Veteran actress Salma Mumtaz passes away

Lahore: Pakistani film actress Salma Mumtaz has died in this eastern city at the age of 85 after suffering from diabetes for several years. Mumtaz, who died yesterday, was born in Jallandhar in 1926. Her family moved to Pakistan after the Partition in 1947. She began her film career in the 1960s with the Urdu film 'Neelofar'.

An accomplished dancer, she worked in some 300 movies, mostly in Punjabi. Among her popular movies were 'Maan Puttar', 'Puttar Dai Piyar', 'Sheran Di Jori', 'Mauj Mela', 'Dacchi' and 'Heer Ranjha'.

She also directed and produced a few films. Mumtaz is survived by a daughter, Nida Mumtaz, who is a famous TV actress. She was the elder sister of film actress Shammi, who died a few years ago. Her brother, Pervaiz Nasir, was a film producer.

Film writer Pervaiz Kaleem said, "Though Mumtaz had not been seen on the screen for almost 20 years, her roles in different films were still fresh in the memories of people." Actress Bahar said she had entered the industry during the final phase of Mumtaz's career.

"She was a nice woman and a good actress," said Bahar. She said like her, Mumtaz was also known for playing mothers in films. Mumtaz played the role of a mother opposite many heroes like Muhammad Ali, Waheed Murad, Shahid and Akmal.

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