Ragni
Ragni in early 1940s
Born
Shamshad Begum

(1924-10-22)22 October 1924
Gujranwala, Punjab, British India
Died27 February 2007(2007-02-27) (aged 82)
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Resting placeGulberg gaveyard Lahore[1]
Other namesAlmond-eyed Beauty[2]
OccupationActress
Years active1940 – 1983
Spouses
S. Gul
​
​
(m. 1947; died 1999)​
    Mohammad Aslam
    ​
    (divorced)​
    ChildrenAbid (son)
    Saira (daughter)
    ParentDiwan Parmanand (father)

    Ragni (born Shamshad Begum; 22 October 1924 – 27 February 2007), also known as Shaado, was a Pakistani actress. She worked in Urdu and Punjabi films under her stage name Ragni. She also worked in Hindi films in cinema of India.[3] She was known for her beautiful doe like eyes and was known as Almond-eyed Beauty.[2] Ragni is considered to be the highest-paid actress of her time in 1940s, being paid 1 lakh rupees by AR Kardar for her role in Shahjehan.[4]

    Early life

    Ragini was born as Shamshad Begum in Gujranwala in 1924. Her mother died when Ragni was very young and her father Seth Diwan Parmanand took her with him to Lahore and they lived at a house on Fleming Road.[2] In Lahore filmmaker Roshan Lal Shorey was a neighbour of Ragni and noticed her and convinced Diwan to let Ragni act in films.[2]

    Career

    She started her acting career in a film which launched by Roop K Shorey in the Punjabi film Dulla Bhatti (1940) opposite MD Kanwar. The film was a major success and Ragni became a star overnight. Ragni went on to act in several Lahore based productions in Hindi and Punjabi like Sehti Murad (1941), Nishani (1942), Ravi Par (1942), Poonji (1943), Daasi (1944) and Kaise Kahun (1945).

    In 1945, she left Lahore for Bombay and teamed up with A. R. Kardar.[2] In 1946, she played the titular role in S. M. Yusuf's Nek Pervin. The film was successful at the box office and consolidated her position as a leading actress.[2][5] Following the success of Nek Pervin, she was approached by Kardar to play Ruhi in Shahjehan. It is said that she was paid rupees one lakh for the film, making her the highest-paid actress of that time.[2]

    After Partition Ragni chose to move to Pakistan but has also done a couple of Indian movies which did not fare well.[2]

    In 1949 she work in her first Punjabi film, Mundri (1949) with Ilyas Kashmiri. Then she worked in films Akaili, Nazrana, Baydari, Kundan and Zanjeer. She also successfully performed a number of character roles in films such as Husn-o-Ishq, Gumnaam, Ghulam, Duniya Na Maane, Mirza Jat and Aab-i-Hayat.[6]

    In 1958, she appeared as the antagonist Dilaram in Anarkali with Noor Jehan and Shamim Ara. Later she worked in film Noukar which was a hit film. Ragni worked in a number of sixty films during her career that spanned some years.[7]

    Personal life

    Ragni's married Mohammad Aslam in the early 1940s, the marriage did not last long but she had two children from her first marriage, Saira and Abid.[2] She again got married in Pakistan in 1947 to S. Gul who produced and co-starred opposite her in Beqarar and her son Abid died from cancer some years ago in USA and her daughter Saira got married and moved to Karachi.[6]

    Illness and death

    After the death of her husband Ragni did not married again and lived in Gulberg although she remained in contact with her daughter Saira.[2] Ragni was deeply sad about the death of her son and it affected her health.[3] Ragni was admitted at Services Hospital on Tuesday morning.[2] She died on 27 February because she was in an extremely serious condition while she was in hospital at age 82 in 2007.[2] She was laid to rest at Gulberg graveyard Ali-Zeb road Lahore.[8]

