Nagma is an Indian actress of Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood. At her peak in the 1990s, she dominated Tamil cinema. Nagma began her acting career in Bollywood and acted in a few movies but shifted south where she met with greater success before returning to Mumbai.
Fluent in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and English, Nagma is notable for having acted in a broad range of India's languages. Nagma has led a very different life from her half-sister Jyothika, who was not successful as a star in Bollywood but who found major success in Tamil movies. Unlike Nagma, Jyothika's public image is free of controversies.
Nagma had considerable success with her 1990 hit debut film Baaghi A Rebel for Love, co-starring Salman Khan, Nagma was 16 at the time. Along with Karishma Kapoor, Nagma was also one of the female leads in 1994's Suhaag which also featured Akshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan.
Nagma is currently a major star in Bhojpuri movies, where she has again found success as a leading lady. Ek Jind Ek Jaan (2006) was a Punjabi movie in which she played the part of Nimmi Kang Singh. The movie also starred Raj Babbar.
Perhaps mindful of her nascent political career, Nagma has said that she medidates daily and considers herself to be "a very God-loving person." In line with her own family's mixed religious background, she has stated that she has read the Qur'an, Bhagavad Gita, and Bible.[35]