Asha Parekh
| Asha Parekh | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) |
|
| Born |
2 October 1942 Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India (now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) |
| Occupation | Actress, Producer, Dancer |
| Years active | 1952–1999 |
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. Her other two films opposite Shammi Kapoor:Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Jawan Mohabbat (1971 were not successful. Her films opposite Shashi Kapoor included Kanyadaan (1968) and Pyar Ka Mausam (1969). In the sixties, her pair with Dharmedra was popular with films like Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966), Shikar, Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969),Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971), Samadhi (1972 film). Her films with Sunil Dutt included Hum Hindustani, Chhaya (film) (1961), Heera (1973) and Zakhmee (1975).
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