Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi has released on Netflix this week. The grand series is a fictional account of the tawaifs (courtesans) from Lahore’s once-famous Heera Mandi, the market of beauties. But while Bhansali has told a tale of fiction in the Netflix show, Heera Mandi is very much real and the stories of glamour and pain from there are real too. The most notable of these was the tragic story of Niggo.
The tawaif who became a film star
Pakistan’s film industry is based out of Lahore, the same city where Heera Mandi is situated. Called Lollywood, the industry began pre-Partition. After 1947, it became the dominant film industry in Pakistan, producing films in Punjabi and Urdu. The tawaifs from Heera Mandi were inducted by many filmmakers as actresses in their films. In the 60s, Nargis Begum – aka Niggo – left Heera Mandi to become a film star. Known for her exceptional dancing skills, she became the top dancer in Lollywood films, appearing in over a hundred films starting with Ishrat in 1964.
Niggo’s attempts to escape Heera Mandi and brainwashing
In 1971, Niggo met film producer Khawaja Mazhar while shooting the film Qasu. The two fell in love and got married. But this marriage did not meet the approval of her family back in Heera Mandi as tawaifs getting married was frowned upon. Niggo’ mother faked an illness and got her back to Heera Mandi, where she brainwashed and emotionally blackmailed her into staying back.
Niggo’s brutal murder at the hands of her husband
As Niggo stayed back in Heera Mandi, her husband grew desperate to bring her back. He tried to convince her multiple times but to no avail. On January 5, 1972, Mazhar reached Heera Mandi at Niggo’s kotha and again persuaded her to return home with him. He opened fire at Niggo in anger, killing her. Her uncle and musician were also killed in the attack. Mazhar was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment in the sensational case. He died a natural death in prison.
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