Asha Parekh

About

Indian actress, producer, and director Asha Parekh, who is currently retired, has acted in several highly profitable motion pictures over her career. She was one of the most well-known and highest-paid actresses of her time during the 1960s and 1970s. She is considered one of the most important actresses in the history of Hindi film.

Family and Early Life

Asha Parekh was born on October 2, 1942. She is Gujarati by birth. Her father, Bachubhai Parekh, was a Hindu Gujarati, and Sudha, alias Salma Parekh, was a Bohri Muslim. Early on, her mother enrolled her in school for Indian classical dance, and she studied under numerous instructors, among them Pandit Bansilal Bharati.

Childhood

Asha Parekh began studying Indian classical dance at a young age. In the film Aasmaan, a Jubilee girl made her Bollywood debut as a child artist. After seeing her dance at a stage show, Bimal Roy cast her in his film Baap Beti. The film bombed at the box office, and Asha was so disappointed that she left the film industry after a few more films as a child actor and returned to school.

Career

As a young artist, Parekh began her career under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh. She was discovered dancing at an event by renowned director Bimal Roy, who cast her at the age of 10 in Maa (1952) and then again in Baap Beti (1954). She was disappointed by the failure of the latter picture, and although taking on a few more kid roles, she left the industry to go back to school. At the age of 16, she decided to try acting once more and make her debut as a heroine, but Vijay Bhatt's 1959 film Goonj Uthi Shehnai chose actress Ameeta over her because he felt she was not star material. A mere 8 days later, she was cast as the lead in Dil Deke Dekho (1959), opposite Shammi Kapoor, by writer-director Nasir Hussain and film producer Subodh Mukherjee, who gave her popularity.

In addition, it was the start of a successful partnership between her and Hussain, who would go on to cast her as the lead in six more films: Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), Teesri Manzil (1966), Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), and Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967). She also appeared in Manzil, one of his films from 1984. Additionally, Hussain enlisted her assistance in the distribution of 21 movies, beginning with Baharon Ke Sapne (1967).

Before director Raj Khosla gave her a serious image by casting her in tragic roles in three of her favorite films, Parekh was mostly known for her roles as a glamour girl, dancer, or tomboy: Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969), which at first earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), that led to nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was given more tragic roles in two of her favorite movies, Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) & Kati Patang (1970), directed by Shakti Samanta. The latter garnered her Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She had a supporting role in the 1976 film Udhar Ka Sindur, which led to a second nomination for the Best Supporting Actress Filmfare Award. She frequently gets picked to play the lead in shows directed by renowned directors like Mohan Segal & Vijay Anand.

At the height of her popularity in Hindi films, Parekh performed in three Gujarati films, the first of which was the hugely successful Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963). She also appeared in a few Punjabi movies, including Lambhardarni (1976), which starred Dara Singh and Kankan De Ohle (1971), as well as the successful Kannada movie Sharavegada Saradara (1989). She created well-known on-screen partnerships as a leading lady with performers like Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor, and Rajesh Khanna.

Following the end of her career as a leading lady, Parekh transitioned into supporting parts as a mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law). The only movie she appeared in alongside Amitabh Bachchan was Kaalia (1981), a famous film in which she performed such a role. But she described this time in her career as an "awkward phase."As a result, she stopped making movie appearances, and her friends suggested that she should become a television director.

In the early 1990s, she took their advice and directed the Gujarati television series Jyoti. She founded the production company Akruti, which, among other serials, created the comedies Dal Mein Kaala, Baaje Payal, & Palash ke Phool. She presided over the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994 to 2000. Parekh was the first woman to serve as chairman of India's censor board, the Central Board of Film Certification.

She held the job from 1998 to 2001; she received no money for it, but there was a lot of criticism for her choice to edit movies and disregard Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth's wishes. The Cine and Television Artists Association (CINTAA) elected her as one of its office bearers, and she accepted the position of treasurer.

She served as a judge in the reality competition Tyohaar Dhamaaka on the 9X entertainment channel in India in 2008. The Hit Girl, her autobiography co-written with Khalid Mohamed, was published in 2017.

Personal Life

Parekh did not married, alleging that her distant reputation has discouraged many from proposing marriage to her. She acknowledged rumors that she had a romantic relationship with married filmmaker Nasir Hussain. In her autobiography The Hit Girl she said she could not marry him out of respect for both of their families.

Before this, Parekh would mention that she had a long-term lover and that it was enjoyable while it lasted without going into further detail. She asserted that Nasir Hussain had become reclusive after the death of his wife and had not been seen by her during the final year of his life, although she had spoken to him the day before he passed away in 2002.

