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 Asha Parekh was born in a middle-class Gujarati household to a Hindu father, Pranlal Parekh, and a Muslim mother Sudha Parekh on October 2, 1942 in India. Since she was an only child, she became the center of her parents' lives. Her mother enrolled her in classical dance classes at an early age, and Asha excelled at dance to the point where she performed at stage shows. Famed film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the tender age of ten in Maa (1957). He liked her and cast her again in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her, and even though, she did a few 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 director Vijay Bhatt fired her from Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) claiming she wasn't star material. Almost immediately, film producer Sasadhar Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) which made her a huge star. Shammi Kapoor became her favorite hero and friend, and they starred in three more films, the most famous being the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966). The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Nasir, and he cast her as the heroine in six more films.Her fame gave her enough leverage to get producers to hire her mother Sudha Parekh to design her costumes for most of the films that she starred in. A fallacy that surrounded her was that she was generally considered a glamorous dancer/tomboy and not a serious actress until director Raj Khosla cast her in the tragedienne role in the hit film Do Badan (1966). The truth was directors and audiences knew early on that she had genuine acting talent. She won the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress for her first Gujarati film Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963). And she easily compensated for non-actors like Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit in Hindi films, while holding her own against acting giants like Ashok Kumar.Important directors were casting her and repeating her in their films, but Asha also brought out jealousies from her female co-stars. Simi Garewal claimed that Asha tried to cut her part down in "Do Badan", but Asha insisted that she never did that, and as proof, she showed that Simi won the Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress for the film. The "Do Badan" team also stood by Asha, especially the director Raj Khosla who later cast her in three more films. Her leading man Manoj Kumar soon directed and starred opposite her in his blockbuster Upkar (1967), which also won the Filmfare Best Picture Award.Although Asha earned the title "Jubilee Girl" because of the continuous string of box office successes, such as Ziddi (1964), Shikar (1968), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), she also hit a rare bump with Raj Khosla's Chirag (1969). But she also earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the film, and Khosla didn't blame her for the film's failure and in fact, cast her soon again and came up with a huge hit, Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971). However, success brought controversy. Once again, a female co-star claimed that Asha cut her role down in the film. This time, Asha confronted Laxmi Chhaya directly and told her to think before she spoke as Padma got twice the number of songs than Asha did in "Mera Gaon Mera Desh". Aruna Irani allegedly said that Asha reduced her role in Nasir Hussain's box-office smash Caravan (1971), but facts back up Asha that she would never cut another performer's role, as Aruna had more songs than Asha, and she received a Filmfare nomination, while Asha wasn't nominated for the film at all. However, Asha did win the much coveted Best Actress Filmfare Award for Shakti Samanta's Kati Patang (1970). She played a deglamourised woman in a white sari pretending to be a widow whose vulnerable smile hides a painful past. Asha was thrilled when she won the award, but Mumtaz Askari, her box-office rival and former co-star from Mere Sanam (1965) and Bhai Bhai (1972), complained that she was more deserving for her own performance in Tere Mere Sapne (1971).Asha was hitting the heights of fame and glory even though she was now 30, an age where heroines normally would pack it in. But her passion for dancing sent her abroad on a extended trip to do dance shows and as a result, turned down important film roles. When she came back in 1973, she found that a younger and bolder breed of heroines like Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman got those roles and now ruled the roost. Asha focused on her distribution concern which she had started with Nasir Hussain when he directed her in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) and would continue to do so for twenty more films. She also threw herself in her charity work, even having a Santa Cruz hospital named after her. She lived with her parents in her beautiful seaside bungalow, whose innovative design drew a lot of attention. Asha's passion with dance continued and her performance of famous dance ballets like "Chauladevi" won her acclaim. She did supporting roles in films, garnering Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindur (1976) and Raj Khosla's massive hit, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), which also won the Filmfare Award as Best Film. But the rest of her supporting roles as mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law) disenchanted her, with the exception of her strong performances in Hathyar (1989) and the Gujarati film Kulvadhu (1977). And her back problems forced her to give up doing dance shows.But she found a new passion, directing television serials such as the hugely popular Kora Kogaz in the early 90's, which convinced her to give up acting permanently in 1995. She formed her production company "Akruti," through which she produced and directed television serials. However, her acting accomplishments were not forgotten as she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. After her mother's death, she sold her huge bungalow and moved into a smaller place to take care of her ailing father until he, too, passed away. She has never married and has not had any affairs with her many heroes, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable probably intimidated men. In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl" (co-written by Khalid Mohamed) she confirmed that her longtime director Nasir Hussain was the "only one and true love of my life." Since he was already married with two children, she couldn't marry him without wrecking havoc on both their families. Their romantic relationship eventually ended after several decades. His wife Ayesha Khan died in 2001, but Asha didn't try to marry the widowed Husain, since "he had become a shadow of his former self." He died just a year later in 2002. Asha continues to remain in touch with his children Mansoor Khan and Nuzhat Khan, grandson Imran Khan and nephew Aamir Khan. When she was in her mid-thirties, she tried to adopt a child, but the doctors wouldn't let her, because he had birth defects. Since marriage and motherhood didn't happen for her, Asha decided to devote all her time to her hospital and other humanitarian efforts. She also has set up a dance academy "Kara Bhavan," which has produced many skilled and talented dancers. For several years, she served as a judge on several talent shows on television. Today, Asha says that she is very flattered to know that she has fans all over the world.
