Nazir (film director)
| Nazir | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1910 |
| Died | August 1983 (aged 73) |
| Other names | Nazir Sahib, Bao Jee |
| Occupation | Actor, film director, film producer |
| Spouse(s) | Sikandara Begum, Swaran Lata, Sitara Devi |
| Children | Afzal Nazir, Suraiya Nazir, Akhtar Nazir, Aslam Nazir, Ismat Nazir |
Nazir (also written as 'Nazir Ahmad Khan') (1910 – August 1983) was a Pakistani/Indian film actor, director and producer. He was the first successful film hero in pre-independent India and later in Pakistan. Nazir was associated with almost two hundred films during his career, which spanned over a period of 55 years. Nazir Ahmed was widely known as Bao Jee in the film industries in India and in Pakistan.
It was in the late 1920s when Nazir went to Calcutta along with the renowned film producer Abdul Rashid Kardar, and appeared in a character role in Kardar's Sarfarosh (1930) (aka 'The Daring One'). Kardar later made Heer Ranjha (1932) in which Nazir played the role of the 'Qazi'. Both these films are from the silent era. He also did a secondary role in Kardar's Farebi Daku (1931) also called Mysterious Bandit.
Nazir's artistic elegance and excellent command over acting won him applaud all across the industry and resulted in him going to Bombay. During this period he was cast in important leading roles in films 'Rajputana Ka Sher', 'Chandaal Chaukri', 'Badmaash Ka Baita' and 'Pahari Sawar'. In 1934, he went back to Calcutta on the request of his old friend Kardar to act in important roles in his productions of Chandragupta (1934), Sultana (1934), Milap (1937), 'Mandar', 'Night Bird' and 'Aab-e-Hayat'. He also worked as the lead in Ezra Mir's films 'Badroohi' and 'Zareena'.
In Calcutta Nazir won laurels for his dynamic role of Chanakya in Chandragupta. Nazir had his head shaved off completely to authentically perform the role of the cunning prime minister. In 1938, both Nazir and Kardar moved to Bombay and under Kardar's banner he performed his most well remembered and renowned character role in Baghban (1938), which, besides creating box office records, also established Nazir's name as one of the most well refined sensitive and mature actor of his era.
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