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Asha Parekh

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Asha Parekh
Parekh in 2022
Born (1942-10-02) 2 October 1942 (age 82)
Occupations
  • Actress
  • director
  • producer
Years active1952–2008
WorksFull list
HonoursPadma Shri (1992)
Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2020)

Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is an Indian actress, film director, and producer who worked in Hindi films. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Parekh has worked in more than 85 films, in a career spanning over four decades.[1][2] She has received several accolades including two Filmfare Awards. In 1992, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contribution to the field of cinema and was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2020.[3]

Parekh made her acting debut as a child artist with Maa (1952). She made her lead debut with Dil Deke Dekho (1959) and went onto establish herself as a leading actress in the 1960s and 1970 with films including — Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Bharosa (1963), Ziddi (1964), Mere Sanam (1965), Teesri Manzil (1966), Love in Tokyo (1966), Do Badan (1966), Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), Upkar (1967), Kanyadaan (1968), Shikar (1968), Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969), Sajan (1969), Chirag (1969), Kati Patang (1970), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Caravan (1971), Samadhi (1972), Heera (1973), Udhar Ka Sindur (1976), Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) and Kaalia (1981).

She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kati Patang. In 2002, she was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. She released her autobiography, The Hit Girl, in 2017.[4]

Early life

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Asha Parekh is a Gujarati[5] born on 2 October 1942.[6] Her mother, Sudha aka Salma Parekh, was a Bohri Muslim and her father, Bachubhai Parekh, was Hindu Gujarati.[7][8][9][10][11] Her mother enrolled her in Indian classical dance classes at an early age and she learned from many teachers, including Pandit Bansilal Bharati.

Career

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Parekh started her career as a child artist under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh. Famous film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the age of ten in Maa (1952) and then repeated her in Baap Beti (1954).[12] The latter film's failure disappointed her, and even though she did a few more child roles, she quit to resume her schooling.[13] When she was 16, she decided to try acting again, and to 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 8 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.[14]

It also started a long association with Hussain who cast her as his heroine in six more 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 1984 film Manzil Manzil. Hussain also got her involved in distribution of 21 films, starting with Baharon Ke Sapne (1967).[15] Parekh was primarily known as a glamour girl/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), which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. Director Shakti Samanta gave her more dramatic roles in her other favourite films, Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Kati Patang (1970); the lattermost earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She also featured in a supporting role in Udhar Ka Sindur (1976) which earned her a second nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Many important directors repeatedly cast her in several of their films, including Vijay Anand and Mohan Segal. 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.[16] 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).[17] As a leading heroine, she formed popular onscreen pairings with actors including Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna.

After her days as a leading lady ended, Parekh took on supporting roles as bhabhi (sister-in-law) and mother. A notable film she did in which she played such a part is Kaalia (1981), which is the only film in which she shared screen space with Amitabh Bachchan. But she called these roles 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.[citation needed]

In 2008, she was a judge on the reality show Tyohaar Dhamaaka on the Indian entertainment channel 9X.[18] In 2017, her autobiography (co-written by Khalid Mohamed) titled The Hit Girl was released.[19]

Personal life

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Parekh celebrating her 70th birthday with Sushmita Sen and Aruna Irani

Parekh has remained unmarried, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable made people hesitate in asking for her hand in marriage. In her memoir The Hit Girl, she confirmed rumours[20] that she was romantically involved with director Nasir Hussain who was already married, but out of respect for both their families, she couldn't marry him.[21] Previously, Parekh would only state that she had a longtime boyfriend but declined to elaborate on the relationship, only stating that "it was nice while it lasted."[22] 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,[23] but she did speak to him the day before he died in 2002.[24] She almost married an Indian professor living in America, but he didn't want to give up his girlfriend, so she called off their wedding plans. She had also tried to adopt a child, but he had birth defects, and the doctors refused to let her adopt him.[25]

Today, Parekh concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan. She has a hospital in her name in Santacruz, Mumbai, called "BCJ Hospital and Asha Parekh Research Centre", as she had donated for the medical and surgical wing.[10][26][27] She has stated that the hospital had been closed and reopened various times.[28]

