Niggo (died 5 January 1972) was a popular traditional

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

dancer and

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

. She mainly worked on

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

and Urdu films in the 60s.

Early life

Niggo hailed from

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

’s

Heera Mandi Heera Mandi (Urdu and pa, , lit=Diamond Market), sometimes referred to as Shahi Mohallah (''"Royal Neighbourhood"''), is a neighbourhood and bazaar located in the Walled City of Lahore. It is specifically known as the red light district of Lahor ...

. She was born in a small house there. Like many other women living in Heera Mandi, Niggo was a traditional dancer and earned her living as one.

Career

For Pakistan filmmakers, tawaif(courtesan) was the first choice for hiring talented girls for their movies. It was common for the girls to join

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 ...

and become famous actresses. Niggo's career in the film industry started the same way. Her dancing skills impressed the Punjabi filmmakers and she quickly became a favorite. Because of her exceptional dancing skills, she was usually the first choice for the

mujra Mujra is a dance performance by women in a format that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs of the Indian society (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent courtesans ...

dance role in films. Her first film Ishrat was released in 1964. Niggo performed in almost a hundred movies altogether. She was the top

item girl In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and B ...

for most films.

Personal life

While shooting for her film Qasu in 1972, Niggo fell in love with the film's producer Khawaja Mazhar. During this time, the couple got married. Niggo's getting married did not bode well with her family back home. According to old customs of Lahore's

Shahi Mohalla Heera Mandi (Urdu and pa, , lit=Diamond Market), sometimes referred to as Shahi Mohallah (''"Royal Neighbourhood"''), is a neighbourhood and bazaar located in the Walled City of Lahore. It is specifically known as the red light district of Lahore ...

, no girl from

could marry without her family being financially compensated. Niggo's family tried to bring back their daughter, but she refused to come back. To get her back home, Niggo's mother pretended to get sick and emotionally blackmailed her daughter to visit her one last time. Niggo visited her family, but was later brainwashed into not leaving. While her husband tried to convince Niggo to come back, Niggo due to her family's pressure, refused to return to her husband's home.

Death

She was killed at her residence on January 5, 1972, in Lahore. Her husband, after trying and failing to get her to return home, lost his temper, drove to Heera Mandi and opened fire on Niggo at her mother's house. Niggo's uncle and two musicians were also murdered in the incident. Niggo's husband was sentenced to life imprisonment by the court in a public trial. The murderer died a natural death and was buried in his home town of

Gujranwala Gujranwala ( ur, , label=none; ) is a city and capital of Gujranwala Division located in Pakistan. It is also known as "City of Wrestlers" and is quite famous for its food. It is the 5th most populous city proper after Karachi, Lahore, Faisala ...

. She was laid to rest at

Miani Sahib Graveyard The Miani Sahib Graveyard (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ur, ) is the largest graveyard in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. It is in the centre of Lahore.https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21727124-it-may-make-death-unequal-life-pakistan-inaugurates- ...

, Lahore.

Filmography

* ''Ishrat'' (1964) * '' Shahansha-e-Jahangir'' (1968) * '' Nai Laila Naya Majnu'' (1969) * ''

Andaleeb ''Andaleeb'' is a 1969 Pakistani Urdu colour film starring Waheed Murad, Shabnam, Aliya, and Mustafa Qureshi, and Talish. It was a golden jubilee hit directed by Farid Ahmed, produced by Rashid Mukhtar, and music composed by Nisar Bazmi. ''An ...

'' (1969) * '' Love in Jungle'' (1970) * '' Afsana'' (1970) * '' Mohabbat'' (1972)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Niggo 20th-century Pakistani actresses Pakistani film actresses Pakistani dancers Actresses in Punjabi cinema Actresses in Urdu cinema Pakistani murder victims 1972 deaths Year of birth missing