This woman was daughter of tawaif from Heeramandi, became highest-paid item girl, did mujra on screen, was brutally murdered by…, she was..
GH News May 08, 2025 01:06 PM
When Sanjay Leela Bhansali released Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar a different and rebellious side of courtesans was shown to the world. The audience loved the reel version of the courtesans. However do you know that even in real life there was a woman who belonged to the lanes of real Heeramandi in Lahore? She rose to fame and became Pakistans famous item girl. But as it is said that fame comes with a cost and this is exactly what happened with this woman—she had to pay a higher price than what she could ever imagine. For many the name Niggo aka Nargis Begum does not ring a bell whereas for others who have a keen interest in history and have studied deeply about Heeramandi knew who Niggo was. Niggo was born in Lahore Pakistan. During that time women belonging to Lahore were often the first choice of filmmakers for their movies. Women who knew how to dance joined the industry. Called Lollywood the industry began pre-partition but after 1947 became a dominant film industry producing films in Punjabi and Urdu. At that time it was a common trend among filmmakers to bring in tawaifs from Heera Mandi and cast them as lead actresses in their films. Niggo also came from the lanes of Heeramandi. Her mother was a courtesan and she used to do Mujra. Initially Niggo also followed in the footsteps of her mother. However during one of her performances she was noticed by a film producer who gave her a chance to become an actress. After this Niggos career reached its peak and she fell in love with film producer Khawaja Mazhar. The two eventually got married. However it was Niggos mother who did not approve of this relationship as tawaifs getting married was frowned upon. In order to save her daughter from being with the person she got married to Niggos mother faked illness and got her back to Heeramandi. Later she brainwashed her to stay in the same place. On the other hand it was Niggos husband Mazhar who wanted her to come back. But due to family pressure Niggo refused to do so. On January 5 1972 Niggos husband reached Heera Mandi at her kotha. While trying to persuade her to return home with him Niggo refused which enraged him. In a fit of anger he opened fire killing Niggo. Her uncle a musician was also killed in the attack.
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