Nigar Sultana  was an Indian actress who worked in  Hindi   films. She appeared in  Aag  (1948),  Patanga  (1949),  Sheesh Mahal  (1950),  Mirza Ghalib  (1954),  Yahudi  (1958),  Do Kaliyaan (1968), etc. but she is most notably remembered for playing the role of “Bahar begum” in the  historical epic  film  Mughal-e-Azam  (1960).

The first film Nigar ever saw was  Hum Tum Aur Woh  (1938). She was so utterly thrilled by it that when Jagdish Sethi, a friend of her father’s, offered her the lead in a film he was making with Mohan Bhavnani, she took it on the spot.

She entered the films with the 1946 film  “Rangbhoomi“.  Her first big picture was  Shikayat  (1948), made in Poona. Raj Kapoor’s musical drama “Aag” (1948) was her first big break to Hindi films. She played the character role of “Nirmala”, which was equally appreciated by critics and audience. After that, she played character roles in a number of films.

In Patanga (1949) a duet song “Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon”, picturised on actor  Gope and lead heroine Nigar became popular. Dil Ki Basti (1949),  Sheesh Mahal (1950),  Khel (1950),  Daman (1951),  Anand Bhavan (1953),  Mirza Ghalib (1954),  Tankhah (1956),  Durgesh Nandini (1956) and  Yahudi  (1958) are among her noted movies. She was most active during the 1950s and appeared in only a lesser number of movies later.  Jumbish: A Movement – The Movie  in 1986 was her last Hindi film.

She is mainly remembered for the role of the court dancer jealous Bahar, who wants the Prince Salim (Dilip Kumar) to love her so that she may one day become queen. Unsuccessful in winning Salim’s love, she exposes his forbidden relationship with Anarkali  (Madhubala) in the film  Mughal-e-Azam (1960). Nigar had two songs pictursed her in this film, namely Teri mehfil mein and jab raat ho aisi matwali.

Nigar was known to be well-read, glamorous, fond of Urdu Poetry which she recited, played the Sitar, sang designed her own clothes. 

Photos courtesy Google. Excerpts taken from Google.