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Baba-e-Filmi Sahafat: The return of Nigar Awards

01.01.70

Newspaper states, “We have been taking out this newspaper every week for the past 63 years. Despite the present state of the film industry and the sad death of my father, I have continued to look after it.”

The newspaper is still contributing persistently to the field of entertainment by highlighting cinematic achievements of Lollywood and by updating the public with celebrity-related news. However, the Nigar Awards have been missing from the Pakistani film scene since 2005. Aslam halted the awards — which were pivotal in bringing stalwarts like Waheed Murad and Nadeem to the fore — because of the depleting state of the Pakistani film industry.

When asked to elaborate  on the sudden withdrawal of the Nigar Awards, Aslam states, “Who should I give the award to? Who is competing against whom? If only one out of five films is worth watching, then there is no point of setting up a jury and celebrating the occasion.”

Inspired by the Filmfare awards, the Nigar award was initially presented in nine categories which included Best Film, Best Director, Best Story Writer, Best Music Director, Best Actor (Male), Best Actor (Female), Best Singer (Male), Best Singer (Female) and Best Dialogue Writer. The jury comprised of poets, scholars, film producers and senior actors from all over Pakistan. Additionally, special Nigar Awards were organised for regional language films as well.

Source: The Express Tribune