Madame Azurie

Anna Marie Gueizelor better known as Azurie[2] or Madam Azurie[1] (1907, Banglore - 1998, Rawalpindi) was a classical dancer and actress in British India and later Pakistan. She starred in many Indian, Pakistani and Bengali films and is considered the first item dancer of the Indian film industry.[3][4]

Madam Azurie
Born
Anna Marie Gueizlor

1907/1916
Bangalore, British India (now in India)
DiedAugust 1998
NationalityBritish India (1907/1916-1947)
Pakistani (1947-1998)
Occupation(s)Dancer and actress (film)
Years active1934-60
SpouseSayyed Allauddin Ahmed Gelani[1]

Personal life

Azurie was born as Anna Marie Gueizelor in 1907 (some accounts put it as 1916) in Bangalore, British India (now in Karnataka, India).[2] Her mother was a Hindu Brahmin[2] nurse while her father was a Jewish German doctor. When her parents separated, she lived with her father who encouraged her to study ballet but not eastern dance.[1] He let his daughter study ballet and piano with a group of Russian emigrants. Azurie and her family moved to Bombay when she was in her adolescent years. Her father became a part of Three arts circle which allowed Azurie to interact with its organizer, Begum Atiya Fyzee-Rahamin. With Atiya, Azurie studied eastern arts and dance.[5] Azurie moved with Atiya when her father died.[6][7] Azurie passed away in August 1998.[8]

Career

Azurie explored different dances of the subcontinent and studied under different masters. She soon became a part of the Bombay film industry. Her first film was Nadira. After that, She starred in many films like Pardesi Saiyaan, Qatl-e-Aam, The Bombay talkies and Naya Sansar. Azurie starred in more than 700 films and was well known for her dances. Movies were sold for Azurie's dance and she became a well-known item number dancer. She was also invited to Buckingham Palace for a dance performance.[9] Azurie also acted in Bengali films like Maya, Sonar Sansar and Lagna Bandhan.[1][10]

Pakistan

During this time she married a Muslim man and settled in Rawalpindi, Pakistan after independence.[11][12] There she opened the academy of classical dance where Azurie taught for many years. Azurie also acted in a few Pakistani films but retired from it soon.[13][14] She travelled with a group of artists and performed in different places.[15][16]

In Islamabad, Azurie was a member of the board of the National Council of the Arts. She was founding member of the Pak-American Cultural Centre, in Karachi, where she taught classical dance for many years.[17][18][19]

Filmography
  • Pardesi Saiyaan -1935
  • Qatl-e-Aam- 1935[20]
  • The Bombay Talkies[21]
  • Naya Sansar-1941
  • Jhankar-1942[22]
  • Kaljug-1942[1]
  • Nai Duniya-1944
  • Shahjehan-1946[1]
  • Parwana-1947[23]
  • Maya (1935) (Bengali)[1]
  • Sonar Sansar (Bengali)
  • Lagna Bandhan[24][25] (Bengali)

References
  1. "Azurie". Cinemaazi. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. Iyer, Usha. "The audacious and amazing Azurie, 'a League of Nations in whom every dance of the world is found'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  3. Rehman, I. A. (5 November 2020). "The end of spring". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  4. Homegrown. "How A Half-German Woman Became India's First Item Girl". homegrown.co.in. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  5. WMC-Pakistan (22 November 2014). "THE CITY'S UNSUNG WOMEN ARE ITS REAL HEROES, SAY RIGHTS ACTIVISTS". Women Media Center. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. "Azurie – Cineplot.com". Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  7. "Kathak dancer Adnan Jehangir performs in Italy – Business Recorder". Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  8. thebusiness.pk. "Madam Azurie" (PDF). {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "Songs of Yore completes three years". Songs Of Yore. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  10. Kahlon, Sukhpreet. "Brilliant, dazzling Azurie, Indian cinema's first dancing star". Cinestaan. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  11. "Saleem Asmi — a journalist and a lover of artwork and music". Publishing News. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  12. "Travelplannings, Pakistan". www.travelplannings.it. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  13. "Saleem Asmi — a journalist and a lover of art and music". The Express Tribune. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  14. "What we learn from Saleem Asmi". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  15. "Cinema Citizens". INDIAN MEMORY PROJECT. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  16. worldchristquest (24 December 2019). "Baloch ice cream karachi branches of christianity". World Christ Quest. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  17. Iyer, Usha. "The audacious and amazing Azurie, 'a League of Nations in whom every dance of the world is found'". Scroll.in. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  18. "Did 'U' Know - Additions in April 2020". narthaki.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  19. "Saleem Asmi – a journalist and a lover of artwork and music". News Headlines, English News, Today Headlines, Top Stories | ENGLISH HEADLINE. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  20. "With 'Veere', the Women of Mumbai Cinema Are Taking Back Their Power". The Wire. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  21. "Suresh Complete Movies List from 2009 to 1935". www.bollywoodmdb.com. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  22. Iyer, Usha (2014). Film Dance, Female Stardom, and the Production of Gender in Popular Hindi Cinema (PhD dissertation). University of Pittsburgh.
  23. "Search Results". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  24. Asmi, Saleem; Shāhid, Es Em; Rehman, I. A. (2012). Saleem Asmi: interviews, articles, reviews. Karachi: S.M. Shahid. ISBN 978-969-8625-19-1.
  25. admin. "The end of spring". IBC ENGLISH | latest News. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
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