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

cinema of Pakistan The film industry of Pakistan, consisting of motion pictures, has had a large effect on culture of Pakistan, Pakistani society and culture since the nation's independence. Pakistani cinema is made up of various sub-industries, including ...

to recognise contribution of a lead actor in

Lollywood Lollywood is Pakistan's film industry, which has served as the base for both Urdu- and Punjabi-language film production. Lahore has been the center of Pakistani cinema since independence in 1947. However, with the Urdu film hub largel ...

. Established in 1958 by

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

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

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards () were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema, after having been revived in 2017 following a 15-year absence. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The ...

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

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

or for-profit entities such as production house or television channel. The first Best Actor award ceremony took place in 1957 and was given to Santosh Kumar for '' Waada'' (1957). The last award was given to

Fahad Mustafa Fahad Salahuddin ( Sindhi: فھد مصطفي; born 26 June 1983), known professionally as Fahad Mustafa, is a Pakistani actor, producer, and television host who works in Urdu films and television. He is regarded as one of the highest-paid acto ...

in 2017 for '' Actor in Law''.

Superlatives

Multiple winners

*17 Wins:

Nadeem Nadeem/Nadim/Nadiem/Nedim () is an Arabic masculine given name. It means "best friend of the drinker", "companion", "confidant", or "friend". The name is common among many communities, including Christians, Muslims and Jews, in the Greater Middle ...

* 8 Wins: Mohammad Ali * 5 Wins:

Sultan Rahi Sultan Rahi (; June 24, 1938 – January 9, 1996) was a Pakistani actor, producer and screenwriter. He established himself as one of the leading and most successful actors of Pakistani and Punjabi cinema, and received a reputation as Pakistan' ...

* 5 Wins: Jawed Sheikh * 4 Wins:

Waheed Murad Waheed Murad (; 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 acting, ...

* 4 Wins:

Shaan Shahid Armaghan Shahid PP (; born 27 April 1971), better known by his stage names Shaan Shahid () or Shaan, is a Pakistani actor, producer, model, screewriter and director. Shaan has established himself as one of the most popular leading actors of Pak ...

* 4 Wins:

Moammar Rana Moammar Rana ( Punjabi, ; born February 26, 1974), is a Pakistani actor and film director. He is known for his various Lollywood movie credits, and has also worked on the small screen in Pakistani soap operas and television serials. Pers ...

* 3 Wins: Santosh Kumar *2 Wins: Darpan *2 Wins:

Habib Habib (; ; also romanized as Habeeb) is an Arabic masculine given name, occasional surname, and honorific, with the meaning "beloved" or "my love", or "darling". It also forms the famous Arabic word ''"Habibi"'' which is used to refer to a friend ...

*2 Wins: Sudhir *2 Wins: Ali Ejaz *2 Wins:

Mustafa Qureshi Mustafa Qureshi (born 11 May 1938) is a Pakistani film and television actor. He has acted in more than 600 movies, in Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages. He is best remembered for playing the antagonist Noori Natt in '' Maula Jatt'' (1979) ...

*2 Wins:

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- ...

*2 Wins:

Izhar Qazi Izhar Qazi (16 September 1957 – 23 December 2007) was a Pakistani actor and singer. His most famous films were ''Love In Nepal'', ''Aalmi Jasoos'', ''Khazana'', and '' Sarkata Insaan''. He was a two-time recipient of the Nigar Award. Most of his ...

Superlatives

Multiple winners

Winners and nominees

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

References

Further reading