Tribute-Bibbo:the first Indian female composer

Bibbo was born Ishrat to a famous singer Hafeezan Bai of Delhi, and she was cited as being a famous singer from Delhi who came to Bombay to join films. Bibbo was a trained singer with a "coarse husky quality" like Zohrabai Ambalewali and Shamshad Begum.
Bibbo's first recorded film was the successful Rangila Rajput (The Gay Cavalier) (1933), directed by M. D. Bhavnani and starring Master Nissar with popular music by B. S. Hoogan. Her second film that year for Ajanta was Mayajaal, a fantasy directed by Shanti L. Dave for Ajanta Cinetone Ltd., co-starring Master Nissar, P. Jairaj and Shahzadi, with music composed by B. S. Hoogan.
In 1934, Bibbo acted in five films. Vasavdatta or the Shahi Gawaiya (The Royal Musician) was her third film. 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.
It was in 1934, that Bibbo composed music for a film called Adal-e-Jehangir, thus becoming the first Indian female composer. The Mill also called Mazdoor was directed by M. D. Bhavnani (Mohan Dayaram Bhavnani), and starred Bibbo, who played the mill owner's daughter in the film with Motilal as the hero. In 1936, she acted in Garib Parivar and Manmohan.

1937 saw her acting in four films, out of which Jagirdar directed by Mehboob Khan and co-starring Surendra, was the most famous. The film was a "romantic melodrama", with Bibbo and Surendra playing the role of actor Motilal's parents in the latter part. She acted in and, once again composed music for the film Qazzak Ki Ladki, using the name Ishrat Sultana as composer. The film co-starred Surendra and was directed by Sultan Mirza and S. Varman for Rainbow Films.
1938 proved to be a successful year for her with all five films doing well at the box-office. Watan produced by Sagar Studios and directed by Mehboob Khan was a quasi-historical costume drama involving Tartars, with a nationalistic element. Gramaphone Singer (1938) and Dynamite (1938), had her pairing with Surendra again. Both films went on to become successful. Teen Sau Din Ke Baad also called 300 Days and after, was a Sagar film directed by Sarvottam Badami. It had Motilal, Sabita Devi and Yakub starring with Bibbo.

In 1939, Ladies Only co-starred Bibbo with Prabha, Sabita Devi, and Surendra in a comedy film directed by Sarvottam Badami for Sagar Movietone.  Sneh Bandhan had Bibbo pairing with Navin Yagnik and E. Billimoria in a melodrama about love and sacrifice. Akela released in 1941, starred Bibbo with Mazhar Khan and E. Billimoria. In 1945 she acted in Zeenat starring Noor Jehan, the film went on to become a big hit for Noor Jehan. Pehli Nazar was another film in 1945 opposite Veena, Munawwar Sultana and Motilal.
Bibbo shifted to Pakistan following partition of India in 1947. She started working in films there as a character artist doing about twelve films from 1950-1966.
The last days of Bibbo's life are claimed to have been lonely with her life described as being "miserable and poverty stricken". She died on 25 May 1972.