Chandramohan were disgruntled by the attitude of the respective studios they worked with at the time – Ranjit Studio and Minerva Movietone – they decided to turn producers themselves and established their own banner Silver Films on 16 March 1942. As Kumar’s wife, Pramila became an important part of this banner. She challenged the studio systems in which power rested with the wealthy producers and the actors were paid employees of studios. Facing the risks as she established her own production company, she raised money to fund her films. 

The muhurat shot of their banner’s first film Jhankaar was done by Devika Rani. Pramila also acted in the film, also singing three songs, namely the Punjabi solo Raat haneri mahi ve vach chamkan tare, a duet with Kumar in Dil ka thikana kaun, jeene ka bahaana kaun, and the solo Hum to do bol keh ke hare hain. 

Though this film was not a success, over the next two decades, Pramila and Kumar together produced films such as Bhalai (1943), Bade Nawab Sahab (1944), Naseeb (1945), Devar (1946), the Raj Kapoor-Nargis starrer Dhun (1953) and Bahana (1960) under the banner of Silver Films. They produced Nehle Pe Dehla (1946), Dhoom Dhaam (1949) and Dilbar (1951) under the banner of Shama Productions and Aap Beeti (1948) under the banner of Kumar Studios Ltd. Badal aur Bijli (1956) and Jungle King (1959) were produced under the banner of Artistes United. Of these films, Aap Beeti, Dhun and Bahana were directed by Kumar while Badal aur Bijli was directed by Pramila’s son Maurice Abraham. 

Even though Pramila had turned producer, she continued to act in films made under other banners such as Saheli (1942/ Star Productions), Ulti Ganga (1942/ Minerva Movietone), Saal Girah (1946/ B Krishin Movietone), Shalimar (1946/ Shorey Pictures-Lahore), Doosri Shadi (1947/ B Krishin Movietone), Beqasoor(1950/ Madhukar Pictures), Hamari Beti (1950/ Shobhna Pictures), Majboori (1954/ Murli Movietone), Fighting Queen (1956/ N K G Productions) and Murad (1961/ N K G Productions). 

Decades after bidding adieu to films, she was last seen onscreen in the role of a feisty grandmother at the age of 89 in Amol Palekar’s film Thaang/ Quest (2006). She played a grandmother in this English-Marathi bilingual.

To Pramila goes credit for being a trendsetter on various levels. She was evidently 31, and pregnant with her fifth child when she was crowned the country’s first Miss India in 1947, the year of India’s Independence. The ceremony was conducted at Liberty cinema. Incidentally, her daughter, Naqi Jahan, was also adjudged Miss India in 1967. They are the only mother-daughter duo to have won the same high-profile pageant. 

A fashion icon of her times, Pramila wore saris with a western twist which was different from the traditional designs of the times. What’s more, she designed, drew and stitched her own costumes, as well as jewellery. A popular face in the fashion magazines of the 1930s and 1940s, she had apparently also received tempting offers from Hollywood. However, the onset of World War II put paid to these plans. 

Her real life was not without its twists and turns. She had been jailed by Morarji Desai, Chief Minister of Bombay State, on charges of spying for Pakistan. This was at a time when Indo-Pakistan relations were strained following Partition. The charges proved to be unfounded as it was proved that she would travel across the border to the neighbouring country as part of the publicity campaigns of films which had permission to be screened there. However, she bore the brunt of the allegations as her property and assets had been requisitioned. She would shed the trappings of stardom to travel in buses and trams to fight court battles. Apparently, she would juggle her film finances to hold at bay auctions on two occasions and a civil injunction on another. 

Her private life was also eventful. In 1939, it was announced that she had performed a nikaah with the already-married actor M Kumar, whose real name was Syed Hasan Ali Zaidi. While she changed her name to Shabnam Begum Ali in the nikaahnama, she evidently did not give up her Jewish faith. The couple completed 22 years of wedded life. They lived lavishly and were regulars at the ballroom of the Taj Mahal Hotel, fond of fast cars, and betting at the racecourse. Their children Akbar, Asghar, Naqi and Haider were encouraged to follow the tenets of both the Muslim and Jewish faiths. The marriage hit a roadblock when Kumar decided to move to Pakistan to pursue a more flourishing acting career there, leaving the family in debt. Pramila refused to leave India. The family building had been mortgaged for Rs 1 lakh (equivalent to crores of rupees today). Later, she settled down with Parsi filmmaker Nari Gadhali for four decades. In these years, she shunned the limelight, and brought up her four sons and a daughter. 

To her credit, she had acquired a home in Shivaji Park for her extended family. She had to wage a tough battle to get back the property from the clutches of creditors and authorities. She also attempted to launch her statuesque daughter Naqi Jahan in film. Naqi became a popular model and also featured in three films namely Aakhri Khat (1966) which was one of the early films of Rajesh Khanna directed by Chetan Anand, Samaj Ko Badal Dalo (1970) and Ek Khilari Baawan Pattey (1972). Naqi quit films to marry Vikram Kamdar, owner of the Kamdar Furniture Stores at Churchgate, and changed her name to Nandini. Of Pramila’s five children, Haidar made a name as a comedian, featuring in TV series. He also wrote the screenplay of the Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer Jodhaa Akbar (2008), in which he also played the part of a Sufi saint. 

In the course of an interview, Haidar revealed that his mother was gifted by God with internal power and strength. On the home front, she kept the family together through the toughest times, he shared. “My ma may be known for dash and feisty spirit but it did not come up only when she was cornered. It was her trait. It appeared in everything she did. I asked her what it was about her that Amol Palekar wanted her to act in his Marathi film, Thang, at 90. How do you manage to be the centre of attraction even now, I asked her. She said, 'Haidoo, you have to command what you want. If you do not get it, demand it. If you still don't get it, grab it. If you still do not get it you to kill to get it. If you worry about what the world thinks, you will waver from your goal.' She was like that. She never cared too hoots if the world was shocked, embarrassed... right from the day she walked out of her house. She hurt people in the process but she was able to compensate because she succeeded financially. She never took from people, she only gave. Throughout, she remained economically independent and died as a landlady.”

Five months short of her 90th birthday, Pramila passed away on 6 August 2006 and was buried in the Jewish cemetery at Chinchpokli. At her funeral, her son Maurice recited the scriptures in Hebrew at the Maghen David synagogue while her son Akbar recited the scriptures in Arabic.

A truly independent achiever, Pramila remains distinctive for her unwavering belief in secularism, her achievements as a film star and producer, and her dedication as a homemaker, and a feminist to the core.