Bio:
Asha Parekh was born in a middle-class Gujarati household to a Hindu father, Pranlal Parekh, and a Muslim mother Sudha Parekh on October 2, 1942 in India. Since she was an only child, she became the center of her parents' lives. Her mother enrolled her in classical dance classes at an early age, and Asha excelled at dance to the point where she performed at stage shows. Famed film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the tender age of ten in Maa (1957). He liked her and cast her again in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her, and even though, she did a few 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 director Vijay Bhatt fired her from Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) claiming she wasn't star material. Almost immediately, film producer Sasadhar Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) which made her a huge star. Shammi Kapoor became her favorite hero and friend, and they starred in three more films, the most famous being the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966). The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Nasir, and he cast her as the heroine in six more films.Her fame gave her enough leverage to get producers to hire her mother Sudha Parekh to design her costumes for most of the films that she starred in. A fallacy that surrounded her was that she was generally considered a glamorous dancer/tomboy and not a serious actress until director Raj Khosla cast her in the tragedienne role in the hit film Do Badan (1966). The truth was directors and audiences knew early on that she had genuine acting talent. She won the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress for her first Gujarati film Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963). And she easily compensated for non-actors like Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit in Hindi films, while holding her own against acting giants like Ashok Kumar.Important directors were casting her and repeating her in their films, but Asha also brought out jealousies from her female co-stars. Simi Garewal claimed that Asha tried to cut her part down in "Do Badan", but Asha insisted that she never did that, and as proof, she showed that Simi won the Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress for the film. The "Do Badan" team also stood by Asha, especially the director Raj Khosla who later cast her in three more films. Her leading man Manoj Kumar soon directed and starred opposite her in his blockbuster Upkar (1967), which also won the Filmfare Best Picture Award.Although Asha earned the title "Jubilee Girl" because of the continuous string of box office successes, such as Ziddi (1964), Shikar (1968), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), she also hit a rare bump with Raj Khosla's Chirag (1969). But she also earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the film, and Khosla didn't blame her for the film's failure and in fact, cast her soon again and came up with a huge hit, Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971). However, success brought controversy. Once again, a female co-star claimed that Asha cut her role down in the film. This time, Asha confronted Laxmi Chhaya directly and told her to think before she spoke as Padma got twice the number of songs than Asha did in "Mera Gaon Mera Desh". Aruna Irani allegedly said that Asha reduced her role in Nasir Hussain's box-office smash Caravan (1971), but facts back up Asha that she would never cut another performer's role, as Aruna had more songs than Asha, and she received a Filmfare nomination, while Asha wasn't nominated for the film at all. However, Asha did win the much coveted Best Actress Filmfare Award for Shakti Samanta's Kati Patang (1970). She played a deglamourised woman in a white sari pretending to be a widow whose vulnerable smile hides a painful past. Asha was thrilled when she won the award, but Mumtaz Askari, her box-office rival and former co-star from Mere Sanam (1965) and Bhai Bhai (1972), complained that she was more deserving for her own performance in Tere Mere Sapne (1971).Asha was hitting the heights of fame and glory even though she was now 30, an age where heroines normally would pack it in. But her passion for dancing sent her abroad on a extended trip to do dance shows and as a result, turned down important film roles. When she came back in 1973, she found that a younger and bolder breed of heroines like Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman got those roles and now ruled the roost. Asha focused on her distribution concern which she had started with Nasir Hussain when he directed her in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) and would continue to do so for twenty more films. She also threw herself in her charity work, even having a Santa Cruz hospital named after her. She lived with her parents in her beautiful seaside bungalow, whose innovative design drew a lot of attention. Asha's passion with dance continued and her performance of famous dance ballets like "Chauladevi" won her acclaim. She did supporting roles in films, garnering Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindur (1976) and Raj Khosla's massive hit, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), which also won the Filmfare Award as Best Film. But the rest of her supporting roles as mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law) disenchanted her, with the exception of her strong performances in Hathyar (1989) and the Gujarati film Kulvadhu (1977). And her back problems forced her to give up doing dance shows.But she found a new passion, directing television serials such as the hugely popular Kora Kogaz in the early 90's, which convinced her to give up acting permanently in 1995. She formed her production company "Akruti," through which she produced and directed television serials. However, her acting accomplishments were not forgotten as she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. After her mother's death, she sold her huge bungalow and moved into a smaller place to take care of her ailing father until he, too, passed away. She has never married and has not had any affairs with her many heroes, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable probably intimidated men. In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl" (co-written by Khalid Mohamed) she confirmed that her longtime director Nasir Hussain was the "only one and true love of my life." Since he was already married with two children, she couldn't marry him without wrecking havoc on both their families. Their romantic relationship eventually ended after several decades. His wife Ayesha Khan died in 2001, but Asha didn't try to marry the widowed Husain, since "he had become a shadow of his former self." He died just a year later in 2002. Asha continues to remain in touch with his children Mansoor Khan and Nuzhat Khan, grandson Imran Khan and nephew Aamir Khan. When she was in her mid-thirties, she tried to adopt a child, but the doctors wouldn't let her, because he had birth defects. Since marriage and motherhood didn't happen for her, Asha decided to devote all her time to her hospital and other humanitarian efforts. She also has set up a dance academy "Kara Bhavan," which has produced many skilled and talented dancers. For several years, she served as a judge on several talent shows on television. Today, Asha says that she is very flattered to know that she has fans all over the world.
