Patience Cooper (1905–1983) was an Indian and later Pakistani film actress. An Anglo-Indian from Calcutta (in West Bengal), Cooper had a successful career in both silent and sound films. She was one of the early superstars of Bollywood.Cooper is credited with the first double roles of Indian cinema - as twin sisters in Patni Pratap and as mother and daughter in Kashmiri Sundari. But this is not true as Anna Salunkhe had played first double role in Indian film. She played roles of both Ram and Seeta in film 'Lanka Dahan' (1917).
She started as a dancer in Bandmann's Musical Comedy, a Eurasian troupe before being employed by Madan's Corinithian Stage Company. Cooper was often cast as the sexually troubled but innocent woman at the center of moral dilemmas, a forerunner to the type of roles played later by Nargis. Cooper first made an impact with Nala Damayanti (1920). The film starred Keki Adajania as Nala and Cooper as Damayanti . The film was a big budget Madan Theatre production and was directed by Italian Eugenio De Liguoro, known in Italy for his Orientalist spectacles like Fascino d'Oro (1919). Nala Damayanti was famous for its special effects at the time - Narada's ascent of Mount Meru to heaven, the transformations of four gods into impersonations of Nala, the transformation of Kali into a serpant among others.
Her next film was Vishnu Avtar, released in 1921. Cooper acted in over 40 films until she retired in 1944, after performing in her last film, Iraada. Cooper was often cast in the role of a sexually troubled but innocent woman, always at the centre of moral dilemmas, often caused by the men in her lives. De Liguoro also directed Dhruva Chartitra (1921), a mythological based on the legend of Dhruva whose quest for eternal knowledge and salvation was rewarded when he became the brightest star in the heavens, the pole star also known as Dhruvatara. The film was made as a bid for an international breakthrough for Madan Theatres and featured many Europeans in the cast along with Cooper who played the female lead, Suniti.
One of Cooper's biggest successes was Pati Bhakti (1922). Cooper played Leelavati in the film, directed by the great JJ Madan himself, advocating that women should be devoted to their husband. The film is regarded as her greatest film and was also involved in a small controversy as in Madras, the censor demanded that a dance number be removed on the grounds of obscenity!
A major aspect of Cooper's star image was the successful achievement of the 'Hollywood look' in spite of different light and technical conditions. Her dark, sharp eyes and skin tone allowed technicians to experiment with the imported convention of eye-level lighting.
Cooper also played perhaps the first ever double roles in Hindi films - Patni Pratap (1923), where she played two sisters and Kashmiri Sundari (1924), where she played mother and daughter.
Cooper did films right through to the mid 1930s. One of her last major films was Zehari Saap (1933). The film was a typical Cooper vehicle about a medieval chieftain's revolt against the good Nawab Bakar Malik. The nawab's outlaw son vows revenge and finally all's well that ends well. The dramatic conflict in the film sees the chieftain wanting to marry the princess, whom he had raised as his own daughter.
The low number of women, especially Hindus, in the film industry during the 1920s (due to conservative attitudes) meant Parsi and Anglo-Indian actresses, like Cooper, were in demand. Her distinctively Anglo-Indian features, like dark eyes, sharp features, ebony hair and light skin tone, allowed technicians to experiment with the imported technique of eye-level lighting and achieve the Hollywood look, an appearance similar to Hollywood stars of the silent era. Her appearance in a string of successful films has led her to being called the first ever female Indian film star.
Cooper married Isphahani Saheb, a tea-estate owner. In 1947, they migrated to Pakistan. Actually she was married to MAH Isphahani at the age of 21 and divorced soon after. She then got married to Gul Hamid Khan, one of the first early silent movie actors. He died six years later due to a throat ailment. She remained friends with MAH Isphahani till the end of her life. Cooper changed her name to Sabra Begum and lived the last of her days with her two adopted daughters Zeenat and Haleema in Karachi, Pakistan. She fostered and/or adopted 17 children during her lifetime. Cooper died in 1983.
