"[4] Rehana Sultan was born and raised in Allahabad in a Baháʼí family, she graduated from high school in 1967, and was selected in the same year to study acting at FTII.
In the same year she also played the lead role in the film Chetna which was shot in 28 days along with the shooting of Dastak.
That film was about the rehabilitation of prostitutes, and her role changed the portrayal of sex workers in Hindi cinema.
[9] Her avant-garde roles brought her success but limited her choices in future films.
Some of her well known films include Haar Jeet (1972), Prem Parbat (1973) and the political satire Kissa Kursi Ka (1977).