6 women pioneers of Indian Cinema that you must know about

First female director- Fatma Begum

Actress, director and screenwriter Fatma Begum is considered to be the first female director of Indian cinema. Fatma launched her own production house, Fatma Films, and directed ‘Bulbul-e-Paristan’ that released in 1926.

First female music composer- Jaddan Bai

Jaddan Bai, mother of iconic actress Nargis Dutt, was the first music director of Indian Cinema. One of the renowned names of her time, Jaddan Bai composed music for ‘Talash-e-Haq’ and made films like ‘Hriday Manthan’, ‘Moti Ka Haar’, ‘Jeevan Swapna’, ‘Madame Fashion’.

First stunt woman- Fearless Nadia

Mary Ann Evans aka Fearless Nadia was the first stunt woman in Indian cinema. Born in Australia, she came to Mumbai with her father in 1913. She starred in 'Hunterwali' in 1935 and after that, there was no looking back. She was not only one of the actresses of the earliest female-lead Indian films but she also performed her own stunts.

First choreographer- Zohra Sehgal

Actress, dancer and choreographer Zohra Sehgal is one of the most celebrated artistes of Indian Cinema. She did the choreography for several Hindi films, including Guru Dutt's 'Baazi' (1951) and the dream sequence song in Raj Kapoor's film 'Awaara' (1951).

First actress- Durgabai Kamat

Durgabai Kamat was the first actress of Indian Cinema. She worked in the second film of Dadasaheb Phalke - ‘Mohini Bhasmasur’.

First actress to win National Award- Nargis Dutt

Not many know that one of the greatest actresses of Hindi Cinema, Nargis Dutt was the first woman to win a National Award for her role in the film ‘Raat Aur Din’ that released in 1967. Her film ‘Mother India’ was also the first submission for the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958.