Bibbo (born Ishrat Sultana 1906 – 1972) was a music composer, singer and actress who worked in both Indian and Pakistani films.
She was one of the top leading ladies of the 1930s along with actresses like Devika Rani, Durga Khote, Sulochana, Mehtab, Shanta Apte, Sabita Devi, Leela Desai and Naseem Banu.
[7] She worked in nearly thirty films as a lead actress in India from 1933 to 1947, shifting to character roles in later years, following her move to Pakistan.
[11] Bibbo's first recorded film was the successful Rangila Rajput (The Gay Cavalier) (1933),[12] directed by M. D. Bhavnani and starring Master Nissar, with popular music by B. S. Hoogan.
The story revolved around King Udyan, who is obsessively in love with his wife, ignoring his kingdom in the process.
[13] She was then cast in her fourth film, M. D. Bhavnani's Sair-E-Paristan, produced by Ajanta Cinetone Ltd. and co-starring P. Jairaj, Khalil Aftab, Master Nissar and W. M. Khan.
The film was a "romantic melodrama", with Bibbo and Surendra playing actor Motilal's parents in the latter part.
Watan, produced by Sagar Studios and directed by Mehboob Khan was a quasi-historical costume drama involving Tartars, with a nationalistic element.
[20] Teen Sau Din Ke Baad, also called 300 Days And After, was a Sagar film directed by Sarvottam Badami.
[21] In 1939, Ladies Only co-starred Bibbo with Prabha, Sabita Devi and Surendra in a comedy film directed by Sarvottam Badami for Sagar Movietone.
[22] Laxmi with Kumar, Maya, Gope, Jeevan and Indira was directed by Mohan Sinha, with music composed by Timir Baran.
The Times of India review quoted in Filmindia commented: "Bibbo is brilliant as the other woman and very nearly steals the picture with her wonderfully sympathetic role".
Bibbo's last film in India was Pahela Pyar (First Love) (1947), directed by A. P. Kapoor for Sagar Movietone.
Dupatta (1952), an Urdu film directed by Sibtain Fazli and produced by Aslam Lodhi, starred Noor Jehan, Sudhir, Ajay Kumar and Yasmin along with Bibbo.
The film was acclaimed as a big hit commercially and had music composed by Firoz Nizami, with songs sung by Noor Jehan.
Produced by Khwaja Khurshid Anwar and Sultan Jilani under the banner of Select Pictures, it starred Musarrat Nazir, Habib, Yasmin, Neelo and Bibbo.
Produced by Anwar for Noor Minar Pictures banner, it starred Musarrat Nazir, Sudhir and Laila.
[8] In the June 1943 issue of Filmindia, Baburao Patel answered a query about Bibbo claiming she was "indeed married to Bhutto".