Tivia:
Asha has formed a group with five other actress friends to ease loneliness, so she,Sadhana Shivdasani, Nanda Karnataki, Waheeda Rehman, Shammi, and Helen meet regularly at each other's homes to chat, have lunch, or watch a movie. Asha has urged other retired performers to do the same before it's too late as nothing is more therapeutic in life than companionship. In 2013, she, Waheeda, and Helen went on a 10-day Scandinavian cruise, but Nanda, Sadhana, and Shammi couldn't join them because of poor health. She attended Nanda's funeral in 2014, Sadhana's funeral in 2015, and Shammi's funeral in 2018.Had a complicated working relationship with Manoj Kumar. She thought he was rude when he ignored her at a film premiere, but she also believed that he was talented, so she got him cast in their first film together "Apna Banake Dekho" (1962), but the film didn't do well. Nevertheless, she agreed to act with him in their next film "Do Badan" (1966), which became a hit and won her rave reviews. Impressed with her acting ability, Manoj cast her in "Upkar" (1967), where he was not only the star, but also the writer and director. He was annoyed with Asha when she showed up late for a early morning shot, and he shushed her when she complained about the number of takes. She got upset and stopped talking to him but completed her work. Manoj thought she looked beautiful in the film. She didn't attend the film's premiere, even though the film's critical and box office success raised her asking price. However, she agreed to act with Manoj in their last film together "Sajan" (1969) at which time they started talking again. In 2009, she referred to him as a "very intelligent person". And in 2012, he attended her 70th birthday party and held her hands publicly, which was a big deal, since he was famous for keeping a physical distance from all women, out of respect to his wife.Top Hindi Film Heroine from 1959 to 1973. She has the distinction of being one of the few heroines who had the most box-office hits in a male-dominated film industry.Never married, Asha said her reputation of being unapproachable probably made people hesitate in asking for her hand in marriage. In the early 1970s, she almost had an arranged marriage with an Indian man living in America, but he already had an American girlfriend whom he didn't want to give up, so Asha canceled their wedding plans. She later said that when she was young, whenever her mother showed her horoscope to astrologers, they always said the same thing and that is if she ever got married, it would not be a successful marriage. Asha said she doesn't generally believe in predictions, but in this matter, however, it did grant her "some semblance of peace" in being single.As a classically trained dancer, she did stage shows from childhood to middle-age.The Asha Parekh Hospital in Mumbai is named after her, because of her many humanitarian contributions.Asha Parekh was one of the highest paid actresses of her time.She was devastated and had to be sedated when her mother Sudha Parekh died from cancer. Her mother's last words to her were "Take care of your father". Her father urged her to get back to living and working again. She did that and she also took care of her father, until a few years later, when he died. She fell into a deep depression, until she went to visit a psychiatrist who helped her come out of it.Acted as a child in small roles.Director Vijay Bhatt had first cast Asha in a child's role in Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1954). A few years later, he offered her the chance to make her debut as a heroine in Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), opposite Rajendra Kumar Tuli, but fired her claiming she wasn't star material. Almost immediately, Nasir Hussain cast Asha in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, which made her a star. Bhatt hired actress Ameeta (who cut her fee in half to secure the role) to replace Asha in his film. Ironically, she had just starred with Shammi Kapoor in the Nasir Hussain hit film Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957). But Hussain didn't want to work with Ameeta again, complaining that she had never fit his concept of a heroine. He continued to work with Asha in other films, and while her star ascended, Ameeta's star dimmed and her career ended in 1968. Asha was teamed again with Rajendra Kumar Tuli in Gharana (1961), which became a hit. Kumar would forever refer to her as "Bhagyalakshmi" (meaning "the ever-lucky-one"), because he saw her go from a flop heroine to a screen icon instantly.Producer-Director-Writer Nasir Hussain found Asha to be so professional that he cast her as the heroine in seven films: Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971).Her boyfriend Nasir Hussain gave her a cameo in their eighth film together, Manzil Manzil (1984) as the hero's mother. In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl", she wrote that she "felt out of place in marginalised mummy ji characters" and that she had accepted these types of roles against her better judgment. She never worked for Hussain after this film.Claims she didn't have affairs with her leading men but loved playing pranks on them. In her 2017 memoir, she theorized that the reason that her leading men never made a pass at her was because they were married or on the verge of getting married. She also said that they were afraid of invoking the wrath of her paramour, famous filmmaker Nasir Hussain.Shammi Kapoor is her favorite leading man, and although they played a romantic pair in their four films together, he never made a pass at her in real life and always called her "bhatiji" (niece), while she called him "chacha" (uncle).In her eagerness to devote more time to do dance shows, she turned down film roles that made stars out of others.Although, Shammi Kapoor was her favorite leading man, and she also liked working with his younger brother Shashi Kapoor, her dream was to work with the eldest Kapoor brother Raj Kapoor. But it was a half-realized dream because the film that she