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Shagufta was an adopted child. Her parents are unknown.[citation needed] Her foster mother was in a relationship with a Kolkata based businessman, who left his second family unsupported after his death. His sudden death brought the family into poverty and Shagufta had to start supporting family at a young age of 11 by dancing at private parties.[citation needed] Her mother also trained her as a classical dancer. Aged 17, Rafique married a wealthy man to get some financial stability in her life, however, the union did not work well.[citation needed]. She finally broke up and turned to prostitution, before going on to work as a bar dancer to make a living.[citation needed] As a bar dancer she worked in Bombay before moving to Dubai.[citation needed] At the age of 25, one of her Pakistani fans who was 20 years her senior offered to marry her and Shagufta agreed, and he died before the marriage could happen.[citation needed]. This led her to writing, and she became a storyteller.[2]
Shagufta initially joined Mahesh Bhatt's production company, Vishesh Films, where she wrote eleven films. After working for many films as a writer and screenwriter, she made her directorial debut with the Bengaliaction thriller film, Mon Jaane Na which was released on Holi 2019.[3][4]