Meet the actress who is regarded as India's first female superstar, was paid even more than top heroes even though she spoke little Hindi.
The tag of India’s first female superstar has been used for a number of actresses. Some say Sridevi deserves this crown while others have pushed for Vyjanthimala. Some, who regard the stardom of yesteryears’ actresses higher, vouch for names like Naseem Banu and Devika Rani. But there is one actress who predates them all and was a big star in her own right, someone whose stardom is almost as old as talking films in India. And she attained all this without even speaking Hindi or Urdu initially.
India’s first female superstar
Ruby Myers, a Jewish actress born in British India, is regarded as the first true female superstar in Bollywood history. Myers was the first of the Eurasian actresses in Indian cinema and she entered the film world under the screen name Sulochana. In the 1920s, when she was a teenager, Myers was working as a telephone operator in Calcutta when she was approached by Mohan Bhavnani of Kohinoor Film Company to work in films. While she initially rejected the offer, Bhavani persisted and Myers later came on board, making her debut with Cinema Queen in 1926. She was 19.
Over the next few years, with hits like Typist Girl, Balidaan, Madhuri, Anarkali, and Bombay Ki Billi, she became the biggest name and face in Indian cinema. During the peak of her fame in the late-1920s and early-30s, she was regarded as a superstar.
How Sulochana became a star despite not knowing Hindi
Sulochana spoke English and Yiddish largely but was not proficient in Hindi or Urdu, the languages of the masses in India. Fortunately for her, when she began her career, it was the era of silent films in India. Hence, she became famous despite that handicap. In 1931, when Alam Ara ushered the era of talkies in India, Sulochana faced this hurdle for the first time. She took a one-year break to learn Hindustani and returned with hits like Madhuri and Anarkali. She was said to have been earning over Rs 60,000 per year in the 1930s, the highest for any actor – male or female – in India at the time.
When Sulochana faced controversy, ban
Till the 1940s, Sulochana continued to act as a female lead in many films even though a lot of her releases were no longer hits. The last of her high-profile films came in 1947 and it was titled Jugnu. The film showed an ageing professor falling for Sulochana’s charms. Many politicians of the era found the film ‘morally reprehensible’ and Bombay State’s Home Minister Morarji Desai banned the film. Sulochana moved to supporting roles in the 1950s and continued acting in films till the late-70s. She died in her flat in Mumbai in 1983 at the age of 75.
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 "Ruby Myers aka Sulochana, India's first female superstar")
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