made with him, "Chor Mandali" (1982) never got released.Her personal favorite films are Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969), Kati Patang (1970), Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978).Her favorite song that was picturized on her is "Jayiye aap kahaan jaayenge" from the film Mere Sanam (1965), sung by Asha Bhosle.In addition to Nasir Hussain, many major directors cast Asha more than once due to her immense talent, beauty, and professionalism, such as Pramod Chakravorthy, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, Raghunath Jhalani, Mohan Segal, Shakti Samanta, and J.P. Dutta.From 1998 to 2001, Asha was the first woman in history to be appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification ("film censor board") for which she received no salary but plenty of controversy, because she requested that many films be censored.She gave up acting in 1995 to concentrate on her passion of directing television serials, of which she had done many.She was the president of the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994-2000, and later said that it was time consuming, difficult, and ultimately a "thankless job."She is the treasurer of the Cine Artists' Welfare Association Trust(CINTA), which is a home for many film and television artistes fallen on bad days. She is also a trustee for the Cine Artistes Welfare Fund of India, a trust floated by the National Film Development Corporation from the earnings of the film Gandhi (1982) for the welfare of cine artistes in need of assistance.Began a highly successful career as a television director in the early 1990s with a Gujarati serial "Jyoti." Her production company, "Akruti", has come out with television serials "Palash ke Phool", "Baaje Payal", "Kora Kagaz" and a comedy "Dal Mein Kaala."Was recognized as the first Gujarati to become a superstar in Hindi films, and at the height of her fame, she paid tribute to her Gujarati heritage by starring in her first Gujarati film, Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963), which became a big hit and which earned her the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress. Coincidentally, the title "Akhand Saubhagyarati" would be used for a Gujarati television serial that Asha produced in 2005.Asha claims that she starred in a "very sweet film" with Shashi Kapoor titled "Sweetheart," (1970) directed by Suraj Prakash and written by Brij Katyal, but it was never released. (She also appeared in another unreleased film "Jaane Janna", again with Shashi Kapoor, in the 1980's, where she had a supporting role.).She claims to be a bad cook and doesn't like salads, because they remind her of diets.She said that although it is difficult to be a woman director in the television industry, she has no problem commanding respect from everyone on the set when she is shooting television serials.When Asha was shooting for films, she would always carry her food from home. Her heroes Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, and Rajesh Khanna looked forward to eating her fried fish and Goan fish curry.She received the 7th International Indian Film Academy Award for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema on June 16, 2006 in Dubai. She was chosen unanimously by the advisory board for her status as an industry icon, and for her career as actress, producer, director, and also having been the first female chairperson of the Indian film censor board.She received two Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2007: One from the Fifth Annual Pune International Film Festival in India, and the other from the Ninth Annual Bollywood Awards in New York, USA.Is a fan of actor Dilip Kumar and was disappointed when they didn't get to act together in a film, although they came close with the film Zabardast (1985) for her frequent director Nasir Husain. She was upset when the internet published false reports that claimed that the reason she didn't work with him was because she didn't like him. Dilip and his wife Saira Banu told Asha that they never believed the false story and attended her 70th birthday celebration in 2012. The couple remain close to Asha. They invited her to Dilip's 93rd birthday celebration in 2015, an intimate event meant only for family and close friends. Asha was happy to attend it.Shatrughan Sinha made his debut in a small role in Sajan (1969), which starred Asha. He stopped talking to her because of a misunderstanding. He continued to ignore her in their next film together Heera (1973). Many years later, he felt that his behavior was immature and recommended her to an important post. She called to thank him and they started talking again. He said that she was "very gracious about it". In 2017, he came to support the launch of her memoir "The Hit Girl".Although actress Sharmila Tagore claimed that she was first offered Kati Patang (1970), a claim confirmed by the film's director Shakti Samanta, Asha denied that she was ever second-choice for the role that won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.All five of her films with actor Dharmendra were hits. Even though, he is an handsome actor with a reputation as a ladies man, Asha denied an affair with him by stating that "I drew the lines in our friendship quite clearly". She valued their friendship so much that she tried to get him cast in the film Nadaan (1971) with her, because she felt his career was at a low phase at that time. However, the film's director Deven Verma was in an awkward position, because he had already cast Navin Nischol. Dharmendra graciously backed out and not wanting Asha to be upset with the director, instead told her that he wasn't right for the role. They maintained their friendship for more than 50 years.Unlike her favorite hero Shammi Kapoor, she rarely attended musical recordings of her films and was amazed and flattered that music composers and lyricists still wrote beautiful songs for her.Didn't want to act in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) for her longtime director and boyfriend Nasir