Zareen Panna

🪔 About

Zareen Panna, born Zareen Nawab in Shimla, British India in 1947, is a renowned Pakistani actress and a distinguished classical dancer. Following the partition of India, she migrated with her family to Karachi, Pakistan. Her father, Nawab Khalil, held a position as an adviser to the Maharaja of Patiala. Panna commenced her dance training at the tender age of five, receiving tutelage from esteemed gurus such as Ustad Ghulam Hussain (Patiala Gharana), Ustad Shado Maharaj (Dehli Gharana), Rafi Anwar, Siddique Samrat, and Madam Azuri. She also drew significant inspiration from the eminent Indian Kathak dancer, Sitara Devi. Panna's repertoire encompasses a wide array of classical dance forms, including Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Khattak, Sufi dance, and Kathakali, alongside Thumri, Dadra, and Tarana. Her exceptional talent garnered her national and international acclaim from a young age. She performed for numerous world leaders, notably President Iskander Mirza of Pakistan, President Sukarno of Indonesia, and at the Palace of Mao Zedong in China. In 2018, she also performed for Prince Aga Khan IV. Beyond her illustrious performance career, Zareen Panna has dedicated many years to teaching Kathak and Sufi dance in both Pakistan and China. She served as a classical dance choreographer for the Pakistan National Council of Arts for two decades and has also taught dance to children at the Shaukat Khanum Trust. Currently, she continues to impart her profound knowledge of classical dance at the Lahore Arts Council's Academy of Performing Arts and the Alhamra Art Center in Lahore. Her significant contributions to the arts have been recognized with prestigious accolades. In 1958, she was honored with the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by President Ayub Khan. The Government of Pakistan further acknowledged her enduring legacy with the Pride of Performance award in 2018 for her extensive services to the television and film industry. While celebrated for her dance, Panna also pursued a successful acting career, making her debut in the 1960 film *Gharib* and appearing in over 40 films, frequently showcasing her classical dance prowess. She married film director S. Suleman in 1967, and together they had five children. Awards & Honours: Sitara-i-Imtiaz (1958), Pride of Performance (2018).