This actress not only forged her own destiny but also paved the way for hope for other women and heroines. Despite difficult times, she never gave up hope, Do you recognise her?
Published: November 10, 2025 12:47 PM IST
This beautiful actress who not only made the country proud after independence, but also wrote a chapter in the history of Indian cinema that is still cited as an example. Furthermore, by breaking all societal barriers, she not only forged her own destiny but also paved the way for hope for other women and heroines.
However, this actress was accused of being a Pakistani spy, and Morarji Desai, then the Chief Minister of Mumbai (Bombay), even sent her to jail. Interestingly, when this actress became the first Miss India after independence, it was Morarji Desai who bestowed the title on her.
Fought against family, left home at the age of 17
This actress’s name was Esther Victoria Abraham, who later became famous in the film world as Pramila. She came from a Baghdadi-Jewish family where women were always veiled and restricted. But Pramila was not one to tolerate these restrictions.
Pramila was also a hockey champion and won numerous trophies. Later, she became a school teacher. However, she didn’t find her calling there and began to gravitate toward Hindi cinema. However, her family didn’t approve, and Pramila didn’t approve of their opposition. Consequently, she left home and entered films at the age of 17.
Pramila had two marriages; her second husband was…
Around the time Pramila entered films, she was married. She had two marriages. Her first marriage was with Maniklal Dangi, a Hindi-speaking Marwari, with whom she had a son. However, this marriage lasted only a year and ended. In 1939, Pramila remarried. Her second husband was Syed Hasan Ali Zaidi, a minor actor.
After their marriage, Pramila became his second wife. Zaidi’s first wife and children lived in Lucknow. Despite this, Zaidi lived with Pramila in Bombay for 22 years.
When Pramila converted to Islam
To marry Zaidi, Pramila had to convert from Judaism to Islam and then marry. After this, Pramila and Zaidi became parents of four children. After marriage, Pramila continued working in films. She started her own production house with her husband and produced approximately 16 films. Gradually, she also began acting in the films she produced. Then, after her last film in 1964, Pramila retired from films. She was the first film producer in the Hindi film industry.
Retirement from films, bad times when her husband left her
Shortly after retirement, Pramila’s life took a turn for the worse when Zaidi left her and their children for Pakistan. He also took his first wife and children with him. Devastated by this, Pramila stayed in India. She continued producing films.
Pramila began her career as a dancer, but her first acting opportunity came with the 1935 film ‘Bhikharin’. After this, she gave several hit films one after the other. Pramila stopped acting in films in 1960 and started producing films in 1961.
Accused of being a Pakistani spy, was sent to prison
Then came a time when Pramila was sent to jail. Morarji Desai, who had personally awarded her the Miss India title, had her imprisoned on suspicion of espionage. Pramila frequently visited Pakistan, thanks to her films, which were highly acclaimed and released there. However, Pramila was suspected of spying for Pakistan. Consequently, she was arrested and imprisoned. She remained in prison until the charges against her were proven false.