Hussain, but he talked her into it. He had balked at Nanda Karnataki after she had quoted a huge fee, so Asha felt she had to step in. But she had doubts about playing a deglamourised role in a depressing black-and-white film about unemployment with a then-unknown leading man Rajesh Khanna, since the audience was accustomed to seeing her in glamorous roles paired up with famous leading men in escapist color musicals. But Hussain said he would work around her busy schedule and she had a lot of fun with Khanna. The film wasn't a hit, so Hussain tried to do damage control, by substituting with a happy ending, but it was too late. Asha was paired up with Khanna again on the hit films Kati Patang (1970) and Aan Milo Sajna (1970),, at which time, he had become a huge star, and they didn't have time to have fun. She didn't work with him until much later in Dharm Aur Qanoon (1984), when they played character roles, but she maintained that Khanna was always okay with her. They lost touch after that. However, she attended his funeral in 2012.I.S. Johar offered her a role in Bewaqoof (1960), but director Vijay Bhatt told her to turn down the offer as he had cast her in Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), but he soon fired her and she was without work until Nasir Husain cast her in Dil Deke Dekho (1959), which made her a star. Mala Sinha got the role that Asha had turned down in Bewaqoof (1960).Claims to have turned down Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) for her longtime director Nasir Hussain that newcomer Anamika later accepted.Claims to have turned down hit films that Hema Malini later accepted, such as Sharafat (1970) and Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), the latter earned Malini the Filmfare Best Actress Award.Turned down hit films that Sharmila Tagore later accepted: Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Waqt (1965), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aradhana (1969) (Tagore won Filmfare Best Actress Award), and Choti Bahu (1971).Her first hero Shammi Kapoor initially wanted actress Waheeda Rehman to be his heroine for "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959) but agreed to meet Asha and saw that she was reading Harold Robbins' novel "The Carpetbaggers." He told the then sixteen-year-old that she was too young to be reading such a racy novel, and she cheekily responded, "Yes Chacha (Uncle)." And they hit it off immediately. For the rest of their lives, he called her bhatiji (niece) and she called him chacha (uncle).She beat out a then-unknown Sadhana Shivdasani for her breakout role in the hit film "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959). But Sadhana soon got her big break with the hit "Love in Simla" (1960) and found a husband on the set, the film's director R.K. Nayyar.Before Asha became a star with "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959), she shared scenes with Madhubala (the biggest female star in Hindi films) in "Jwala". Since Madhubala fell ill, the film was shelved. When she died in 1969, Asha attended her funeral and paid her last respects. "Jwala" resumed with various actresses doubling for Madhubala and was released two years after her death in 1971.She is fluent in several languages: Gujarati (her mother tongue), Hindi, and English. She had also delivered Punjabi dialogue in two Punjabi films and Kannada dialogue in a Kannada film. She turned down Tamil and Telugu films though, because she felt that she didn't have "an inborn flair for languages".Celebrated her 70th birthday by throwing a big bash, attended by some of the biggest stars in Hindi films. (October 2012)Threw a big bash to celebrate her 60th birthday attended by former co-stars, admirers, colleagues, politicians, and friends. (October 2002)Filmmaker Vijay Anand's wife Sushma said that the reason he directed Asha in three films and acted opposite her in another film was because he liked her "naughtiness".She acted with Bengali star Uttam Kumar in a Hindi film titled "Jhankar", but it was shelved after only a few days of filming. They were both shocked and upset, but he consoled her.Her idol is Vyjayanthimala, and they shared a dance number and a comedy scene in the hit film Aasha (1957). Two years later, Asha became a heroine with the hit film Dil Deke Dekho (1959), but still she continued to be in awe of Vyjayantimala, even sneaking on to the Amrapali (1966) set to watch her. She played a Vyjayantimala fan in the film Jawan Muhabat (1971). In real life, the two stars would occasionally have lunch together. The only time Asha was hurt was when she was rejected for the film Dr. Vidya (1962), a role that Vyjayantimala got, but she eventually got past the hurt. In 2016, almost 60 years since they first worked together, Vyjayantimala remembered Asha as "a very nice girl". |
| Name: |
Asha Parekh |
Type: |
Producer,Director,Actress (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Producer,Director,Actress |
| Products for sale: |
Producer,Director,Actress |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 07:20:00 |
| Biography: |
Asha Parekh was born in a middle-class Gujarati household to a Hindu father, Pranlal Parekh, and a Muslim mother Sudha Parekh on October 2, 1942 in India. Since she was an only child, she became the center of her parents\' lives. Her mother enrolled |
| Trivia: |
