Rani ( Punjabi, ur, ; 8 December 1946 – 27 May 1993) was a Pakistani film and television actress. She gained success in the late 1960s when she made a hit pair with famous

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a 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 term is (), li ...

and producer

Waheed Murad Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...

. She was also known as ''The Dancing Queen'', ''Queen of Lollywood'' and ''Lux Girl'' for her portrayal of romantic and dancing roles in films. She remained one of the most successful actresses of the subcontinent and was also popular for her dance performances in films. Rani died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on 27 May 1993.

Early life

Rani was born on 8 December 1946 as Nasira in Mozang,

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. ...

to Malik Muhammed Shafi and Iqbal Begum in an

Arain Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi agricultural tribe with strong political identity and organisation, found mainly in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh with a small population in parts of Indian Punjab, Uttar Pradesh a ...

family. Her father was a driver for

Mukhtar Begum Mukhtar Begum was a Pakistani classical, ghazal singer and actress. She was known as ''The Queen of Music'' for singing songs in films and on radio. She worked in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu films and was known for her roles in films ''Hathili Dulh ...

, a singer and the wife of

Agha Hashar Kashmiri Agha Hashar Kashmiri (born Muhammad Shah, 3 April 1879 – 1 April 1935) was an Urdu poet, playwright and dramatist. A number of his plays were Indian Shakespearean adaptations. Early life He started to show interest in stage dramas and mo ...

, a well-known

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi films and was a film heroine in Pakistani films. In 1962

Anwar Kamal Pasha Anwar Kamal Pasha ( ur, ), (23 February 1925 – 13 October 1987) was the pioneer in the Pakistan film industry and an early Pakistani film director and producer from Lahore, Pakistan. Life and career Pasha was a graduate from the For ...

, a veteran film director of the 1950s and 1960s, gave Rani her first role in the film Mehboob (1962 film). For several years after ''Mehoob'' Rani appeared in supporting roles in films like ''Mouj Maila'', ''Ek Tera Sahara'' and ''Safaid Khoon''. Until 1965 she starred in other films, but when they flopped she was dubbed a jinxed actress. However, after the success of ''Hazar Dastan'' and ''Dever Bhabi'', Rani became a leading actress. Some of her more notable films are ''Chann Makhna'', ''Sajjan Pyara'', ''Jind Jan'', ''Duniya Matlib Di'', ''

Anjuman (1970 film) ''Anjuman'' is a Pakistani colour film released on 31 July 1970, starring Waheed Murad, Rani, Deeba, Santosh Kumar, Sabiha Khanam and Lehri. The film was released during the hey days of Waheed Murad and became a milestone in Waheed's career. ...

'', ''

Tehzeeb (1971 film) ''Tehzeeb'' () is a 1971 Pakistani film. It stars Rani, Shahid, Saeed Khan Rangeela, Aslam Pervaiz and Lehri. The makers of this film were asked to change a reference to Egypt (Misr in Urdu language) because it might prove detrimental to dipl ...

'', ''

Umrao Jaan Ada ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' ( ur, ) is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa (1857–1931), first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by many

'' (1972), ''Naag Muni'', ''Seeta Mariam Margaret'', ''Ik Gunah Aur Sahi'' and ''Surrayya Bhopali''. She also acted in two TV serials ''Khuwahish'' and ''Fareb'' in the early 1990s.

Personal life

After her initial success in the late 1960s, she married renowned director

Hassan Tariq Hassan Tariq (22 October 1934 – 24 April 1982) was a Pakistani film director, film producer and screenwriter who was famous for making films like Anjuman, Kaneez, Baharo Phool Barsao, ''Dewar Bhabhi''. Early life and career Hassan was born ...

, with whom she had a daughter, Rabia. Due to conflicts, Hassan Tariq divorced Rani in the late 1970s. She then married producer Mian Javed Qamar, who divorced her when it was discovered that Rani had cancer. During her treatment in London, she met famous cricketer

Sarfaraz Nawaz Sarfraz Nawaz Malik ( Punjabi, ur, ) (born 1 December 1948) is a former Pakistani Test cricketer and politician, who was instrumental in Pakistan's first Test series victories over India and England. Between 1969 and 1984, he played 55 Tests a ...

. Soon they developed a good relationship with each other and got married. Rani helped Sarfraz in his election campaign in the late 1980s. But their relationship also did not last long and they parted. After getting divorced for the third time, Rani was struck by the grief of loneliness. Cancer also struck back and this time with much more intensity as Rani did not have much desire to live but to see her daughter get married.

Illness and death

Rani died of cancer on 27 May 1993 at the age of 46 in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

, just a few days after her daughter Rabia's marriage. Shortly after Rani's death, her mother who was seriously ill and never knew of her daughter's death, also died. Rani's only sister also died three months later. Rani and her mother were buried side by side in Lahore in Muslim Town Cemetery.

Filmography

Television series

Film

Awards and recognition

References

External links

*
Filmography of actress Rani on Complete Index To World Film (CITWF) website - Archived
{{DEFAULTSORT:Begum, Rani 1946 births Pakistani film actresses Actresses in Pashto cinema Pakistani female models 1993 deaths Nigar Award winners Pakistani television actresses Punjabi people Actresses from Lahore Actresses in Punjabi cinema Punjabi women 20th-century Pakistani actresses Actresses in Urdu cinema