Artistry and legacy

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Parekh at an event in 2019

Parekh is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema.[29] In 2022, she was placed in Outlook India's "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" list.[30] One of the highest paid actress of late 1960s to early 1970s, Parekh appeared in Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list seven times, from 1966 to 1972 and topped the list twice (1967-1968).[31] In 2022, at 53rd International Film Festival of India, a retrospective was organised in her honour, where three of her films were screened.[32] In her honour, Parekh's hand-print was unveiled at Walk of the Stars at Bandra Bandstand.[33]

Farhana Farook of Filmfare said that "she's undeniably distinct from her peers" and noted, "Asha Parekh has gone way beyond the paradigm of stardom and its engulfing halo. She's a woman of many shades and much substance."[34] Gautam Chintamani of Firstpost termed Parekh as "one of the biggest film stars to grace the silver screen".[35] Outlook India noted, "Parekh was famed for her electrifying dance moves and the films that resulted from them."[36] The Statesman noted, "Parekh earned the epithet of Bollywood's "jubilee girl" with her string of hits in the Hindi film industry's golden era."[37] Arushi Jain of The Indian Express noted, "Parekh was associated with adjectives like effervescent, fashionista, cheerful, dancer and glamour girl. She struggled a lot to graduate from a conventional Bollywood heroine to one of the most sought after leading ladies of the 1960s with unconventional roles."[38]

Filmography

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Main article: Asha Parekh filmography

Awards and nominations

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Parekh received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.[39] She has continued to receive other Lifetime Achievement Awards: the Kalakar Award in 2004;[40] the International Indian Film Academy Awards in 2006;[41] the Pune International Film Festival Award in 2007;[42] and the Ninth Annual Bollywood Award in Long Island, New York in 2007.[43] She received the Living Legend Award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).[44]

In 2016, Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, said that Parekh had approached him at his Mumbai residence, climbing 12 floors of steps, to recommend her name for the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award. The claim was widely reported, however Parekh said she never lobbied for the award, and refused to say more on the matter. In her memoir The Hit Girl published a year later, Parekh said that meeting the minister was the "worst mistake" of her life. She said she had been hurt by the minister's claim, and recounted a different version of the event. Parekh had been awarded the Padma Shri in 1992. A close friend had arranged a meeting with the minister and suggested her to seek an upgrade of the award.[45][46]

A chronological listing of awards and nominations is as follows:

