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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.

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 was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz for the same in 2021 by the President of Pakistan.

Early life

Sultana was born in Hyderabad, Sindh, into a Sindhi qazis (Muslim judges) family domiciled therein, Sultana being the seventh of ten children. She received her early education from government schools in Hyderabad.

She aimed to do her Master's in comparative religion but stopped due to her marriage in 1966, which would end in a divorce, and she would return to her family home with her three sons.

Currently, she resides in North Nazimabad Town in Karachi.

Career

1970s-1980s: Early work as actress and director-producer

Sultana started her career from PTV as a producer in Karachi in 1974. Following a brief acting career, she concentrated on direction and production in both Sindhi and Urdu, her first Urdu-language production being Rung Barung (1981), a musical show for kids.

1990s: Mainstream success

Sultana reached popular success with Marvi (1993) and since then has directed or produced many appreciated television serials. Siddiqui has also produced children's television, musical performances, television films, serials and documentaries.

2000s-now: Hum Network and return to direction

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". Under her direction Hum TV has received Pakistan's Lux Style Awards four years in a row. She is the only woman in Asia who started or owned a TV channel.

As a director she remained inactive ten years before her latest drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai (2012-2013), a critically acclaimed serial that has been praised for "breaking the ice across the borders of Pakistan and India in current times" featuring Fawad Khan and Sanam Saeed.

Awards and recognition

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.

Other work

Public speaking

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

Karachi Film Society

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).

Fashion

In 2018 Sultana Siddiqui collaborated with Zac Chaudhri 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.

Selected television serials

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

References

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. ^ "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. Archived from the original on 30 December 2024.
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. "Board of Directors". FI Foundation. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
13. "Women Leadership Forum 2014". Open Silicon Valley. Open Silicon Valley. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
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.
16. "Shuja Asad to play Sehar Khan's leading man in upcoming drama". Daily Times. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 6 December 2024.

External links

• Sultana Siddiqui at IMDb
• Sultana Siddiqui on Facebook
• Sultana Siddiqui at nettv4u

• Living people
• Sindhi people
• Businesspeople from Karachi
• Pakistani television directors
• Pakistani television producers
• Pakistani company founders
• Hum TV people
• Recipients of the Pride of Performance
• Women business executives
• Women television producers
• Women television journalists
• Pakistan Television Corporation people
• Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
• Women television directors