Asha Parekh

Asha Parekh (born 2 October 1942) is an Indian actress, film director and producer who has worked in more than 85 films in a career that has spanned over 40 years. 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.

Parekh made her acting debut as a child in Maa (1952). As an adult, she appeared in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) and starred in several films in the 1960s and 1970, 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 a Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and was honoured with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Her autobiography, The Hit Girl, was published in 2017.

Asha Parekh was born on 2 October 1942 in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. Her mother, Sudha "Salma" Lakdawala, a Bohri Muslim, and her father, Bachubhai Parekh, a Gujarati Hindu, met while studying at Fergusson College in Pune. Lakdawala was a freedom fighter and participated in India's struggle for independence. She was briefly incarcerated for protesting against the British colonial rule while pregnant with Parekh.

Growing up, Parekh wanted to be a doctor but changed her mind after witnessing a train accident. She was also interested in dance from a young age, and veteran actor Prem Nath, while visiting Mukul Anand's family next door, was impressed by her abilities. He then asked Kathak-dancer Mohanlal Pandey to train Parekh for an upcoming performance at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai where director Bimal Roy first saw her. He would go on to cast Parekh as a child actor in the film Maa (1952).

Parekh started her career as a child actor at ten years old, appearing in Maa (1952) under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh. She was also seen in Aasman (1952), Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1953), Baap Beti (1954), Dhobi Doctor (1954), Ayodhyapati (1956), Aasha (1956) and Ustaad (1956). Parekh played a supporting role in Jwala (1971) that began shooting in 1956 but experienced production delays due to Madhubala's prevailing sickness. After Baap Beti was unsuccessful at the box office, Parekh decided to step away from acting and resumed her schooling.

At sixteen, Parekh tried to dabble in acting again, but was rejected from Vijay Bhatt's Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) in favour of actress Ameeta, because the filmmaker claimed she was not "star material". Eight days later, producer Subodh Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor. The film was the beginning of Parekh's long-standing association with Hussain, who went on to work with her 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). Hussain was also the distributor of 21 of her films including Baharon Ke Sapne (1967). After Dil Deke Dekho, she was cast in Ramanand Sagar's Ghunghant (1960), an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's Noukadubi. She also appeared in Gharana (1961) featuring Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar, and Chhaya (1961) alongside Sunil Dutt and Nirupa Roy. The film, including the song Hum Insaan Nahi by Mohammad Rafi, received positive reviews from the critics.

She starred in Ziddi (1964), Mere Sanam (1965), Love In Tokyo (1966), Aaye Din Bahaar Ke (1966) and Upkar (1967), all of which were successful at the box office. She also worked with director Raj Khosla on Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969) for which she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) for which she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. In a BBC interview, Parekh said that until Do Badan she was considered a "glamour girl" but her performance in the film established her as a "good actor." She worked with director Shakti Samanta on Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Kati Patang (1970) for which she won her first and only Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She also played a supporting role in Udhar Ka Sindur (1976) for which she was nominated a second time for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.