Mirza Nazir Baig (born 19 July 1941), best known by his screen name Nadeem (), is a Pakistani actor, singer and producer who has influenced millions of Pakistanis through his screen presence & his style. He has appeared in over two hundred films during his six decades long career. He has won a record 16 Nigar Awards as an actor & has also been honored with the Pride of Performance award in 1997. He has also produced two movies, Mitti Ke Putlay (1974), which he also co-wrote and which won the Lenin Prize in the USSR, and Mukhra (1988), a romantic-comedy Punjabi film.
Early life Nadeem was born on 19 July 1941 in Vijayawada, which at the time was part of the Madras Presidency in British India. His father worked in an oil company. Nadeem migrated to Dhaka, East Pakistan along with his family after the independence of Pakistan, in 1947. After his early education in Nazimabad, he finished high school at Sindh Madrasa-tul-Islam and attended some years of college at Government Islamia Science College, Karachi before he entered the Pakistani film industry.Profile: The legend speaks Dawn (newspaper), Published 29 July 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2021 In his college days he was also a cricketer, playing up to the first-class level in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
Nadeem, and artists Talat Hussain, M. Zaheer Khan, Aftab Azeem, Saleem Jafry, and TV producer Iqbal Haider were all discovered at a club in Karachi in the 1960s. He and his friends, Ameer Ahmed Khan and Qasim Siddiqui, won several music competitions. At one of those musical competitions, he was noticed by singer Ferdausi Rahman. She was impressed by his singing talent and encouraged him to try playback singing in Dhaka's film industry. In Dhaka, while working in an office, he used to sing in both Urdu and Bengali.
Career Nadeem's film career spans nearly 60 years. He started his career in 1967 and appeared in his first film, Chakori (1967), in a leading role opposite actress Shabana. He was initially supposed to be a playback singer for the movie. The film was produced and directed by Captain Ehtesham, who, in real life, became his father-in-law in 1968 when Nadeem married Farzana, Ehtesham's daughter.Film director Ehtesham dies at 75 Dawn (newspaper), Published 19 February 2002, Retrieved 26 March 2021 The film did well in both circuits of the Pakistani film industry, i.e., West and East Pakistan. He won a Nigar Award in the best actor's category for Chakori. Nadeem's films include Nadan (1973), Anari, Pehchan (1975), Talash (1976), Aina (1977), Hum Dono (1980), Lajawab, Qurbani (1981), Sangdil (1982), and Dehleez (1983). He made a popular screen pairing with actress Shabnam, with whom he acted in most of his films.Some milestones in the Pakistani film industry The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 23 October 2010. Retrieved 26 March 2021 Besides acting, Nadeem has sung many songs for films.(Saadia Qamar) Finding a new star The Express Tribune (newspaper), Published 3 August 2010, Retrieved 26 March 2021 Nadeem has worked with veteran film directors of the Pakistani film industry, including Pervez Malik, Nazrul Islam, S. Suleman, Shamim Ara, Sangeeta, and Samina Peerzada. Among the well-known actors, he has worked with Santosh Kumar, Darpan, Waheed Murad, Allauddin, and Syed Kamal over his long career.
Playback singers In his career, Nadeem has been mostly voiced by Ahmed Rushdi and later Akhlaq Ahmed provided his voice. He acknowledged that songs in Rushdi's voice made his work easier and played a significant role in his success.
Personal life Nadeem married a Bangladeshi girl Farzana (A close friend of film actress Shabnam) in 1968, with whom he has 2 sons but the marriage could not last long and eventually they were divorced in 1997. Both his sons choose to live in Bangladesh with their mother. Nadeem currently lives in Karachi and seldom works in Pakistani television plays.
Selected filmography
Chakori (1967) (Nadeem's debut film) Behan Bhai (1968) Diya Aur Toofan (1969) Daman Aur Chingari (1973) Aina (1977) Bandish (1980) Dillagi (1974) Shama (1974) Phool Mere Gulshan Ka (1974) Anari (1975) Jab Jab Phool Khile (1975) Pehchan (1975) Mutthi Bhar Chawal (1978) Pakeeza (1979) Dehleez (1983) Doordesh (1983) - Bollywood film Mukhra (1988) - a film produced by Nadeem Baig also Bulandi (1990) Sargam (1995) Jeeva (1995) Inteha (1999) Koi Tujh Sa Kahan (2005) Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaoon Ga (2007) Love Mein Gum (2011) Main Hoon Shahid Afridi (2013) The System (2014) Hijrat (2016) Sikander (2016) Superstar (2019) Parey Hut Love (2019) Zarrar (2022) Tere Bajre Di Rakhi (2022)
Television Year Title Channel2005RiyasatARY Digital2007SaheliHum TV2012Mil Ke Bhi Hum Na MileGeo TV2014Jaan Hatheli ParPTV Home2015MolHum TV 2016Tum Yaad AayeARY DigitalRishta Hai Jaisey Khawab SaAaj Entertainment 2022Ishq E LaaHum TVKhaab Toot Jaatay Hain
Awards and recognition Nigar Award for a total of 16 times between 1967 and 2002 as an actor including the Nigar Award Millennium Award in 1999 Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1997
Lux Style Awards Ceremony Category Project Result 2nd Lux Style Awards Chaiperson's Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to Pakistani film industry "https://web.archive.org/web/20030715233432/http://www.luxstyleawards.com/winners/pastwinners.asp" 4th Lux Style Awards Best TV Actor (Satellite) Jaisay Jante Nahi rowspan="2" "https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/495568-who-won-at-the-mega-lux-style-awrds-2019" (18) 18th Lux Style Awards Best Film Actor Superstar
See also List of Lollywood actors
References
External links
(Filmography of Nadeem on IMDb website)