Legendary Pakistani actress who played role of Palestinian fighter dies at 80

An undated file photo of the late Pakistani actress Neelo Begum, who passed away on in Lahore on Jan. 31, 2021. (Photo courtesy: social media)

• Neelo Begum was Pakistan’s top film star in the 1960’s
• Her story of resistance inspired pop culture including poetry and film

RAWALPINDI: Legendary Pakistani actress Neelo Begum, who most notably played a Palestinian fighter in the 1969 film Zarqa, died in Lahore on Saturday at the age of 80.
Born Cynthia Alexander Fernandes in 1940 in Sargodha, Pakistan, Neelo got her lucky break in a small role for a Hollywood film called Bhowani Junction, alongside Ava Gardner, when she was just 16 years old.
Neelo’s son, Pakistani actor Shaan Shahid, tweeted about his mother’s death on Saturday.
“It is with the saddest of heart I share the departure of my mother as she has gone to her creator,” the actor wrote.
In 1964, Neelo became a symbol of resistance to military rule in Pakistan in an incident involving the Shah of Iran. During the era of General Ayub Khan, as one of Pakistan’s most sought-after film stars, Neelo was ordered to perform on stage for the then Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was on an official state visit. 
But the artist refused to dance, and subsequently was forcibly grabbed from her home and presented at the event hosted by Nawab Malik Amir Mohammad Khan, the then governor of West Pakistan.
In protest, the popular story goes, Neelo tried to take her own life and had to be rushed to the hospital. The incident launched the actress into some of Pakistan’s most heroic chapters of resistance, inspiring pop culture, poetry and film, most notably by the likes of poet Habib Jalib.
Jalib’s poem, Raqs-e-Zanjeer (Dance in Chains) was used in ‘Zarqa,’ catapulting Neelo to further fame.
Condolences poured in from all over Pakistan at the news of her death, including from Prime Minister Imran Khan on Twitter.