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{{Short description|Indian actress (1907–1983)}}
{{Other people|Sulochana}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sulochana
| image = Sulochana in the 1920s.jpg
| imagesize = 220px
| caption = Sulochana in the 1920s
| birth_name = Ruby Myers
| birth_date = 1907

| birth_place = [[Poona]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British India]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1983|10|10|1907|df=y}} <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100428060330/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/91437 Ruby Myers, Sulochana - Biography] ''[[British Film Institute]]''.</ref>
| death_place = [[Bombay]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| occupation = Actress
| yearsactive = 1925–1983
| spouse =
| othername =
}}
'''Ruby Myers''' (1907 – 10 October 1983), better known by her stage name '''Sulochana''', was an [[Cinema of India#Silent era (1890s–1920s)|Indian silent]] and later [[Hindi cinema|Hindi film]] actress.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tatna |first=Meher |date=2022-03-14 |title=Female Pioneers in International Cinema – Ruby Myers aka Sulochana |url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/female-pioneers-international-cinema-ruby-myers-aka-sulochana/ |access-date=2025-01-30 |website=Golden Globes |language=en-US}}</ref> In her heyday she was one of the highest paid actresses of her time, when she was paired with [[Dinshaw Billimoria]] in [[Imperial Film Company|Imperial Studios]] films. In the mid-1930 she opened Rubi Pics, a film production house.<ref>[http://www.indiaheritage.org/perform/cinema/person/silentstar.htm Silent Screen Stars'] India Heritage:Performing Arts:Cinema In India:Personalities:Silent Screen Stars.</ref> Myers was awarded the 1973 [[Dada Saheb Phalke Award]], India's highest award in cinema for lifetime achievement.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dada Saheb Phalke Award Overview |url=http://dff.nic.in/PhalkeAward.aspx |publisher=Directorate of Film Festivals |access-date=8 September 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718171203/http://dff.nic.in/PhalkeAward.aspx |archive-date=18 July 2020 }}</ref>

==Early life==
Ruby Myers was born in 1907 in [[Poona]], [[British India]] into a [[Baghdadi Jewish]] family.<ref>[http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20071209/spectrum/main6.htm Queens of hearts] ''[[The Tribune (Chandigarh)|The Tribune]]'', 9 December 2007.</ref>

==Film career==
[[File:Sulochana Indira M.A. (cropped).jpg|left|frame|Myers in ''Indira M.A.'' (1934)]]
The self-named Sulochana was among the early female stars of Indian cinema.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

She was working as a telephone operator when she was approached by Mohan Bhavnani of [[Kohinoor Film Company]] to work in films. She initially turned him down as acting was regarded as quite a dubious profession for women those days. However Bhavnani persisted and she finally agreed, despite having no knowledge of acting. She became a star under Bhavnani's direction at Kohinoor before moving on to the [[Imperial Film Company]] where she became the highest paid movie star in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1998268/|title=Ruby Mayer ''IMDb''}}</ref>

Among her popular films were ''Typist Girl'' (1926), ''[[Balidan|Balidaan]]'' (1927) and ''Wildcat of Bombay'' (1927).<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hansen |first=Kathryn |year=1998 |title=Stri Bhumika: Female Impersonators and Actresses on the Parsi Stage |journal=Economic and Political Weekly |volume=33 |issue=35 |pages=2299 |jstor=4407133}}</ref>

[[Image:Sulochana et D. Billimoria dans Heer Ranjah (1929).jpg|thumb|upright=0.68|Sulochana with [[Dinshaw Billimoria|D. Billimoria]] in ''Heer Ranjah'' (1929)]]

Three romantic films in 1928-29 with director R.S. Chaudhari - ''Madhuri'' (1928), ''Anarkali'' (1928) and ''Indira B.A.'' (1929) saw her at her peak of fame in the silent film era. When a short film on [[Mahatma Gandhi]] inaugurating a [[khadi]] exhibition was shown, alongside it was added a popular dance of Sulochana's from ''Madhuri'', synchronised with sound effects.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bollywoodirect.medium.com/remembering-ruby-myers-1907-10-october-1983-better-known-by-her-stage-name-sulochana-on-her-862301bf33b|title=Remembering Ruby Myers (1907–10 October 1983), better known by her stage name Sulochana on her 111th birth anniversary.}}</ref>