    A Photo Lobby Card of Nek Pervin

    Filmography

    Film

    Year Film Language
    1940Dulla BhattiPunjabi[9]
    1941HimmatHindi / Urdu
    1941Mera MahiPunjabi
    1941Sehti MuradPunjabi
    1942NishaniHindi / Urdu
    1942PatwariPunjabi
    1942Ravi ParPunjabi
    1943PoonjiHindi
    1944DasiPunjabi
    1945Shirin FarhadHindi / Urdu[10]
    1945DhamkiHindi / Urdu
    1945Kaisay KahunHindi / Urdu
    1946Nek PervinHindi / Urdu
    1946BindiyaHindi / Urdu
    1946ShahjehanHindi / Urdu[11]
    1947ManmaniHindi / Urdu
    1947FarzHindi / Urdu
    1948Teri YaadUrdu
    1949MundriPunjabi
    1950BeqararUrdu[12]
    1950KundanUrdu
    1951AkaelyUrdu[13]
    1953GhulamUrdu
    1954GumnamUrdu
    1955NaukarUrdu
    1955SharareyUrdu
    1955NazranaUrdu[14]
    1955IltijaUrdu[15]
    1957BedariUrdu[16]
    1958BaharUrdu
    1958AnarkaliUrdu[17]
    1958MumtazUrdu
    1960ZanjeerUrdu
    1962Husn-o-IshqUrdu
    1963Aurat Ek KahaniUrdu
    1964Gehra DaaghUrdu[18][19]
    1964HaveliUrdu
    1964Sher Di BachiPunjabi
    1965Saaz aur AwazUrdu
    1965NailaUrdu[20][21]
    1966JalwaUrdu
    1966InsanUrdu
    1966LaadoPunjabi[22]
    1966Banki NaarPunjabi
    1968BaalamUrdu
    1968Yaar DostPunjabi
    1968AsmatUrdu
    1968Sonay Ki ChiryaUrdu
    1968SaiqaUrdu
    1968Chann 14vin DaPunjabi
    1968Taj MahalUrdu
    1969DildarPunjabi
    1969Sheran Di JoriPunjabi
    1969Meri BhabhiUrdu
    1969NaazUrdu
    1969Dulla HaidriPunjabi[23]
    1969Tahadi Izzat Da Sawal APunjabi
    1970SayyanPunjabi[24]
    1970Charda SurajPunjabi
    1971Ucha Naa Pyar DaPunjabi
    1971Dunya Na ManayUrdu[25]
    1971Ucha Naa Pyar DaPunjabi
    1972KhalishUrdu
    1972SabaqUrdu[26]
    1972Puttar Hattan Tay Nein WikdayPunjabi
    1972SultanPunjabi[27]
    1973FarzUrdu
    1973JhalliPunjabi
    1974Ishq Mera NaaPunjabi
    1974Sidha RastaPunjabi
    1977AinaUrdu
    1980Haseena Maan Jaye GiUrdu
    1983Ab-e-HayatPashto

    References

    1. ↑ "Ragni (Shamshad Begum)". Pakistani Film Mania. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Ragni is no more". Dawn News. 24 May 2022.
    3. 1 2 "Legendary actress Ragni is no more – Business Recorder". Business Recorder – Pakistan's first financial daily. 20 March 2007. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
    4. ↑ "Ragni". cineplot.com website. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
    5. ↑ "Nek Pervin Love-and-Revolver Muslim Romance!". Filmindia. 14 (January 1946): 2. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
    6. 1 2 "Ragni (actress in Pakistani and Indian Cinema)". Cineplot. 2 January 2021. Archived from the original on 16 March 2015. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
    7. ↑ "Ragni". Pakistan Film Magazine. 3 June 2022.
    8. ↑ Ragni The Lost Legend Special Program | Tum Yad Ho | Ragni Begum | Life Story | Ep 22 |. YouTube. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021.
    9. ↑ Cinema the World Over, Volumes 1-3. Karachi: K.S. Hosain. p. 36.
    10. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 24. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    11. ↑ "Shahjehan (1946)". The Hindu. 23 January 2022.
    12. ↑ "فلمی و ادابی شخصیات کے سکینڈلز...قسط نمبر 283". Daily Pakistan. 27 February 2022.
    13. ↑ "Remembering Santosh Kumar: the first romantic hero of Pakistan — Part I". Daily Times. 13 August 2021.
    14. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 245. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    15. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 245. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    16. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 246. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    17. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 247. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    18. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 201. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    19. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 253. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    20. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 255. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    21. ↑ "Four successful films that the newly-established Pakistani cinema produced". Daily Times. 23 November 2021.
    22. ↑ "Takhleeq — June 2020 keeps up to its traditions". Daily Times. 2 March 2021.
    23. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 265. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    24. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 267. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    25. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 269. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    26. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
    27. ↑ Gazdar, Mushtaq (1997). Pakistan Cinema, 1947-1997. Oxford University Press. p. 273. ISBN 0-19-577817-0.
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