Shammi (Pakistani actress)

Shamshad Begum, also known as Shammi (Urdu; شمی) (20 February 1939 – 8 July 2001) was a Pakistani actress. She acted in both Urdu and Punjabi films Shahida, BeQarar, Shammi, Ghulam, Barkha, Mehbooba, Ilzam, Roohi and Tarrap.

Early life
Shamshad Begum was born in Delhi in 1939 during British India and she was the younger sister of Salma Mumtaz. She received her primary education in a Dehli Girls School after partition of India and then, along with her family, migrated to Pakistan to settle in Lahore.

Career
In 1949 she started working in films and made her debut as a child actress in film Shahida and later in 1950 she did a supporting role in film Be-Qarar. The same year she worked in film Shammi and was named Shammi after her character in the film it was a Punjabi film it was produced by famous singer Malika Pukhrajmother of singer Tahira Syed who owned a film studio in Lahore.

Later she appeared in a few more films including Ilzam, Mehbooba, Khizan Kai Baad. The following year in 1954 she played in Roohi along with Santosh Kumar the film, directed and produced by W. Z. Ahmed, became the first film banned by the Film Censor Board of Pakistan. The government said the film generated 'class hatred', and portrayed a rich married woman having an affair with a young, unmarried man; after the ban was lifted, the film received mixed reviews and was a moderate box office success.

In 1955 she played in Sohni and later in Khizan Kay Baad the following year. In 1956, she also played in Pawan. In 1960 she appeared in Sahil, which was directed by her husband Sudhir; the film, written by Arsh Lakhnavi, starred with Allauddin, Ilyas Kashmiri and Agha Talish. It was a moderate box office success.

In 1963 she worked in film Baghawat which was directed and produced by Sudhir; it was a Silver Jubilee hit at the box office. It starred Akmal Khan, Nayyar Sultana and Lehri.

She retired and lived with her family in Lahore.

Personal life
In 1953 she married actor Sudhir and they meet during the shooting of film Tarrap and together they had two sons Nadir Zaman Khan and Sikandar Zaman later Shammi's younger son Sikandar Zaman Khan married Fatima granddaughter of famous singer Noor Jehan. Shammi's elder sister Salma Mumtaz was a famous actress.

Death
Shammi died on July 8, 2001, at her home in Lahore, Pakistan.