The Nigar Award for Best Actress, also known as Nigar Public Film Award for Best Actress is an award constituted for the

cinema of Pakistan Cinema of Pakistan, popularly known as Lollywood ( ur, ), refers to the filmmaking industry in Pakistan. Pakistan is home to several film studios centres, primarily located in its three largest cities – Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad. ...

to recognise contribution of a lead actress in

Lollywood Lollywood ( ur, , translit=lâli vuḍ) refers to Pakistan's film industry based in Lahore, previously the base for both Punjabi and Urdu language film production. Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since the partition of ...

. Established in 1958 by

Ilyas Rashidi Ilyas Rashidi ( ur, ) was a Pakistani publisher and editor in chief, editor who founded Nigar (magazine), dedicated exclusively to films and film personalities, in 1948 and the historic and prestigious Nigar Awards on 17 July 1957. The ''Ilyas ...

, it is presented annually by ''Nigar magazine'' as part of its annual ceremony of

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

. The award ceremony takes place independently and is not associated with

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

or for-profit entities such as production house or television channel. First presented in 1957, the first Best Actress award was given to

Sabiha Khanum Sabiha Khanum ( ur, ; born Mukhtar Begum; 16 October 1935 – 13 June 2020), was a Pakistani film actress. She is also known as the "First Lady of Pakistani Cinema", and is often recognized for her role in Pakistani cinema during the 1950s an ...

for ''

Saat Lakh ''Saat Lakh'' () is 1957 Pakistani Urdu film directed by Jaffer Malik and produced by Saifuddin Saif. It stars Sabiha Khanum and Santosh Kumar in the lead with supporting role by Nayyar Sultana and guest appearance by Neelo. The film is prim ...

'' (1957). The last award was given to

Saba Qamar Saba Qamar Zaman (born 5 April 1984), known professionally as Saba Qamar, is a Pakistani actress who works predominantly in Urdu films and television. She has won several accolades including Lux Style Awards and Hum Awards. Qamar is one of Pak ...

in 2017 for ''

Lahore Se Aagey ''Lahore Se Aagey'' (; ) is a 2016 Pakistani road-comedy romantic film directed by Wajahat Rauf, written by Yasir Hussain and Produced by Wajahat Rauf, Asfand Faruok, Salman Iqbal, and Jarjees Seja. The film is a spin-off to 2015 comedy film ...

Winners and nominees

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

References

Further reading