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Sultana Siddiqui

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Sultana Siddiqui
Born
Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan
Other namesSultana Apa
Occupation(s)TV director, producer and businessperson
Known forPresident and Founder of Hum Network Limited
Notable workZindagi Gulzar Hai
ChildrenDuraid Qureshi, Shunaid Qureshi and Junaid Qureshi
RelativesJahangir Siddiqui (brother)
Momina Duraid (daughter-in-law)
Ali Jehangir Siddiqui (nephew)
Sheheryar Munawar (nephew)

Sultana Siddiqui also known as Sultana Apa (Sindhi: سلطانا آپي) is a Pakistani media mogul, television director, and producer who is the founder of Hum Network Limited.[1][2]

Siddiqui is an active director of Hum Network Limited and the president of Hum Network Limited. By virtue of that she became the first woman in Pakistan to establish a TV station quite successfully in a matchless mode and was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz for the same in 2021 by the President of Pakistan.[3][4]

Personal life

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She was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, into a Sindhi Muslim qazis (judges) family domiciled therein, one of ten children.[5] She received her early education from government schools in Hyderabad.[6]

Career

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Sultana started her career from PTV as a producer in Karachi in 1974. In 2004 she founded Eye Television Network, now known as "Hum Network Limited" under which her own four cable channels are working, including "Hum TV".[7] Under her direction HUM TV has received Pakistan's Lux Style Awards four years in a row.[3] She is the only woman in Asia who started or owned a TV channel.[8]

As a director she remained inactive ten years before her latest drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai,[9] a critically acclaimed[10] serial that has been praised for "breaking the ice across the borders of Pakistan and India in current times"[11] featuring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed. Siddiqui has also produced children's television, musical performances, television films, serials and documentaries.

As a public speaker, Sultana has spoken on many local and international platforms, including the 2013 US Islamic World Forum[3] held in Doha, Qatar and the 2014 Women Leadership Forum held in Silicon Valley, California.[12]

Sultana has won numerous awards, including the Best Producer of a Drama Serial, Best Producer of a Music Production, the Hazrat Khadijat ul Kubra Award, Women of Vision Award, Nigar Award, the Gold Medal Award, Sindh Graduates Association Award, and the Pride of Performance Award from the Government of Pakistan. Her work is well known for its attention to social issues and its focus on female empowerment. Siddiqui has represented Pakistan in numerous international workshops and seminars.[13]

Siddiqui founded the Karachi Film Society (KFS) in 2017. The nonprofit society hosts seminars, workshops, and festivals to promote film and drive the Pakistani film industry in new and creative ways. KFS is also the parent body of the Pakistan International Film Festival (PIFF).[14]

In 2018 Sultana Siddiqui collaborated with Zac Ch. from the University of The Arts London to produce the first set of books on Pakistani Fashion to be held in a major western Arts university library. The books are titled Fashion Uncovered and are an introduction to Pakistani Fashion. [15]

Selected television serials

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Year Title Director Producer Network
1992 Zara Si Aurat Yes PTV
1993 Marvi Yes
1997 Yeh Zindagi Yes
1999 Doosri Dunya Yes
2000 Aur Zindagi Badalti Hai Yes
2001 Wafa Kay Mausam Yes
2002 Jannat Yes
2003 Shayad Kay Bahar Aaye Yes
2004 Anjaane Raaste Yes
2012 Zindagi Gulzar Hai Yes Hum TV
2024 Mann Jogi Yes

References

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  1. ^ کراچی, شمائلہ خان بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، (20 January 2016). "'چینلز آ گئے لیکن تکنیکی عملہ نہیں'". BBC Urdu.
  2. ^ "An interview with Sultana by Mag4You". Mag4You. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "2013 U.S.-Islamic World Forum Speakers". The Brookings Institution. The Brookings Institution. Archived from the original on 5 December 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  4. ^ "The returning back of a famous director and head of Hum TV". The Express Tribune. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  5. ^ Asif Noorani (24 June 2013), "No challenge is too great: Sultana Siddiqi", Dawn News. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  6. ^ Arshad, Aisha (7 March 2017). "Pakistan's Only Powerful Women In Business". Profit by Pakistan Today. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Company Profile | HUM Network Ltd". Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Advisory council of DGF-Pakistan". Dawood Global Foundation. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  9. ^ "Sultana returns with the direction of Zindagi Gulzar Hai". Dawn. 25 November 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  10. ^ Shetty Bali, Rashma (18 July 2014). "Zindagi Gulzar Hai: 5 reasons we will miss Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed's show!". Bollywood Life. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  11. ^ "India uses cinema to tell its stories, we use TV, says Kashaf of Zindagi Gulzar Hai". The Indian Express. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Women Leadership Forum 2014". Open Silicon Valley. Open Silicon Valley. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Board of Directors". FI Foundation. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  14. ^ "About Karachi Film Society". Archived from the original on 26 February 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  15. ^ Fashion uncovered: Lifting the veil on Pakistani fashion. Book 1. Zac Chaudhri. 2019.
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