• Source: Ferial Karim

Ferial Karim (Arabic: فريال كريم, romanized: Faryāl Karīm; 16 April 1938 – 4 July 1988) was a Lebanese-Indian actress, singer and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Femina Miss India 1962 and represented India at Miss World 1962. Ferial was introduced to show business at a very young age by her father, she garnered popular acclaim and traveled back to Lebanon where she continued performing until she died on stage at the age of fifty.




Early life


Ferial Karim was born Vera Semaan to a Christian family on April 16, 1938, to Bechara, a postal office clerk and Marie, a housewife. Karim had five siblings, four girls and a brother; she received preferential treatment from her parents ever since she was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease; she enjoyed and got away with mimicking her parents' guests and her teachers.
Karim's maternal cousin Alexandra Badran was an actress and singer who was known as Nour al-Hoda. Alexandra encouraged Karim's father Bechara to pursue a singing career for his eldest daughter Isabelle in Egypt. Bechara took both his daughters with him where the ten-year-old Karim took on the stage while a band was practicing and began singing Thuraya Helmi songs. Karim attracted attention of Egyptian movie producers and was cast as a child prodigy Ferial in Ibrahim Lama's movie Sikkat as-Salamah (The safety track); Karim adopted the nickname for her artistic career.




Marriage


Karim's acting career in Cairo's Farouq theater introduced her to a Lebanese singer Mohammad Karim. In 1954, the sixteen-year-old Karim married Mohammad who was many years her senior. Mohammad quit his singing career and dedicated his life to promote Karim's talent. The couple had two children, Mona and Samir.




Career


Karim and Mohammad moved to Damascus where she performed on stage for seven years before returning to Beirut where her sister Isabelle who was working in the national radio introduced her screenwriter Mohammad Chamel with whom she would have a long lasting artistic cooperation beginning with Ya mudir on the radio and ending with el-dunia heik on Lebanese national television.




Death


Karim died of heart failure while performing on stage on July 4, 1988, and was buried in Saint Elias Btina church in Beirut two days later.




Filmography






References

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Miss World 1962
• Hidayah
• Ferial Karim
• Faryal
• List of female Lebanese singers
• India at the Big Four beauty pageants
• Mona Karim
• List of entertainers who died during a performance
• Femina Miss India
• List of Lebanese films
• Deaths in July 1988
• Salwa Al Katrib