Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is a Bollywood actress, director,
and producer. She was one of the top stars in Hindi films from 1959
to 1973. In 1992, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the
Government of India. Parekh is regarded as one of the most successful
and influential Hindi movie actresses of all time.
Asha Parekh was born into a middle-class Gujarati Jain family on 2
October 1942 in Mumbai, to a father (who was from Paldi near Pirana,
Ahmedabad, Gujarat) and a Dawoodi Bohra Muslim mother. Parekh's
religious upbringing involved worshipping Sai Baba. Her mother
enrolled her in Indian classical dance classes at an early age and
she learned from many teachers including Pandit Bansilal Bharati.
Parekh started her career as a child artist under the screen name
Baby Asha Parekh in the film Aasmaan (1952). Famed film director
Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the age
of twelve in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her
and even though she did a couple more child roles, she quit to resume
her schooling. At sixteen she decided to try acting again and make
her debut as a heroine, but she was rejected from Vijay Bhatt's Goonj
Uthi Shehnai (1959) in favour of actress Ameeta, because the
filmmaker claimed she was not star material. Precisely eight days
later, film producer Subodh Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir
Hussain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite
Shammi Kapoor, which made her a huge star.
The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Hussain. He
went on to cast Parekh as the heroine in six more of his films: Jab
Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri
Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), and
Caravan (1971). She also did a cameo in his film Manzil Manzil
(1984). Hussain also got her involved in distribution of films for 21
years, starting with Baharon Ke Sapne (1967). Parekh was primarily
known as a glamour girl/excellent dancer/tomboy in most of her films,
until director Raj Khosla gave her a serious image by casting her in
tragedienne roles in three of her favourite films: Do Badan (1966),
Chirag (1969), and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978). Director Shakti
Samanta gave her more dramatic roles in her other favourite films,
Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Kati Patang (1970); the latter earned her
the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Many important directors cast her in
several of their films, including Vijay Anand, Mohan Segal and J.P.
Dutta.
Parekh acted in her mother tongue by starring in three Gujarati films
at the height of her fame in Hindi films, the first being Akhand
Saubhagyavati (1963), which became a huge hit. She also acted in
some Punjabi films, such as Kankan De Ohle (1971) opposite Dharmendra
and Lambhardarni (1976) with Dara Singh, as well as the hit Kannada
film Sharavegada Saradara (1989).
After her days as a leading lady ended, Parekh took on supporting
roles as bhabhi (sister-in-law) and mother, but she called this the
"awkward phase" of her career. So she stopped acting in
films, and her friends recommended that she become a television
director. She took their advice and became a television director
in the early 1990s with the Gujarati serial Jyoti. She formed a
production company, Akruti, and produced serials like Palash ke
Phool, Baaje Payal, Kora Kagaz and a comedy, Dal Mein Kaala. She
was the president of the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994 to
2000. Parekh was the first female chairperson of the Central Board of
Film Certification (Censor Board) of India. She held the post from
1998 to 2001 for which she received no salary but plenty of
controversy for censoring films and for not giving clearance to
Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth. Later, she became the treasurer of the
Cine and Television Artists Association (CINTAA) and was later
elected as one of its office bearers.
Parekh received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
She has continued to receive other Lifetime Achievement Awards: the
Kalakar Award in 2004; the International Indian Film Academy
Awards in 2006; the Pune International Film Festival Award in
2007; and the Ninth Annual Bollywood Award in Long Island, New
York in 2007. She received the Living Legend Award from the
Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
In 2008, she was a judge on the reality show Tyohaar Dhamaaka on the
Indian entertainment channel 9X. In 2016, she said that she was
writing her autobiography.
Parekh has remained unmarried, claiming that her reputation of being
unapproachable made people hesitate in asking for her hand in
marriage. There were rumours that she was romantically involved with
her married director Nasir Hussain. In her later years,
Parekh said that she had a longtime boyfriend but declined to
elaborate on the relationship, only stating that "it was nice
while it lasted." She said she had not seen Nasir Hussain
during the last year of his life, as he became reclusive because of
his wife's death, but she did speak to him the day before he died
in 2002.
Today, Parekh concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan and the
Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, named in her honour
because of her many humanitarian contributions.
Awards and Nominations :
- Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Actress for Chirag (1969)
- Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kati Patang (1971)
- Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindoor (1976)
- Filmfare Award Nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)
- Padma Shri awarded in the Arts (1992)
- Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2002)
- Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) felicitated Parekh for her outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry (2003)
- Kalakar Awards — Lifetime Achievement Award (2004)
- International Indian Film Academy Awards for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema (2006)
- Saptarang Ke Saptashee Award (2006)
- Gujarati Association of North America (GANA)'s First International Gujarati Convention—Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)
- Pune International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
- Bollywood Award—Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
- Living Legend Award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
- Film Federation of India honoured Parekh at its Golden Jubilee celebration ceremony (2008)
- Sahyadri Navratna Award given to Parekh for being a "woman of substance" (2008)
- Solitaire for Life Award from the ABN Amro Solitaire Design Awards show (2008)
- Nashik International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)
- 'Lachchu Mahraj Puraskar' Award for Parekh's contribution to dance and acting (2009)
- 40th International Film Festival of India felicitated Parekh for completing 50 years in Hindi cinema (2009)
- 'Legends Live Forever Award' from the Immortal Memories Event (2009)
- Golden Laurel Award—Ninth Gr8 Women Achievers Awards (2010)
- Prakarti Ratan Award (2010)
- Jaipur International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)
- Legendary Icon Cine Artist Award—Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Awards (2011)
- Sanskriti Kalashree Lifetime Achievement Award—Sanskriti Cultural Foundation (2011)
- Jeevan Gaurav Puraskar Award-Dadasaheb Phalke Memorial Nashik International Film Festival (2011)
- Bhishma Award by the Ashram Arts Academy (2012)
- "Walk of the Stars" honor, where a tile bears her handprint (2013)
- Jagran Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)
- Stardust-Lifetime Achievement Award (2015).
- Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) .... Geeta
- Kati Patang (1970) .... Madhavi ("Madhu")
- Aan Milo Sajna (1971) .... Varsha/Deepali
- Dharam Aur Kanoon (1984).
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