Nayyar Sultana

Nayyar Sultana is a Pakistani film actress who gained fame as Malka-i-Jazbaat and the Queen of Emotions. She remains one of the foremost screen actresses of Lollywood from the 1950s and 1960s.

Early life and education

Born Tayyaba Bano in Aligarh, British India, in 1937, she grew up within a Muslim family. She completed her education at Women's College in Aligarh. Following the independence of Pakistan in 1947, her family migrated to Karachi.

Career

Her parents were related to the actress Shamim Bano. Because Shamim Bano was the wife of producer and director Anwar Kamal Pasha, he cast her in his 1955 film Qatil. She performed in a supporting role under the screen name Nazli, which marked her acting debut. Later in 1955, she secured the second lead role in Intikhab, directed by Humayun Mirza.

She adopted the screen name Nayyar Sultana after these initial roles. In 1957, she rose to prominence through Jaffar Malik's Saat Lakh. She portrayed a tawaif opposite Santosh Kumar and won a Nigar Award for her performance. Her success continued in 1960 when she starred in Saheli, directed by S. M. Yusuf. This film celebrated its golden jubilee at the box office. Sultana earned a second Nigar Award for Best Actress because of her portrayal of a selfless friend.

In 1962, she appeared in Ghunghat, which was directed by Khawaja Khurshid Anwar. She played a newlywed bride who elopes shortly after her wedding. A reviewer from the Outlook described her performance as indifferent but tolerable. She later played the titular role in Baaji, directed by S. Suleman. This film featured her as a frustrated young widow. Herald called her performance the strongest element of the film.

She briefly left the film industry following her marriage to Darpan. Her return to cinema occurred in 1968 with the film Ek Musafir Ek Haseena. She played a blind country girl in this production. However, her subsequent films like Meri Bhabhi in 1969, Hamjoli in 1970, and Azmat in 1973 failed to achieve commercial success.

During the 1970s, she transitioned into character roles. She appeared in Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon, directed by S. Suleman. She also acted in Mazi Haal Mustaqbil and Seeta Maryam Margaret, both directed by Hassan Tariq. These remained her last critically acclaimed films before she faded from the screen. After her husband died in 1981, she appeared in a few films while managing his recruiting agency. She worked in over 225 films throughout her 37-year career.

Personal life

She married Darpan, a prominent romantic hero and her co-star, during the peak of her career. The couple had two sons named Qaisar and Ali. Her husband's brother, Santosh Kumar, was an actor, while another brother, S. Suleman, worked as a film director. Sultana also owned a travel agency known as Darpan International.

She died of cancer on 27 October 1992 at Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi.

Awards and recognition

Sultana won a Nigar Award for best supporting actress for her role in Saat Lakh in 1957. She received another Nigar Award for Best Actress for her work in Saheli in 1960. Her on-screen portrayals helped develop profound women characters in Pakistani cinema during the 1960s.