# Nadeem Baig (ندیم بیگ) (director)
**Nadeem Baig** (ندیم بیگ; born 1971) is a Pakistani film and television director and producer from Karachi, known for directing some of the highest-grossing films in Pakistani cinema, including *Jawani Phir Nahi Ani* (2015) and *Punjab Nahi Jaungi* (2017), and the television serial *Meray Paas Tum Ho* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7397878). He should not be confused with the veteran film actor Nadeem (Mirza Nazeer Baig), a namesake whose shift from film to television in his later career has caused repeated public confusion between the two[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Years active | 1997–present[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/nadeem-baig) |
| Breakthrough film | *Jawani Phir Nahi Ani* (2015), the highest-grossing Pakistani film at its release[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335) |
| Box-office record | *Punjab Nahi Jaungi* (2017), the first Pakistani film to earn 500 million rupees (50 crore rupees) worldwide[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335) |
| Notable television | *Pyarey Afzal* (2013), *Dil Lagi*, *Meray Paas Tum Ho* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7397878) • [4](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/) |
| Production company | Co-producer at Six Sigma Plus with actor Humayun Saeed[5](https://www.dawn.com/news/1923246) |
## Early career in television
After finishing college, Baig began working as an editor at a private television channel, where he made promos for classic Pakistani films and dramas, most notably the serial *Dasht*, for Network Television Marketing (NTM)[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335).
His early directing credits include the television play *Parda Na Uthao*, written by Umar Sharif and shot with a three-camera setup rather than the usual single camera, and *Chashmaan*, which brought him together with actors including Ahsan Khan, Farah Shah, and Navid Shahzad[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335).
## Television dramas
Baig directed the serials *Ladies Park* (2011), *Omer Dadi Aur Gharwale* (2012), *Annie Ki Ayegi Baraat* (2012), and *Pyarey Afzal* (2013), and co-produced *Takkay Ki Ayegi Baraat* and *Azar Ki Ayegi Baraat*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7397878). The *Barat* series, which ran from the character of Azar to that of Annie, established his reputation for comedy direction[4](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/).
In a 2020 interview, Baig said that comic direction was not taken seriously in the industry: after *Dolly Ki Ayegi Baraat*, the Lux Style Awards nominated the actors but did not name him or co-director Marina Khan, so he deliberately turned to serious drama with *Manjali*, written by Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, and then left Geo TV for ARY, where he made *Pyarey Afzal*, also written by Qamar[4](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/). His most popular television projects include *Dil Lagi*, *Pyarey Afzal*, *Meray Paas Tum Ho*, and the *Barat* series[4](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/).
## Feature films
Baig's move into cinema came through the Geo TV series *Tarang Films*, remakes of classic Pakistani films; he was assigned *Abhi Tou Mein Jawan Hoon*, and after a well-received single-day festival screening, he and [Humayun Saeed](https://www.edgepedia.org/humayun-saeed) decided to make a theatrical film with the same writer, Vasay Chaudhry[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335). The result was the comedy *Jawani Phir Nahi Ani* (2015), his [Lollywood](https://www.edgepedia.org/lollywood) debut, which became the highest-grossing Pakistani film at its release[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7397878) • [2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335).
His second film, the romantic comedy *Punjab Nahi Jaungi* (2017), surpassed it and became the first Pakistani film to cross 500 million (50 crore) rupees worldwide, outperforming Bollywood multi-starrer releases such as *Baadshaho* in the UK and other international markets[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335) • [6](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2021.1948650). A 2020 study of Pakistani cinema's highest-grossing films found that three of them were his work: the two installments of *Jawani Phir Nahi Ani* (2015 and 2018) and *Punjab Nahi Jaungi* (2017)[7](https://reelpakistand8.lums.edu.pk/sites/default/files/2022-08/Reel%20Pakistan%20Vol%201%20%26%202%202020%2014%20Zoqi.pdf).
He continued alternating between media: after *Jawani Phir Nahi Ani* he returned to television with *Dillagi*, then directed *Punjab Nahi Jaungi*, and has said he treats the choice as personal rather than a one-way move from TV to film[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335). Later credits include *London Nahi Jaunga* (2022) and the romantic comedy *Love Guru* (2025), starring Humayun Saeed and [Mahira Khan](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahira-khan), written by Vasay Chaudhry, and produced through Salman Iqbal Films, ARY Films, Six Sigma Plus Productions, and Old Castle Productions[8](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_guru_2025).
## Collaborations and production work
Baig's frequent collaborators include the writer Khalil ur Rehman Qamar, with whom he made *Manjali*, *Pyarey Afzal*, and the 2019 mega-hit *Meray Paas Tum Ho*; the collaboration works in both directions, sometimes from Baig's ideas and sometimes from Qamar's scripts[4](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/). His circle of writers also includes Dr Younis Butt, Mohammad Ahmed, Faiza Iftikhar, and Vasay Chaudhry[2](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335).
As a co-producer at Six Sigma Plus, the company he runs with Humayun Saeed, he backs many of Pakistani cinema's and television's biggest hits; in 2025 he returned to television directing with *Main Manto Nahin Hoon* (Manto), scripted by Qamar and starring Saeed, his first TV directing work since *Meray Paas Tum Ho*[5](https://www.dawn.com/news/1923246).
## References
1. [Nadeem Baig, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7397878)
2. [The Icon Interview: The Other Nadeem, Dawn (21 January 2018)](https://www.dawn.com/news/1384335)
3. [Nadeem Baig, VALÉORINE Encyclopedia](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/nadeem-baig)
4. [If written well, both comedy and tragedy can be enjoyed: Nadeem Baig, Daily Times (19 May 2020)](https://dailytimes.com.pk/614399/if-written-well-both-comedy-and-tragedy-can-be-enjoyed-nadeem-baig/)
5. [The Icon Interview: The Unassuming Magic Maker, Dawn (13 July 2025)](https://www.dawn.com/news/1923246)
6. [Ab/uses of Brechtian techniques in South Asian commercial films, Cogent Arts & Humanities (2021)](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2021.1948650)
7. [Women and Technology: Behind the Scenes of Contemporary Pakistani Cinema, Reel Pakistan (LUMS, 2020)](https://reelpakistand8.lums.edu.pk/sites/default/files/2022-08/Reel%20Pakistan%20Vol%201%20%26%202%202020%2014%20Zoqi.pdf)
8. [Love Guru (2025), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/love_guru_2025)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of South Asia*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license