Asha has formed a group with five other actress friends to ease loneliness, so she,Sadhana Shivdasani, Nanda Karnataki, Waheeda Rehman, Shammi, and Helen meet regularly at each other's homes to chat, have lunch, or watch a movie. Asha has urged other retired performers to do the same before it's too late as nothing is more therapeutic in life than companionship. In 2013, she, Waheeda, and Helen went on a 10-day Scandinavian cruise, but Nanda, Sadhana, and Shammi couldn't join them because of poor health. She attended Nanda's funeral in 2014, Sadhana's funeral in 2015, and Shammi's funeral in 2018.Had a complicated working relationship with Manoj Kumar. She thought he was rude when he ignored her at a film premiere, but she also believed that he was talented, so she got him cast in their first film together "Apna Banake Dekho" (1962), but the film didn't do well. Nevertheless, she agreed to act with him in their next film "Do Badan" (1966), which became a hit and won her rave reviews. Impressed with her acting ability, Manoj cast her in "Upkar" (1967), where he was not only the star, but also the writer and director. He was annoyed with Asha when she showed up late for a early morning shot, and he shushed her when she complained about the number of takes. She got upset and stopped talking to him but completed her work. Manoj thought she looked beautiful in the film. She didn't attend the film's premiere, even though the film's critical and box office success raised her asking price. However, she agreed to act with Manoj in their last film together "Sajan" (1969) at which time they started talking again. In 2009, she referred to him as a "very intelligent person". And in 2012, he attended her 70th birthday party and held her hands publicly, which was a big deal, since he was famous for keeping a physical distance from all women, out of respect to his wife.Top Hindi Film Heroine from 1959 to 1973. She has the distinction of being one of the few heroines who had the most box-office hits in a male-dominated film industry.Never married, Asha said her reputation of being unapproachable probably made people hesitate in asking for her hand in marriage. In the early 1970s, she almost had an arranged marriage with an Indian man living in America, but he already had an American girlfriend whom he didn't want to give up, so Asha canceled their wedding plans. She later said that when she was young, whenever her mother showed her horoscope to astrologers, they always said the same thing and that is if she ever got married, it would not be a successful marriage. Asha said she doesn't generally believe in predictions, but in this matter, however, it did grant her "some semblance of peace" in being single.As a classically trained dancer, she did stage shows from childhood to middle-age.The Asha Parekh Hospital in Mumbai is named after her, because of her many humanitarian contributions.Asha Parekh was one of the highest paid actresses of her time.She was devastated and had to be sedated when her mother Sudha Parekh died from cancer. Her mother's last words to her were "Take care of your father". Her father urged her to get back to living and working again. She did that and she also took care of her father, until a few years later, when he died. She fell into a deep depression, until she went to visit a psychiatrist who helped her come out of it.Acted as a child in small roles.Director Vijay Bhatt had first cast Asha in a child's role in Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1954). A few years later, he offered her the chance to make her debut as a heroine in Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), opposite Rajendra Kumar Tuli, but fired her claiming she wasn't star material. Almost immediately, Nasir Hussain cast Asha in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, which made her a star. Bhatt hired actress Ameeta (who cut her fee in half to secure the role) to replace Asha in his film. Ironically, she had just starred with Shammi Kapoor in the Nasir Hussain hit film Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957). But Hussain didn't want to work with Ameeta again, complaining that she had never fit his concept of a heroine. He continued to work with Asha in other films, and while her star ascended, Ameeta's star dimmed and her career ended in 1968. Asha was teamed again with Rajendra Kumar Tuli in Gharana (1961), which became a hit. Kumar would forever refer to her as "Bhagyalakshmi" (meaning "the ever-lucky-one"), because he saw her go from a flop heroine to a screen icon instantly.Producer-Director-Writer Nasir Hussain found Asha to be so professional that he cast her as the heroine in seven films: Dil Deke Dekho (1959), Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971).Her boyfriend Nasir Hussain gave her a cameo in their eighth film together, Manzil Manzil (1984) as the hero's mother. In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl", she wrote that she "felt out of place in marginalised mummy ji characters" and that she had accepted these types of roles against her better judgment. She never worked for Hussain after this film.Claims she didn't have affairs with her leading men but loved playing pranks on them. In her 2017 memoir, she theorized that the reason that her leading men never made a pass at her was because they were married or on the verge of getting married. She also said that they were afraid of invoking the wrath of her paramour, famous filmmaker Nasir Hussain.Shammi Kapoor is her favorite leading man, and although they played a romantic pair in their four films together, he never made a pass at her in real life and always called her "bhatiji" (niece), while she called him "chacha" (uncle).In her eagerness to devote more time to do dance shows, she turned down film roles that made stars out of others.Although, Shammi Kapoor was her favorite leading man, and she also liked working with his younger brother Shashi Kapoor, her dream was to work with the eldest Kapoor brother Raj Kapoor. But it was a half-realized dream because the film that she made with him, "Chor Mandali" (1982) never got released.Her personal favorite films are Do Badan (1966), Chirag (1969), Kati Patang (1970), Pagla Kahin Ka (1970) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978).Her favorite song that was picturized on her is "Jayiye aap kahaan jaayenge" from the film Mere Sanam (1965), sung by Asha Bhosle.In addition to Nasir Hussain, many major directors cast Asha more than once due to her immense talent, beauty, and professionalism, such as Pramod Chakravorthy, Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla, Raghunath Jhalani, Mohan Segal, Shakti Samanta, and J.P. Dutta.From 1998 to 2001, Asha was the first woman in history to