A preview exhibition on the performing arts, focussing primarily on the popular and most viewed field of cinema. Indian cinema was the workplace of industrious women artistes, producers, singers, music composers and filmmakers who played unique roles in telling transformative stories through the medium of cinema, leaving an indelible mark on the artistic heritage of the Indian subcontinent. The selection on display is only an indicative one of those who represent early beginnings – these include the first recording star Gauhar Jaan and the founder of one of the first urban professional companies of independent India, Qudsia Zaidi. Pioneering actresses in Indian cinema Durgabai Kamat and her daughter Kamlabai Gokhale; the first woman director-producer Fatma Begum, the earliest women music composers Ishrat Sultana (Bibbo) and Jaddan Bai; dancer par excellence and crusader for the art form Azurie; the transnational model and actress Jahanara Kajjan; the highest paid superstar of her time Ruby Myers (Sulochana); and the actress who paved the way for women from elite backgrounds to take up the acting profession Durga Khote are those featured in the exhibition
 
Inauguration on Thursday, 18 April 2024 at 18:30

 
(Collaboration: Muslim Women’s Forum; Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav; and Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India)