Veena (actress)
Veena, also known as Veena Kumari, real name Tajour Sultana, was an Indian actress.
Early life and background
Veena was born as Tajour Sultana on 4 July 1926 in Quetta, Baluchistan Agency, British India. At some point of time, her family shifted to Lahore and she belonged to Lahore's Chuna Mandi. She married actor-hero Al Nasir in 1947 and had two children.Career
She started out playing heroine roles in pre-partition films. She made her debut with Garib and Gawandhi at around sixteen years of age. Garib was made in Urdu and Gawandhi was made in Punjabi and directed by Mehboob Khan. In Garib, she played the role of Lata and in Gawandhi she played heroine opposite Shyam, who played the hero. She became known for her roles in pre-partition Hindi and Urdu films. Her early years in films came with films such as Najma, Phool and Humayun. Her last film before the Partition of India was Rajputani, in which she played a supporting role. She decided to remain in India after the partition, and she acted through the mid-to-late-1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s. She played roles in big productions such as Halaku, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Kaagaz Ke Phool, Taj Mahal , Do Raaste and Pakeezah. She retired in 1983 after the release of Razia Sultan in which she played Empress Shah Turkhan.Death
She died in Bombay in 2004 after 21 years of retirement when she was 78 years old after suffering from a protracted illness. She had appeared in over 70 feature films in a career spanning 41 years.Filmography
| Year | Film | Character/Role | Notes |
| 1983 | Razia Sultan | Empress Shah Turkhan | - |
| 1981 | Agni Pareeksha | Karuna Choudhary | - |
| 1981 | Khawaja Ki Diwani | - | |
| 1980 | Payal Ki Jhankaar | - | |
| 1977 | Jay-Vejay: Part - II | Chandeli | - |
| 1977 | Shatranj Ke Khilari | Queen Mother | - |
| 1974 | Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam Rani Sheela | - | - |
| 1974 | 5 Rifles | Maharani | - |
| 1974 | Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye | Raja's mother | - |
| 1973 | Jheel Ke Us Paar | Mrs. Kulwant Rai 'Rani Maa' | - |
| 1973 | Chhupa Rustam | Mrs. Rajendra Jain | - |
| 1973 | Banarasi Babu | Mohan's Mother | - |
| 1973 | Mere Gharib Nawaz | Begum Baig | - |
| 1972 | Parichay | Sati Devi | - |
| 1972 | Pakeezah | Nawabjaan | - |
| 1972 | Shehzada | Rajlaxmi | - |
| 1970 | Heer Raanjha | - | |
| 1970 | Nanak Naam Jahaz Hai | - | |
| Naya Raasta | Rukmini | - | - |
| 1969 | Do Raaste | Mrs. Gupta, Satyan's mother | - |
| 1969 | Anmol Moti | - | |
| 1968 | Aashirwad | Leela S. Choudhary | - |
| 1968 | Saathi | Rajni's Mother | - |
| 1968 | Shrimanji | - | |
| 1967 | Chhoti Si Mulaqat | Shanker's wife | - |
| 1967 | Noor Jehan | - | |
| 1966 | Sannata | - | |
| 1966 | Alibaba Aur 40 Chor | Razia, Ali Baba's older sister | - |
| 1965 | Sikandar-E-Azam | Sikandar's mother | - |
| 1964 | Baghi | - | |
| 1964 | Shehnai | - | |
| 1963 | Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon | Jamuna | - |
| 1963 | Taj Mahal | Malka-E-Alam Noor Jehan/Mehrunissa | - |
| 1959 | Chhoti Bahen | Yashoda | - |
| 1959 | Kaagaz Ke Phool | Veena Varma/Veena Sinha | - |
| 1958 | Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi | Kamini | - |
| 1958 | Mehndi | - | |
| 1957 | Mera Salaam | - | |
| 1957 | Mumtaz Mahal | - | |
| 1957 | Naya Zamana | - | |
| 1956 | Halaku | Maharani | - |
| 1952 | Aasmaan | - | |
| 1952 | Annadata | - | |
| 1951 | Afsana | Meera | - |
| 1951 | Kashmir | - | |
| 1950 | Dastan | Rani | - |
| 1946 | Rajputani | - | |
| 1945 | Humayun | Rajkumari | - |
| 1945 | Phool | - | |
| 1943 | Najma | Najma | - |
| 1942 | Garib | Lata | - |
| 1939 | Swastik | - |