  1. Won – Gujarat State Award for Best Actress for Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963)[47]
  2. Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Chirag (1969)
  3. Won – Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Kati Patang (1971)
  4. Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindur (1976)
  5. Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978)
  6. Padma Shri awarded in the Arts (1992)[48]
  7. Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award (2002)
  8. Indian Motion Picture Producers' Association (IMPPA) felicitated Parekh for her outstanding contribution to the Indian film industry (2003)
  9. Kalakar Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award (2004)
  10. International Indian Film Academy Awards for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema (2006)
  11. Saptarang Ke Saptashee Award (2006)
  12. Gujarati Association of North America (GANA)'s First International Gujarati Convention—Lifetime Achievement Award (2006)[49]
  13. Pune International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
  14. Bollywood Award—Lifetime Achievement Award (2007)
  15. Living Legend Award from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).[44]
  16. Film Federation of India honoured Parekh at its Golden Jubilee celebration ceremony (2008)[50]
  17. Sahyadri Navratna Award given to Parekh for being a "woman of substance" (2008)[51]
  18. Solitaire for Life Award from the ABN Amro Solitaire Design Awards show (2008)[52]
  19. Nashik International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2009)[53]
  20. 'Lachchu Mahraj Puraskar' Award for Parekh's contribution to dance and acting (2009)[54]
  21. 40th International Film Festival of India felicitated Parekh for completing 50 years in Hindi cinema (2009)[55]
  22. 'Legends Live Forever Award' from the Immortal Memories Event (2009)[citation needed]
  23. Golden Laurel Award—Ninth Gr8 Women Achievers Awards (2010)[56]
  24. Prakarti Ratan Award (2010)[57]
  25. Jaipur International Film Festival—Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)[58]
  26. Bhishma Award by the Ashram Arts Academy (2012)[59]
  27. Kalakar Awards – Living Legend Award (2018)
  28. "Walk of the Stars" honour, where a tile bears her handprint (2013)[60]
  29. Stardust-Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)[61]
  30. Most Stylish Lifetime Style Icon Award—Hindustan Times Most Stylish Awards (2017)[62]
  31. Second Best Book Award for her memoir "The Hit Girl" at the 5th annual Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) (2017)[63]
  32. Bimal Roy Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award (2019)[64]
  33. Global Cinema Festival-Lifetime Achievement Award (2020)[65]
  34. Master Deenanath Puraskar Award for "dedicated services in the field of cinema" (2022)[66]
  35. Dadasaheb Phalke Award presented for the year 2020 by Government of India (2022)
  36. India International Film Festival of Boston - Lifetime Achievement Award (2022)[67]
  37. Girnar Gaurav Award - Lifetime Achievement Award (2023)[68]
  38. Amrit Ratna Samman Award (2023)[69]
  39. Raj Kapoor Lifetime Achievement Award given by Maharashtra state government (2024)[70]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ Bhawana Somaaya. "Screen The Business Of Entertainment-Films-Happenigs". Screenindia.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2011. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  3. ^ "Actor Asha Parekh to be conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award". Manorama. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. ^ Tribune.com.pk (8 December 2013). "Still waiting to work with Dilip Kumar: Asha Parekh". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  5. ^ Khan, Saeed (6 May 2012). "Gujarat woman gave censor the scissors". The Times of India. Ahmedabad. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  6. ^ Jha, Subhash K. (3 October 2017). ""I don't feel 75 at all" – Asha Parekh". Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  7. ^ Farook, Farhana (3 June 2017). "I was enamoured by Nasir saab - Asha Parekh". Filmfare. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  8. ^ Bari, Prachi (10 September 2017). "There's a lot to me than just a glamourous [sic] actress, says Asha Parekh at PILF". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 March 2020. t was in this city that my father, a Hindu Gujarati fell in love with my mother, a Bohri Muslim studying in Fergusson College
  9. ^ "Asha Parekh – Memories". Cineplot.com. 28 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 April 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Asha ParekhSpirituality – Indiatimes". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
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  12. ^ Parekh, Asha and Mohammed, Khalid. The Hit Girl. New Delhi: Om Books International (2017), p. 49
  13. ^ "The Hindu : Poise and pearly smiles". Hinduonnet.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2003. Retrieved 27 October 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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  16. ^ "Indiantelevision.com > Box Populi by Subhash K Jha > 'Sa Re Ga Ma' still challenges new kids on the block". Indiantelevision.com. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
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  23. ^ "March 2002 indiavarta.com – Startrek". Archived from the original on 18 June 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Express India". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  25. ^ "Asha Parekh Talks About Her Journey As A Never-Married 77-Year-Old". Verve Magazine. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