Filmography
Khan Saheb,1946
Irada,1944
Ranee,1943
Baghi Sipahi,1936
Mera Pyara,1935
Murderer,1935
Asmat Ka Moti,1935
Prem Ki Ragini,1935
Sakhi Lutera,1934
Kanya Vikraya,1934
Bhakta Ke Bhagwan,1934
Kismat Ke shikar,1934
Garib Ki Duniya,1934
Anokha Prem,1934
Madhur Murli,1933
Nakli Doctor,1933
Hathili Dulhan,1932
Chatra Bakavali,1932
Alibaba and forty thieves,1932
Educated Wife, 1932
Bilwamangal,1932
Satyavadi Raja Harishchandra,1931
Samaj Ke Shikar,1931
Bharati Balak,1931
Bharat Ramani,1930
Noorjehan,1923
Ratnavali,1922
Pati Bhakti 1922
Mohini,1921
Dhruva Charitra,1921
Nala Damayanti,1920
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Patience Cooper, who played the lead in various Madan Theatres pictures – Nala Damayanti (1920), Dhruva Charitra (1921), Pati Bhakti (1922), Ratnavali (1922) and Noorjehan (1923) to name some, was perhaps the first ever Indian female film star well before Sulochana. An Anglo-Indian from Calcutta, she appeared in many silent films before switching to talkies with comparative ease.
Said to be born around 1905, she started as a dancer in Bandmann’s Musical Comedy, a Eurasian troupe before being employed by Madan’s Corinithian Stage Company. Cooper was often cast as the sexually troubled but innocent woman at the center of moral dilemmas, a forerunner to the type of roles played later by Nargis. Cooper first made an impact with Nala Damayanti (1920). The film starred Keki Adajania as Nala and Cooper as Damayanti . The film was a big budget Madan Theatre production and was directed by Italian Eugenio De Liguoro, known in Italy for his Orientalist spectacles like Fascino d’Oro (1919). Nala Damayanti was famous for its special effects at the time – Narada’s ascent of Mount Meru to heaven, the transformations of four gods into impersonations of Nala, the transformation of Kali into a serpant among others.
De Liguoro also directed Dhruva Chartitra (1921), a mythological based on the legend of Dhruva whose quest for eternal knowledge and salvation was rewarded when he became the brightest star in the heavens, the pole star also known as Dhruvatara. The film was made as a bid for an international breakthrough for Madan Theatres and featured many Europeans in the cast along with Cooper who played the female lead, Suniti.
One of Cooper’s biggest successes was Pati Bhakti (1922). Cooper played Leelavati in the film. which advocated that women should be devoted to their husband. The film is regarded as her greatest film and was also involved in a small controversy as in Madras, the censor demanded that a dance number be removed on the grounds of obscenity!
A major aspect of Cooper’s star image was the successful achievement of the ‘Hollywood look’ in spite of different light and technical conditions. Her dark, sharp eyes and skin tone allowed technicians to experiment with the imported convention of eye-level lighting.
Cooper also played perhaps the first ever double roles in Hindi films – Patni Pratap (1923), where she played two sisters and Kashmiri Sundari (1924), where she played mother and daughter.
Cooper did films right through to the mid 1930s as a leading lady. One of her last major films was Zehari Saap (1933). The film was a typical Cooper vehicle about a medieval chieftain’s revolt against the good Nawab Bakar Malik. The nawab’s outlaw son vows revenge and finally all’s well that ends well.
Cooper’s last films were Iraada (1944) and Khan Saheb (1946).
Patience Cooper migrated to Pakistan with MAH Isaphani, a tea-estate owner, in 1947. Actually, she was married to him years earlier and divorced soon after but they remained close to each other right throughout. She also married fellow actor Gul Hamid in 1930. The marriage lasted till 1936. Cooper changed her name to Sabra Begum in Pakistan. Here, she adopted several children and took care of them. She died in 1983 in Karachi, where she lived with two of her adopted daughters, Zeenat and Haleema.
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