The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in
Pakistani cinema
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.
...
. The honors are awarded by
Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards are Pakistan's version of the
Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
.
[
The annual presentation ceremony features performances by prominent artists. The first Nigar Awards ceremony was held in 1957, to honor the accomplishments of Pakistani cinema for the year 1956.][ In 2002, following the 46th Annual Nigar Awards, Nigar Magazine announced its discontinuation of the awards due to the collapse of the Pakistani cinema industry.][
After a 15-year hiatus, with the revival of Pakistani cinema, the 47th Nigar Awards were announced to be held on 16 March 2017 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 c ...
.
History
The Nigar Awards were introduced in 1957 by Ilyas Rashidi
Ilyas Rashidi ( ur, ) was a Pakistani publisher and 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 Rashidi Lifeti ...
, also known as ''Baba-e-Filmi Sahafat'' (translation: The Father of Film Journalism) in Pakistan.[ The award was an extension of the Nigar Magazine, which was also founded by Rashidi in 1948 and was Pakistan’s first weekly newspaper dedicated solely to ]Pakistani cinema
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.
...
. Ilyas Rashidi acquired experience in entertainment journalism through his association with Umer Azad (his older brother) and his daily newspaper ''Anjum'', which had shifted its offices from Delhi to 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 c ...
in 1947. Ilyas had been inspired by Filmfare
''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...
magazine and thus purchased a children's magazine ''Monthly Nigar'' from his friend Ibne Hassan Nigar, and re-branded it as a weekly film magazine from 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 c ...
. The first award distribution ceremony was held on 17 July 1957 at Evernew Studios in Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...
.[
Since 1979, the award administration also started to give Nigar Awards to television personalities and since 1982, to stage artists. The first TV personality to receive the award was ]Fatima Surayya Bajia
Fatima Surayya Bajia (; 1 September 1930 – 10 February 2016) was an Urdu novelist, playwright and drama writer from Pakistan. She was awarded various awards at home and abroad including Japan's highest civil award in recognition of her works. ...
who got a special award. Among stage artists, ''Furqan Haider'' and Moin Akhtar
Moin Akhter (also: "معین اختر" Moin Akhtar), (24 December 1950 – 22 April 2011) was a Pakistani television, film and stage artist, humorist, comedian, impersonator, host, writer, singer, director and producer who rose to fame in the ...
were the first to be honored with the award in the categories of best stage director and best stage compere respectively.
Design
Ilyas Rashidi had initially chosen the design of a lady statuette and the Nigar Awards continued with this award from 1957 to 1977. During the Islamic dictatorial rule of President General Zia-ul-Haq
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...
and his regime, the statue design was changed into a textual design. In 2017, the 47th Nigar Awards reverted to the original award design.[
]
Ceremony
Instead of the usual practice of envelope opening, the award committee prints the names of the winners on the back of the invitation cards that are sent to all invitees. This removes the charm of suspenseful moments for the attendees. Despite all this, the award committee has strict rules of only considering the candidacy of those films and television shows that are nominated for the awards and their copies are provided by the filmmakers or distributors to the Awards Committee of Nigar Awards. The Nigar Awards are also known for their impartial assessment and unbiased attitude as compared with other high-level awards in Pakistan for the public entertainment media. Another prominent factor of the awards is that, over time, various categories from both television and film industry that have been included to cover such subjects as Urdu
Urdu (;["Urdu"](_blank)
'' 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 Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
and Sindhi
Sindhi may refer to:
*something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan
* Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region
* Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
People with the name
* Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...
films.[
]
Categories
The Nigar Awards are divided into Urdu
Urdu (;["Urdu"](_blank)
'' Pashto
Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani ().
Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...
, 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 Sindhi
Sindhi may refer to:
*something from, or related to Sindh, a province of Pakistan
* Sindhi people, an ethnic group from the Sindh region
* Sindhi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
People with the name
* Sarkash Sindhi (1940–2012 ...
sections, which each section having several categories:
*Best Film[
*Best director
*Best ]Script
Script may refer to:
Writing systems
* Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire
* Script (styles of handwriting)
** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of ha ...
*Best Screenplay
''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993.
Background
After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...
* Nigar Award for Best Actor[
* Nigar Award for Best Actress
*Best ]Supporting actor
A supporting actor is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and above that of a bit part. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give separate awards to the ...
*Best Supporting actress
A supporting actor is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and above that of a bit part. In recognition of important nature of this work, the theater and film industries give separate awards to the ...
*Best Music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
*Best Lyrics
Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
*Best Camera
A camera is an optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), with ...
*Best Female Singer[
*Best Male Singer][
*Best Film Editing
*Best ]Art Director
Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games.
It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...
[
*Best ]Sound
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by ...
*Best Comedian
*Special Awards
*Ilyas Rashidi
Ilyas Rashidi ( ur, ) was a Pakistani publisher and 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 Rashidi Lifeti ...
Lifetime Achievement Gold Medal
See also
* List of Nigar awards
* Nigar
References
{{Cinema of Pakistan
Lollywood
Pakistani film awards
Awards established in 1958
1958 establishments in Pakistan