With the coming of sound, Sulochana found a lull in her career, as it now required an actor to be proficient in [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]. Taking a year off to learn the language, she made a comeback with the talkie version of ''Madhuri'' (1932).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jewishcurrents.org/october-10-bollywoods-sulochana|title=October 10: Bollywood’s Sulochana}}</ref>

Further talkie versions of her silent hits followed, with ''Indira'' [now an] ''M.A.'' (1934), ''Anarkali'' (1935) and ''Bombay Ki Billi'' (1936).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/female-pioneers-international-cinema-ruby-myers-aka-sulochana/|title=Female Pioneers in International Cinema – Ruby Myers aka Sulochana}}</ref> Sulochana was back with a bang. She was drawing a salary of Rs. 5000 per month, she had the sleekest of cars (Chevrolet 1935) and one of the biggest heroes of the silent era, [[Dinshaw Billimoria|D. Billimoria]], as her lover with whom she worked exclusively between 1933 and 1939. They were an extremely popular pair - his [[John Barrymore]]-style opposite her Oriental 'Queen of Romance'. But once their love story ended so did their careers. Sulochana left Imperial to find few offers forthcoming. She tried making a comeback with character roles but even these were few.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://themagicpr.com/2017/10/17/shelcom-the-untold-story-of-bollywood-hear-the-rarest-story/|title=Shelcom – The Untold story of Bollywood Hear the Rarest story}}</ref> Sulochana established her own film studio, Rubi Pics, in the mid-1930s.

[[Image:Sulochana publicity still from Prem-Ki-Jyot (1939).jpg|thumb|upright=0.68|Sulochana in a publicity still from ''Prem Ki Jyot'' (1939)]]

In 1947, [[Morarji Desai]] banned ''[[Jugnu (1947 film)|Jugnu]]'', because it showed the "morally reprehensible" act of an aging fellow professor falling for Sulochana's vintage charms.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indianmemoryproject.com/cinema-citizens/#:~:text=In%201947%2C%20Morarji%20Desai%20banned,supporting%20role%20as%20Salim's%20mother.|title=40 SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF INDIAN CINEMA PIONEERS WHO WORKED BETWEEN THE YEARS 1897 - 1947}}</ref> In 1953, she acted in her third ''[[Anarkali (1953 film)|Anarkali]]'', but this time in a supporting role as Salim's mother.

==Later life and death==
[[File:Ruby Myers 2013 stamp of India.jpg|Ruby Myers in 2013 stamp of India|thumb|left]]She received the Dada Saheb Phalke Award in 1973 for her lifetime contribution to Indian cinema.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070107125902/http://www.madurainetwork.com/india/dadasahebphalkeaward.html Madurainetwork.com - Dada Saheb Phalke Award]</ref> [[Ismail Merchant]] paid homage to her in ''Mahatma and the Bad Boy'' (1974).<ref>{{cite web |title=40 SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF INDIAN CINEMA PIONEERS WHO WORKED BETWEEN THE YEARS 1897 - 1947 |url=https://www.indianmemoryproject.com/cinema-citizens/#:~:text=In%201947%2C%20Morarji%20Desai%20banned,supporting%20role%20as%20Salim's%20mother.}}</ref> She adopted a girl and named her Sarah Myers who after marriage was called Vijaylaxmi Shreshtha. Myers died in Mumbai in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chowdhury |first=Anindita |date=2020-02-13 |title=Ruby Myers: The Jewish-Indian Mega Film Star We Don't Remember {{!}} #IndianWomenInHistory |url=https://feminisminindia.com/2020/02/14/ruby-myers-jewish-indian-mega-film-star/ |access-date=2022-10-31 |website=Feminism in India |language=en-GB}}</ref> She died in 1983 in her flat in [[Mumbai]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/female-pioneers-international-cinema-ruby-myers-aka-sulochana/|title=Female Pioneers in International Cinema – Ruby Myers aka Sulochana}}</ref>
{{Clear}}[[File:Wildcat of Bombay 1927 (silent) (14245524943).png|thumb|150px|Still from the Wildcat of Bombay (1927)]]

