Yawar Sultana, also known as Naina (Urdu; نینا; born 1971) was a Pakistani actress and model. She was known for her deep blue eyes and was known as ''Doe-eyed Beauty''. She was known for her roles in classic dramas '' Dasht'', ''Sadran'' and ''Red Card''.

Early life

Sultana was born to Sahira Begum and Ghulam Hussain in a family of musicians in

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. She was trained in classical dance by her mother; later, she would earn money by dancing at private functions.She once created a legend of earning 5.6 lakh rupees from a

mujra Mujra is a dance performance that emerged during Mughal rule in India, where the elite class and local rulers like the nawabs (often connected to the Mughal emperor's court) used to frequent tawaifs (courtesans) for entertainment. Background ...

performance. Then, she was noted by a television director who offered her work in commercials on PTV.

Career

Naina worked as a model in many commercials and advertisements during 1980s on PTV later she would also do dance performance at certain events because of which she would earn a lot and she also used to do dancing roles in films. Later she got interested in acting and chose to leave dancing and then in 1990 she joined the first private channel

Network Television Marketing Network Television Marketing or ''NTM'' was Pakistan's first private television slot. The company's productions first aired on Peoples TV Network (PTN, later renamed as STN) in 1990. In the 1990s, PTN entered into a three-year agreement with In ...

and would appear in commercials for NTM. In 1993, F.H. Qureshi told Naina to audition for '' Dasht,'' a new drama he was directing. After she auditioned, she was approved by Abid Ali and officially cast. She portrayed Hani, who is in love with Shams Shah (portrayed by Abid Ali), but the two face problems when they marry. The serial was a super-hit and won many accolades. In 1994 she appeared in PTV's family drama ''Sadran'', in which she portrayed the role of a working-class girl. Later in 1994 she was invited by

Tariq Aziz Tariq Aziz (, , 28 April 1936 – 5 June 2015) was an Iraq, Iraqi politician who served as the Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq from 1979 to 2003 and Minister of Foreign Affairs (Iraq), Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1983 ...

at his show '' Nilaam Ghar'' and she sanged a song on his request. Then in 1995 she appeared in show ''Hip Hip Hurray Season 1'' on STN the show was hosted by

Umer Shareef Mohammad Umer (19 April 1955 – 2 October 2021), known professionally as Umer Shareef, was a Pakistani actor, host, comedian, director, producer, writer, singer and television personality. Umer began his career at the age of 14 with stand- ...

in which she got an award. Also in 1995, she was cast in the drama ''Red Card,'' which aired on STN. She portrayed Almas, a dancer who falls in love with a businessman, but the couple are unable to be together because of Almas's background. In 1996 she appeared in season 2 of ''Hip Hip Hurray.'' She received an award for her performance from Umer Shareef.

Personal life

Naina lived with her parents in Faisal Model Town, Lahore.

Death

On 7 November 1996, Naina was shot at her home in Lahore. She was buried in

Miani Sahib Graveyard The Miani Sahib Graveyard ( Punjabi, ) is the largest graveyard in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. It is in the centre of Lahore. Its origins date back to the Mughal era, making it one of the oldest graveyards in the region. Miani Sahib Graveyard ...

. Her mother died some years later, and she was buried near her grave.

Filmography

Television

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naina 1971 births 20th-century Pakistani actresses 1996 murders in Pakistan Unsolved murders in Pakistan Pakistani television actresses Pakistani tawaifs Pakistani female dancers Pakistani dancers