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  27. ^ "National Health Portal". Archived from the original on 17 June 2019. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  28. ^ Singh, Varun (25 March 2018). "In loss, Asha Parekh Hospital pulls the plug". DNA. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  29. ^ "Top heroines of Bollywood". India Today. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  30. ^ "75 Bollywood Actresses Who Ruled The Silver Screen With Grace, Beauty And Talent". Outlook. 16 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  31. ^ "Top Actresses". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  32. ^ Fatima, Sayeda Eba (16 November 2022). "Asha Parekh retrospective and a revamped Film Bazaar at the 53rd IFFI this year". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  33. ^ Thirani, Neha (26 March 2012). "Mumbai Gets Its Own Walk of Fame". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
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  35. ^ "Asha Parekh: Why conferring Dadasaheb Phalke award to her should be celebrated". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  36. ^ "Asha Parekh says her mother was the power behind her". Outlook India. Archived from the original on 4 January 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
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  39. ^ "Filmfare – Print Edition". Downloads.movies.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 11 January 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
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  41. ^ "Asia Pacific Arts: 8 June 2006: News From Abroad". Asiaarts.ucla.edu. Archived from the original on 7 August 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  42. ^ "Article which contains a picture of her receiving the award alongside her former leading man Dharmendra, who also received his own Lifetime Achievement Award". Archived from the original on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 8 April 2007.
  43. ^ "Yahoo! News Photos". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  44. ^ a b "FICCI FRAMES 2005 honours Shammi and Waheeda as Living Legends". Archived from the original on 18 September 2005. Retrieved 6 August 2007.
  45. ^ Divya Pal (24 April 2017). "Asha Parekh Refutes Nitin Gadkari's Claims". news18.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  46. ^ Anwesha Madhukalya (24 April 2017). "When Asha Parekh Wanted To 'Upgrade' Her Padma, But Nitin Gadkari Did Not Keep His Promise". huffpost.com. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  47. ^ Parekh, Asha and Mohammed, Khalid. The Hit Girl. New Delhi: Om Books International (2017), p.150
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  49. ^ "by_emR3 SaVSaK.CoMIndia4u News Online". India4u.com. 13 July 2006. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  50. ^ "FFI Golden Jubilee Celebration". Archived from the original on 5 February 2008. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  51. ^ "Asha Parekh receives Sahyadri Navratna Award". Sify. 27 April 2008. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  52. ^ "@ NewKerala.Com News, India". Newkerala.com. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  53. ^ "NASHIK INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - Dadasaheb Phalke Home Town Awards". Archived from the original on 19 October 2009.
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  55. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (24 November 2009). "'Wheat' opens India film festival". Variety.
  56. ^ "Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Ninth GR8 Women Achievers Awards 2010 – Photos". Zorsebol.com. Archived from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  57. ^ "Asha Parekh, Entertainment Photo, Veteran actress Asha Parekh, w". Timescontent.com. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  58. ^ "> All About Cinema...> Red Alert bags 2 awards, Asha Parekh gets Lifetime at Jaipur film fest". Indiantelevision.com. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
  59. ^ Anupama Subramanian (20 January 2012). "No more awards in my name, says Rajinikanth". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  60. ^ "Asha Parekh honoured with a star". The Indian Express. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  61. ^ Subhash K. Jha (18 January 2015). "Hopefully this is not my last award: Asha Parekh". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  62. ^ Ram Iyer (25 March 2017). "HT Most Stylish awards: Of Bollywood's best blacks, blues, bandhgalas and more". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  63. ^ Prachi Bari (10 September 2017). "There's a lot to me than just a glamourous [sic] actress, says Asha Parekh at PILF". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  64. ^ Yogesh Pawar (13 January 2019). "My biggest regret is turning down Satyajit Ray: Asha Parekh". DNA. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  65. ^ "Yesteryear actor Asha Parekh to be honoured at Global Cinema Festival in Sikkim". United News India. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  66. ^ "Asha Parekh, Jackie Shroff felicitated at Master Deenanath Mangeshkar Memorial Awards". Firstpost. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  67. ^ "Legendary Actress – Ms Asha Parekh/ IIFFB2022 – Lifetime achievement award – IIFFB".
  68. ^ "Asha Parekh gets lifetime achievement award Girnar Gaurav Award 2023 by Brihad Mumbai Gujarati Samaj - Asha Parekh get lifetime achievement award Girnar award 2023 in brihanmumbai gujarati samaj Pipa News - PiPa News". 9 January 2023.
  69. ^ "News18 India launches OOH campaign for Amrit Ratna '23, IBW News: English News, Breaking News in English, ताज़ा हिंदी समाचार". Indian Broadcasting World. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  70. ^ "Asha Parekh honoured with Raj Kapoor lifetime achievement award". India Today. 22 August 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.

Further reading

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