Rani (

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

, ; 8 December 1946 – 27 May 1993) was a

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# ...

i film and television actress. She gained success in the late 1960s when she made a hit pair with famous

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

and producer

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, ...

. 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.

Early life

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

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 ...

to Malik Muhammed Shafi and Iqbal Begum in an

Arain Arain (also known as Raeen) are a large Punjabi Muslim agricultural community with a strong political identity and level of organisation. At the beginning of the last century, they numbered around 1 million and were mainly rural cultivator ...

family. Her father was a driver for Mukhtar Begum, 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 Muhammad Shah (Agha Hashar Kashmiri was his pen n ...

, a well-known

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

dramatist. Mukhtar Begum took over and raised Rani herself. After being raised by Mukhtar Begum, Rani moved in with her mother with whom she reconciled.

Acting career

Rani acted in both

and

movies in Pakistani cinema. In 1962

Anwar Kamal Pasha Anwar Kamal Pasha (), (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 Forman Chri ...

, 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 one after another she was dubbed a jinxed actress. However, after the success of ''Hazar Dastan'' and '' Devar Bhabi'', Rani became a leading actress. Some of her more notable films are ''Chann Makhna'', ''Sajjan Pyara'', ''Jind Jan'', ''Duniya Matlab Di'', '' Anjuman'', '' Tehzeeb'', ''

Umrao Jaan Ada ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' () is an Urdu novel by Mirza Hadi Ruswa (1857–1931), first published in 1899. It is considered the first Urdu novel by manyNaag Muni'', '' Seeta Maryam Margaret'', '' Aik Gunnah Aur Sahi'' and '' Surraya 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 (1970 film), ''Anjuman'', Kaneez (1965 film), ''Kaneez'', ''Baharo Phool Barsao'' and ''D ...

, 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. 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 is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...

, 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

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 Actresses from Lahore Models from Lahore Actresses in Punjabi cinema 20th-century Pakistani actresses Actresses in Urdu cinema People from Punjab Province (British India)