That's was a very interesting article. Didn't know that many of the women had made a name for themselves in film industry even before the independence. Most of the name from pre independence periods are unfamiliar to me except for Devika Rani. Apart from her works, she was also quite famous for her beauty

I am.told that there were quite a few enterprising women in the regional films too who were courageous enough to go against the tide , thereby showing the way for other women.

Very informative and interesting article. Most of our knowledge related to the film industry extends only to the actors of the film, directors and sometimes, producers but does not go beyond that. It is very nice to know that women have been working behind the scenes in the Indian cinema ever since the beginning of the industry. Really empowering!

Thanks for sharing this article. It is not only informative but gives present day women a strength to dream big. Those great ladies of the early bollywood era excelled at a time when women were usually suppressed and now when society is gradually changing the ladies can think of doing what they love the most.    

Shampa Sadhya wrote:

Thanks for sharing this article. It is not only informative but gives present day women a strength to dream big. Those great ladies of the early bollywood era excelled at a time when women were usually suppressed and now when society is gradually changing the ladies can think of doing what they love the most.    

True, there is far more freedom now than it was during those times .So all the more reason to appreciate their achievements , not just in films but in other fields too.Another point to note is that most of the top leading ladies of that era were Muslims which shows that in some ways the old generation was more progressive in thought.

Despite of changing time, we still have a handful of women behind cameras. It is still male dominant. Most of the female choose to be in front of the camera.

Music Directors are mostly males in Bollywood. It was good to see Sneha Kanwalkar of Gangs of Wasseypur. Refreshing tunes and a very good work. I hardly know of any female music composer who gave popular numbers after Usha Khanna.

Nadira a foreigner was renowned as a stunt queen in pre independence film era.

The stunt actress was fearless Nadia , whose real name was Mary Ann Evans , an Australian. Nadira who acted in films like Aan and Shree 420 was also a Jew from either Israel or Iraq .

Arunima Singh wrote:

Music Directors are mostly males in Bollywood. It was good to see Sneha Kanwalkar of Gangs of Wasseypur. Refreshing tunes and a very good work. I hardly know of any female music composer who gave popular numbers after Usha Khanna.

Neither do I know of any female music composers whereas there are quite a few film makers among women who have been making quality films