She was set to marry an Indian professor who lived in America, but she called off the wedding because he wouldn't give up his girlfriend. She had also tried to adopt a child, but the doctors would not let her because the youngster had birth abnormalities.

Legacy

She is one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema. She was included in Outlook India's list of the "75 Best Bollywood Actresses" in 2022. One of the most-paid actresses of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Parekh appeared seven times between 1966 and 1972 on Box Office India's "Top Actresses" list, twice taking the top spot (1967 and 1968). Three of her works were presented as part of a retrospective in her honor at the 53rd International Film Festival of India in 2022. Parekh's handprint was unveiled at Bandra Bandstand's Walk of the Stars in her honor. Parekh was referred to as "one of the biggest film stars to grace the silver screen" by Firstpost's Gautam Chintamani. According to Outlook India, "Parekh was famed for her electrifying dance moves and the films that resulted from them." In the Statesman's words, "Parekh earned the epithet of Bollywood's "jubilee girl" with her string of hits in the Hindi film industry's golden era."

"Parekh was associated with adjectives like effervescent, fashionista, cheerful, dancer, and glamour girl," wrote Arushi Jain of The Indian Express.

Awards and Nomination

In 2002, Parekh was presented with the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to 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 has continued to collect Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) gave her the Living Legend Award.

Nitin Gadkari, the Union Minister for Highways and Road Transport said in 2016 that Parekh had ascended 12 stories to reach his Mumbai home to suggest her for the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian honor. The allegation was widely reported, but Parekh insisted that she never pushed for the honor and declined to elaborate. Meeting the minister, according to Parekh, was the "worst mistake" she had made in her autobiography The Hit Girl, which was released a year later. In 1992, Parekh received the Padma Shri.

• Filmfare Award nominee for Best Supporting Actress in a Leading Role 1978's Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki
• She won Padma Shri award for the arts in 1992
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002
• Parekh received a commendation from the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) for her remarkable contribution to the Indian cinema business in 2003
• Indian cinema's highest honor, the International Indian Film Academy Awards (2006)
• Acquired the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress in 1963's for Akhand Saubhagyavati.
• Won - Best Actress Filmfare Award for Kati Patang in 1971
• Actress nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress in Udhar ka Sindur in 1976

Facts

• When she was twelve years old, Bimal Roy watched her dance on stage and decided to cast her in the 1954 movie "Baap Beti."
• After a few child jobs, she stopped acting and returned to school.
• She was chosen for six more of Nasir Hussain's movies.
• She spent 21 years working as a distributor for Nasir Hussain's movies.
• She was a tomboy, a great dancer, and a glamour girl in the majority of her movies. In three of her favorite movies, Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969), and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1970), she performed serious characters.
• She also made appearances in a few Punjabi films, such as Sharavegada Saradara (1989), which was a big blockbuster in Kannada, and "Kankan De Ohle" (1971), in which she co-starred with Dharmendra.
• After portraying the primary characters of Mother and Bhabhi (her sister-in-law), she started appearing in supporting roles in movies. She did, however, call it an uncomfortable period in her professional life.
• She founded the production business "Akruti," which created popular serials such as "Baaje Payal," "Palash Ke Phool," "Kora Kagaz," and the comedic "Daal Me Kaala." She served the Cine Artists Association from 1994 to 2000.
• In 2008, she served as a judge on the reality series "Tyohaar Dhamaaka" on the 9X Channel. She never got married and lived a single life. However, she admitted in an interview that she had a long-term relationship but chose not to go into any detail.
• Asha sold her bungalow after her mother passed away and downsized to take care of her elderly father, who subsequently passed away.
• She is concentrated on her dancing academy, "Kara Bhavan," and the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, which is named in her honor.
• 'The Hit Girl,' her autobiography, was released in 2017 by Salman Khan.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Asha Parekh, who was she?
   Asha Parekh, a former Indian actress, director, and producer, worked in several financially lucrative movies during her career.
2. When is the birthday of Asha Parekh?
   The birth date of Asha Parekh is October 2, 1942.
3. What city was Asha Parekh born in?
   Banglore is the birthplace of Asha Parekh.
4. What is the horoscopic sign of Asha Parekh?
   Libra is Asha Parekh's horoscope sign.
5. What is the name of Asha Parekh's mother?
   Sudha Parekh is Asha Parekh's mother.
6. What is the wealth of Asha Parekh?
   Asha Parekh has a $23.5 million net worth.