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Interested in Urdu literature, poetry and stage drama as a young girl,
she was an exquisite blend of brain and brawn.
To many
who knew her, Tayyaba seemed to have knowledge and depth of
understanding beyond her years.
Her
parents were related to Shamim Banu, wife of the film director, Anwer
Kamal Pasha.
It were
one of those days, she visited Lahore, where she met both Mr. And Mrs.
Pasha.
Pasha
was a very experienced judge of talent who was overwhelmed by her
beauty, innocence and simplicity.
Enchanted by Tayyaba's aptitude for Urdu literature, poetry and stage,
Pasha was convinced that her qualities could be combined to transform
her into a successful film actress.
Consequently, he offered her to join the burgeoning Pakistani cinema.
Shy, as
Tayyaba was, she glanced at Shamim Banu, who also encouraged her to
accept Pasha's sincere suggestion.
Next,
Mrs.Pasha requested Tayyaba's parents to allow her to work in the films,
to which they agreed, and it launched Tayyaba into the new society.
Thus
Tayyaba changed her name to Nazli and appeared for the first time in the
film 'Qaatil', in a side role: 'Qaatil', January 22, 1955, starring
,Sabiha Khanum, Santosh Kumar, Zia, who later changed his name to Aslam
Pervez, Nazli, who later became Nayyar Sultana, Samina, who later became
Musarrat Nazeer, Akmal. Director: Anwer Kamal Pasha, producer: Agha G.A.
Gul, incidentally, 'Qaatil' was also the first film of both Musarrat
Nazeer and Aslam Pervez.
After
completing 'Qaatil', Nazli returned to Karachi.
From
that moment her life was gripped with purpose, and Nazli reveled in her
fabulous new life style.
Around
that time, Mirza Humayun Elias Baig, who was basically a civil engineer
and who also immigrated from Aligarh, decided to make the film
'Intikhaab' under the banner of Mughal Art Circle.
Masood
was the hero and Jamila Razzaq, daughter of Seth Razzaq, played the
heroine in 'Intikhaab'.
Nazli
appeared in an important side role. The film 'Intikhaab' was released on
September 30, 1955.
This
time Nazli changed her name to Nayyar Sultana for good.
Increasingly, though, her attention was turned to filmdom.
Nayyar
Sultana's third film in which she appeared in a side role was 'Anokhi',
starring: Sheela Ramani, Shad, Nayyar Sultana, Lehri. 'Anokhi' was
released on January 21, 1956.
Nayyar
was told to focus on what she could do best, and success will follow.
Her associates applauded her strength, and then, she felt, she could
accomplish anything.
That
vivid sense of reality is strikingly characteristic of the woman Nayyar
has created in 225 films during her thirty seven year movie career.
Nayyar
married Darpan, while both of them were at the zenith of their film
career and raised two sons.
Their
personal life could best be described as a role model for other
Pakistani film luminaries.
Nayyar
sent her sons to U.S.A. for higher education.
The
simplicity and innocence of her acting is reflected in all her movies.
Let us
refresh our memory, lest we forget to applaud what a remarkable actress
she was.
It is a
story of bold spirit and sweeping aspirations: The film 'Surraiya'.
The
secret of how she does it is in herself, in her great compassion, she
reflected later. .
Apparently the one film that brought tremendous fame and glory to her
was 'Baaji'.
Hence,
most film critics agree that the film 'Baaji' was her most successful
movie.
Nayyar,
widely acclaimed as 'Malika-e-Jazbaat', did full justice to every movie
in her entire career.
That
believability and humanity-was powerfully manifest in the 1962 film
'Aulad'.
She came out charming and loveable at once.
During
the location shooting of 'Aulad', Waheed Murad had invited his family
members to watch the shooting.
Nayyar
Sultana (smartly dubbed as Waheed's mother) slapped him in one scene.
As soon
as the scene was shot, Shireen Murad, Waheed's mother, rushed to Nayyar
and said: 'Nayyar, you slapped my son with such force, my goodness!
Well,
Nayyar had a hard time convincing Shireen Murad about the importance of
that particular role and the nature of the script.
Nayyar
acted with rare passion and feeling. The following movies still rank
among the all-time favorites of movie-goers:
'Ik
musafir, ik haseena, 'Bay gunah' and 'Azmat'.
A stir
went through the audiences as they watched the film 'Saheli'.
She
continues to live through her immortal films like 'Ayaz' and 'Daku ki
larki'.
The
following films were a huge hit:
'Mazloom', 'Yahudi ki larki' and 'Umrao jaan ada'.
The
enormous power of the great actress and her voice really hit home: The
films 'Humjoli', 'Fasana -e-dil, cast included Deeba - Nadeem - Nayyar
Sultana. .
Jubilant fans greeted her following films: 'Pehchaan' and 'Ik gunah aur
sahi'.
Nayyar
was cinematically deft, she achieved lofty heights through the following
films: 'Ghoonghat', 'Bahisht' and 'Gulfarosh'.
For the
film producers, investing in Nayyar seemed a safe bet .Movies like
'Teray, meray sapnay', 'Aurat ik kahani' and 'Naqsh-e-qadam' also served
to showcase her amazing acting talents.
The
film 'Behroopia', 'Baccha Jamora' and 'Do Aansoo' can still evoke so
many memories.
In
fact, Nayyar had one of the most astonishing faces in film. Expressions
drift over it like mist. The durable message in the hand-written scripts
still echoes today:
The
films 'Surat aur seerat', 'Pyasa' and 'Aik thee maan'.
In an
industry abounding in gifted performers, Nayyar stood in a category unto
herself: The film 'Nanha farishta' and 'Dil lagi'.
She was
an acting machine, that's what she was born to be. It was a gift she
could never explain: The film 'Teray bina kya jeena'.
Her
fellow actresses did seem to fall under the spell of her acting talent:
The film 'Nazrana' is a case in point.
It is a
feeling she has given to millions of moviegoers.
The
film 'Mehtaab' was made successful by a winning performance turned in by
the super star , Nayyar.
Movies
like 'Saath lakh' were so unsurpassable, their success seemed unreal.
Today,
a decade after her death, her movies like 'Devdaas', give us a dynamism
unusual in Pakistani cinama.
The
list of her movies that have become standards goes on and on. The film
'Saza' is a quick example.
She
strived to attain a first class level of performance and she was highly
successful.
Many of
her hugely successful movies touched on the themes of pathos and
longing. Two good examples are the films 'Saheli' and 'Baaji'.
The
script of all her films were exemplary for its stylistic elegance, which
dazzled audiences in the 1950s and 60s.
Her
personal life was all but shattered, when Darpan died in 1981.
Staying
resilient through the challenges of life, Nayyar faced Darpan's death
with courage and fortitude and ran his recruiting agency.
During
her last days, Nayyar had been suffering from cancer. Subsequently, she
succumbed to it on October 27, 1992 at Karachi.
Her
loss was incalculable.
Nayyar
's death was felt by millions of sad hearts. She left on a journey of no
return.
Carrying memories of her movies next to their hearts, her innumerable
adorers have this to say:
'Thank you, Nayyar,
with all our hearts'!
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