Nayyar Sultana (born Tayyaba Bano; 1937 – 27 October 1992), known as Malka-i-Jazbaat (Queen of Sentiments) and Queen of Emotions, was a Pakistani film actress.^[1][3] She became one of the foremost screen actresses of Lollywood in the 1950s and 1960s.^[4]

Nayyar Sultana was born Tayyaba Bano in Aligarh (British India) in 1937 to a Muslim family.^[5] She had her education in Women's College, Aligarh.^[6] Her family migrated to Karachi, after the independence of Pakistan in 1947.

Sultana's parents were related to actress Shamim Bano, wife of famous Pakistani film producer/director Anwar Kamal Pasha, who cast her in his directorial Qatil in 1955 in a supporting role with the screen name Nazli, marking her acting debut.^[5][7] Later the same year, she landed the second lead in Humayun Mirza’s Intikhab.^[2][5] Thereafter, she appeared with the screen name of Nayyar Sultana. She came into prominence in 1957 with Jaffar Malik's Saat Lakh, where she portrayed a tawaif opposite Santosh Kumar, and earned a Nigar Award for best supporting actress for her performance.^[5][8] S. M. Yusuf's Saheli in 1960 proved her greatest success till that point. The film celebrated its golden jubilee on the box office and Sultana's portrayal of a loving wife and a selfless friend earned her a Nigar Award for Best Actress.^[1][9] In 1963, she played the titular role in S. Suleman's Baaji and earned praise for the portrayal of a young frustrated widow. While reviewing Baaji, Herald called her performance the strongest element of the film.^[1][5][10]

She briefly left the industry after her marriage with Darpan. She had a comeback in the late 1960s, but most of her films like Ek Musafir Ek Haseena (1968), Meri Bhabhi (1969), Hamjoli (1970) and Azmat (1973) were not very successful at the box office.^[5]

In the 1970s, she moved to performing character roles in S. Suleman's Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon and two films by Hassan Tariq, Mazi Haal Mustaqbil and Seeta Maryam Margaret.^[5] These were her last critically acclaimed films before she gradually faded away from the screen. After the death of her husband Darpan in 1981, Nayyar managed his recruiting agency till her own death. She appeared in a few movies in the next decade. Nayyar Sultana had worked in over 225 films during her 37-year movie career and received a number of awards. She was known for performing tragic roles; as otherwise known as Queen of Emotions.^[5]

She married Darpan, her co-star and one of the foremost romantic hero in Pakistani film industry, at the pinnacle of her movie career and had two sons Qaisar and Ali. His elder brother Santosh Kumar was also an actor, and another brother S. Suleman was a film director.^[2]

Nayyar Sultana died of cancer on 27 October 1992 at Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.^[5][3][1]

• List of Pakistani actresses