be appointed as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification ("film censor board") for which she received no salary but plenty of controversy, because she requested that many films be censored.She gave up acting in 1995 to concentrate on her passion of directing television serials, of which she had done many.She was the president of the Cine Artistes' Association from 1994-2000, and later said that it was time consuming, difficult, and ultimately a "thankless job."She is the treasurer of the Cine Artists' Welfare Association Trust(CINTA), which is a home for many film and television artistes fallen on bad days. She is also a trustee for the Cine Artistes Welfare Fund of India, a trust floated by the National Film Development Corporation from the earnings of the film Gandhi (1982) for the welfare of cine artistes in need of assistance.Began a highly successful career as a television director in the early 1990s with a Gujarati serial "Jyoti." Her production company, "Akruti", has come out with television serials "Palash ke Phool", "Baaje Payal", "Kora Kagaz" and a comedy "Dal Mein Kaala."Was recognized as the first Gujarati to become a superstar in Hindi films, and at the height of her fame, she paid tribute to her Gujarati heritage by starring in her first Gujarati film, Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963), which became a big hit and which earned her the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress. Coincidentally, the title "Akhand Saubhagyarati" would be used for a Gujarati television serial that Asha produced in 2005.Asha claims that she starred in a "very sweet film" with Shashi Kapoor titled "Sweetheart," (1970) directed by Suraj Prakash and written by Brij Katyal, but it was never released. (She also appeared in another unreleased film "Jaane Janna", again with Shashi Kapoor, in the 1980's, where she had a supporting role.).She claims to be a bad cook and doesn't like salads, because they remind her of diets.She said that although it is difficult to be a woman director in the television industry, she has no problem commanding respect from everyone on the set when she is shooting television serials.When Asha was shooting for films, she would always carry her food from home. Her heroes Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, and Rajesh Khanna looked forward to eating her fried fish and Goan fish curry.She received the 7th International Indian Film Academy Award for outstanding achievement in Indian cinema on June 16, 2006 in Dubai. She was chosen unanimously by the advisory board for her status as an industry icon, and for her career as actress, producer, director, and also having been the first female chairperson of the Indian film censor board.She received two Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2007: One from the Fifth Annual Pune International Film Festival in India, and the other from the Ninth Annual Bollywood Awards in New York, USA.Is a fan of actor Dilip Kumar and was disappointed when they didn't get to act together in a film, although they came close with the film Zabardast (1985) for her frequent director Nasir Husain. She was upset when the internet published false reports that claimed that the reason she didn't work with him was because she didn't like him. Dilip and his wife Saira Banu told Asha that they never believed the false story and attended her 70th birthday celebration in 2012. The couple remain close to Asha. They invited her to Dilip's 93rd birthday celebration in 2015, an intimate event meant only for family and close friends. Asha was happy to attend it.Shatrughan Sinha made his debut in a small role in Sajan (1969), which starred Asha. He stopped talking to her because of a misunderstanding. He continued to ignore her in their next film together Heera (1973). Many years later, he felt that his behavior was immature and recommended her to an important post. She called to thank him and they started talking again. He said that she was "very gracious about it". In 2017, he came to support the launch of her memoir "The Hit Girl".Although actress Sharmila Tagore claimed that she was first offered Kati Patang (1970), a claim confirmed by the film's director Shakti Samanta, Asha denied that she was ever second-choice for the role that won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.All five of her films with actor Dharmendra were hits. Even though, he is an handsome actor with a reputation as a ladies man, Asha denied an affair with him by stating that "I drew the lines in our friendship quite clearly". She valued their friendship so much that she tried to get him cast in the film Nadaan (1971) with her, because she felt his career was at a low phase at that time. However, the film's director Deven Verma was in an awkward position, because he had already cast Navin Nischol. Dharmendra graciously backed out and not wanting Asha to be upset with the director, instead told her that he wasn't right for the role. They maintained their friendship for more than 50 years.Unlike her favorite hero Shammi Kapoor, she rarely attended musical recordings of her films and was amazed and flattered that music composers and lyricists still wrote beautiful songs for her.Didn't want to act in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) for her longtime director and boyfriend Nasir Hussain, but he talked her into it. He had balked at Nanda Karnataki after she had quoted a huge fee, so Asha felt she had to step in. But she had doubts about playing a deglamourised role in a depressing black-and-white film about unemployment with a then-unknown leading man Rajesh Khanna, since the audience was accustomed to seeing her in glamorous roles paired up with famous leading men in escapist color musicals. But Hussain said he would work around her busy schedule and she had a lot of fun with Khanna. The film wasn't a hit, so Hussain tried to do damage control, by substituting with a happy ending, but it was too late. Asha was paired up with Khanna again on the hit films Kati Patang (1970) and Aan Milo