==Selected filmography==
Her films include ''Cinema Queen'' (1926), ''Typist Girl'' (1926), ''Balidaan'' (1927), ''Wildcat of Bombay'' (1927) in which she played eight different characters, which was remade as ''Bombay Ki Billi'' (1936); ''Madhuri'' (1928), which was re-released with sound in 1932; ''Anarkali'' (1928), remade in 1945; ''Indira B.A'' (1929); ''Heer Ranjah'' (1929), and many others, such as ''[[Baaz (1953 film)|Baaz]]'' (1953).<ref>{{cite web |title=Female Pioneers in International Cinema – Ruby Myers aka Sulochana |url=https://goldenglobes.com/articles/female-pioneers-international-cinema-ruby-myers-aka-sulochana/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://themagicpr.com/2017/10/17/shelcom-the-untold-story-of-bollywood-hear-the-rarest-story/|title=Shelcom – The Untold story of Bollywood Hear the Rarest story}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://bollywoodirect.medium.com/remembering-ruby-myers-1907-10-october-1983-better-known-by-her-stage-name-sulochana-on-her-862301bf33b|title=Remembering Ruby Myers (1907–10 October 1983), better known by her stage name Sulochana on her 111th birth anniversary.}}</ref>
[[Image:Sulochana dans Daku Ki Ladki (1933).jpg|thumb|upright=0.68|In ''Daku Ki Ladki'' (1933)]]
* ''Cinema Queen'' (1926)
* ''Typist Girl'' (1926)
* ''[[Balidan]]'' (1927)
* ''Wildcat of Bombay'' (1927)
* ''Anarkali'' (1928)
* ''Heer Ranjah'' (1929)
* ''Indira BA'' (1929)
* ''Noor-E-Alam / Queen of Love'' (1931)
* ''Daku Ki Ladki'' (1933)
* ''[[Saubhagya Sundari]]'' (1933)
* ''Sulochana'' (1933)
* ''Gul Sanobar'' (1934)
* ''Indira M.A'' (1934)
* ''Prem Ki Jyot'' (1939)
* ''[[Shair (film)|Shair]]'' (1949)
* ''[[The Jungle (1952 film)|The Jungle]]'' (1952)
* ''[[Baaz (1953 film)|Baaz]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Kadu Makrani (film)|Kadu Makrani]]'' (1960, [[Gujarati cinema|Gujarati]])
* ''[[Amrapali (film)|Amrapali]]'' (1966)
* ''[[Neel Kamal (1968 film)|Neel Kamal]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Mere Hamdam Mere Dost|Mere Humdum Mere Dost]]'' (1968)
* ''[[Julie (1975 film)|Julie]]'' (1975)
* ''[[Khatta Meetha (1978 film)|Khatta Meetha]]'' (1978)

==See also==
*[[List of Indian film actresses]]
*[[List of Indian Jews]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Further reading==
* ''Great Masters of Indian Cinema: The Dadasaheb Phalke Award Winners'', by D. P. Mishra, [[Publications Division]], [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]], [[Government of India|Govt. of India]], 2006. {{ISBN|81-230-1361-2}}. page 16.
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=pq_kryQIkQkC&dq=Sulochana+actress&pg=PA73 Actress Sulochana] ''Cinema at the End of Empire: A Politics of Transition in Britain And India'', by Priya Jaikumar, Duke University Press, 2006. {{ISBN|0-8223-3793-2}}. Page 73.
* ''The Hundred Luminaries of Hindi Cinema'', by [[Dinesh Raheja]], Jitendra Kothari. India Book House Publishers, 1996. {{ISBN|81-7508-007-8}}. [https://books.google.com/books?id=HixlAAAAMAAJ&q=Ruby+Myers+Sulochana page 1871]

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1998268|name=Ruby Myers 'Sulochana'}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20121008215011/http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/specials/slideshows/20s/20-2.htm The Sirens of the Silent Era - Sulochana (Ruby Myers)(1907-1983)] ''[[Hindustan Times]]''.

* Rare Picture: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rashid_ashraf/31671546322/in/dateposted/
* Lipika Pelham, “The Vamp of Baghdad: How Jewish actresses shaped early 20th century Indian cinema”, Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures Blog, 7 November 2025: https://www.jewisharabiccultures.fak12.uni-muenchen.de/the-vamp-of-baghdad-how-jewish-actresses-shaped-early-20th-century-indian-cinema/
* "Ruby Myers aka Sulochana (1907 - 10 October, 1983)": https://www.bombayjewisharchives.com/blank-11-1

{{Dadasaheb Phalke Award}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Ruby}}
[[Category:1907 births]]
[[Category:1983 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian people of Iraqi-Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Indian silent film actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Indian Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish actresses]]
[[Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients]]
[[Category:Actresses from Pune]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Jews]]
[[Category:Baghdadi Jews]]
[[Category:Jewish Indian film people]]
[[Category:Actresses in Gujarati cinema]]

Ruby Myers - Revision history

Wikialpha49: Post