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\nDUBAI:\u00a0Often referred to as the Marilyn Monroe of the East, the late Arab icon Hind Rostom left her mark on the region\u2019s film industry, having starred in more than 70 movies.<\/p>\n
\nBorn Nariman Hussein Murad in Alexandria, Egypt, on Nov. 12, 1929, her father was Turkish and her mother Egyptian. After her parents\u2019 divorce, a young Rostom lived an unsettled life, following her policeman father from city to city until she moved as a teenager to Cairo in 1946.<\/p>\n
\nShe first lit up the silver screen as a non-speaking extra in 1949 and went on to turn heads with her first major role in Egyptian film director Hassan Al-Imam\u2019s 1955 \u201cBanat El-Lail\u201d (\u201cWomen of the Night\u201d).<\/p>\n
\nShe is, perhaps, most famous for her turn as a lemonade vendor in Youssef Chahine\u2019s tense 1958 drama \u201cCairo Station,\u201d with her complex portrayal of a woman on the fringes of society earning her kudos from the film industry, as well as fans for generations to come.<\/p>\n \nWith her blonde locks and striking features, she soon became a fashion icon with women around the Arab world flocking to copy her latest look \u2014 she was even dubbed Egypt\u2019s Brigitte Bardot, and The First Lady of Egyptian Cinema \u2014 however, it was her frequent portrayal of strong female characters that earned Rostom an everlasting spotlight.<\/p>\n \nShe is known for her portrayal of outspoken characters alongside legendary actors such as Farid Shawqi and Omar Sharif, defying stereotypical gender norms of the time and inadvertently becoming a feminist symbol for many.<\/p>\n \n