Sajna (1970),, at which time, he had become a huge star, and they didn't have time to have fun. She didn't work with him until much later in Dharm Aur Qanoon (1984), when they played character roles, but she maintained that Khanna was always okay with her. They lost touch after that. However, she attended his funeral in 2012.I.S. Johar offered her a role in Bewaqoof (1960), but director Vijay Bhatt told her to turn down the offer as he had cast her in Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), but he soon fired her and she was without work until Nasir Husain cast her in Dil Deke Dekho (1959), which made her a star. Mala Sinha got the role that Asha had turned down in Bewaqoof (1960).Claims to have turned down Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) for her longtime director Nasir Hussain that newcomer Anamika later accepted.Claims to have turned down hit films that Hema Malini later accepted, such as Sharafat (1970) and Seeta Aur Geeta (1972), the latter earned Malini the Filmfare Best Actress Award.Turned down hit films that Sharmila Tagore later accepted: Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), Waqt (1965), An Evening in Paris (1967), Aradhana (1969) (Tagore won Filmfare Best Actress Award), and Choti Bahu (1971).Her first hero Shammi Kapoor initially wanted actress Waheeda Rehman to be his heroine for "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959) but agreed to meet Asha and saw that she was reading Harold Robbins' novel "The Carpetbaggers." He told the then sixteen-year-old that she was too young to be reading such a racy novel, and she cheekily responded, "Yes Chacha (Uncle)." And they hit it off immediately. For the rest of their lives, he called her bhatiji (niece) and she called him chacha (uncle).She beat out a then-unknown Sadhana Shivdasani for her breakout role in the hit film "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959). But Sadhana soon got her big break with the hit "Love in Simla" (1960) and found a husband on the set, the film's director R.K. Nayyar.Before Asha became a star with "Dil Deke Dekho" (1959), she shared scenes with Madhubala (the biggest female star in Hindi films) in "Jwala". Since Madhubala fell ill, the film was shelved. When she died in 1969, Asha attended her funeral and paid her last respects. "Jwala" resumed with various actresses doubling for Madhubala and was released two years after her death in 1971.She is fluent in several languages: Gujarati (her mother tongue), Hindi, and English. She had also delivered Punjabi dialogue in two Punjabi films and Kannada dialogue in a Kannada film. She turned down Tamil and Telugu films though, because she felt that she didn't have "an inborn flair for languages".Celebrated her 70th birthday by throwing a big bash, attended by some of the biggest stars in Hindi films. (October 2012)Threw a big bash to celebrate her 60th birthday attended by former co-stars, admirers, colleagues, politicians, and friends. (October 2002)Filmmaker Vijay Anand's wife Sushma said that the reason he directed Asha in three films and acted opposite her in another film was because he liked her "naughtiness".She acted with Bengali star Uttam Kumar in a Hindi film titled "Jhankar", but it was shelved after only a few days of filming. They were both shocked and upset, but he consoled her.Her idol is Vyjayanthimala, and they shared a dance number and a comedy scene in the hit film Aasha (1957). Two years later, Asha became a heroine with the hit film Dil Deke Dekho (1959), but still she continued to be in awe of Vyjayantimala, even sneaking on to the Amrapali (1966) set to watch her. She played a Vyjayantimala fan in the film Jawan Muhabat (1971). In real life, the two stars would occasionally have lunch together. The only time Asha was hurt was when she was rejected for the film Dr. Vidya (1962), a role that Vyjayantimala got, but she eventually got past the hurt. In 2016, almost 60 years since they first worked together, Vyjayantimala remembered Asha as "a very nice girl". |
| Trademarks: |
Her independent nature |
| Quotes: |
When asked if there was a special man in her life: "Of course there was. I'm a normal woman. I may be a nice maiden. But I'm certainly no ice maiden."
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When asked if she missed having a family of her own: "There was a time when I did. Now, when I see so many marriages on the rocks, I feel I'm better off unmarried. So many couples are together because they have no choice."
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Explaining her decision to stop acting in films: "No more bhabhi or mother roles for me. I can't bear to see myself sobbing for some undeserving male who's out busy fighting the goons while I make his favourite dishes in the kitchen. I'd rather be out there doing all the 'dishum dishum'."
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Her respect for non-Indian films: "At least they are focused, compact and have emotions. No dhishum dhishum or five songs just to move the negligible storyline. . .I wish [Indian] films today were not copies of foreign film. There are good Hindusthani topics to pick from."
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I share my birthday with that other far, far greater Gujarati, Mahatma Gandhi. But unlike him, I was anything but a peace ambassador. Whenever I entered the studio everyone would run for cover. |
| Salaries: |
Mera Gaon Mera Desh (undefined) - 3 lakhs
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Dil Deke Dekho (1959) - ₨ 11000
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Baap Beti (1954) - ₨ 100 |
| Job title: |
Producer,Director,Actress |
| Others works: |
(2017) Her memoir "The Hit Girl", co-written by Khalid Mohamed, and published by Om Books International.
(January 1977) Performed Kathak, a traditional dance from North India, in a show titled "A Night in India" at Her Majesty's |
| Parents: |
Bachubhai Parekh(Father)
Sudha parekh(Mother)
Sudha Parekh |
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