Asha Parekh Biography
Date of Birth
2 October 1942, Bangalore, India
Nickname
Jubilee Girl
Tomboy
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 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 S. Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Husain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho(1959) which made her a huge star. The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Nasir, who later became producer, and would cast her in the heroine role in six more films. Shammi Kapoor became her favorite hero and friend. They worked together on three more films, most notably the huge hit Teesri Manzil (1966). 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 easily compensated for non-actors like Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit, and she held 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 would cast her in three more films, and Asha's leading man Manoj Kumar would soon direct and star opposite her in his blockbuster "Upkar" (1967) which also won the Filmfare award for Best Film. Although Asha earned the title "Jubilee Girl" because of the continuous string of box office successes like Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Gharana (1961), Shikar (1968), and Aan Milo Sajna (1970), she also hit a bump with Raj Khosla's flop Chirag(1969). But it also garnered her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress 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 tried to cut her part down. This time, Asha confronted Padma Chayya directly and told her to think before she speaks as Padma got twice the number of songs than Asha did in the film. Aruna Irani allegedly made the same claims against Asha when they costarred in Nasir Husain's box office smash Caravan (1971), but Asha always maintained that she and Aruna became very good friends. Also, facts back Asha's claim that she never would cut anyone's part down as Aruna had more songs than Asha and she was also nominated as Best Supporting Actress for a Filmfare Award, while Asha wasn't nominated for the film. However, Asha did win the much coveted Best Actress Filmfare Award for Shakti Samantha's Kati Patang (1970). She played a deglamorized 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, her box-office rival and former co-star, complained that she was more deserving for her own performance in "Tere Mere Sapne". Asha was hitting the heights of fame and glory even though she was now pushing 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 Husain when he directed her in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) and would continue to do so for twenty one years. 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 Sindoor (1976) and Raj Khosla's massive hit, Main Tulsi Tere Aanghan Khi (1978), which also won the Filmfare Award as Best Film. But the rest of her supporting roles disenchanted her, with the exception of her strong performance in Hathyaar (1989). 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. However, her acting accomplishments were not forgotten as she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. She formed her production company "Akruti," through which she produced and directed television serials. 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 later years, Asha admitted that she did have a longtime boyfriend and that "it was nice while it lasted." Now, Asha devotes 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. In 2009, she was seen judging dances on her own television show. Today, Asha says that she is very flattered to know that she has fans all over the world.
Date of Birth
2 October 1942, Bangalore, India
Nickname
Jubilee Girl
Tomboy
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 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 S. Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Husain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho(1959) which made her a huge star. The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Nasir, who later became producer, and would cast her in the heroine role in six more films. Shammi Kapoor became her favorite hero and friend. They worked together on three more films, most notably the huge hit Teesri Manzil (1966). 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 easily compensated for non-actors like Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit, and she held 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 would cast her in three more films, and Asha's leading man Manoj Kumar would soon direct and star opposite her in his blockbuster "Upkar" (1967) which also won the Filmfare award for Best Film. Although Asha earned the title "Jubilee Girl" because of the continuous string of box office successes like Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Gharana (1961), Shikar (1968), and Aan Milo Sajna (1970), she also hit a bump with Raj Khosla's flop Chirag(1969). But it also garnered her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress 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 tried to cut her part down. This time, Asha confronted Padma Chayya directly and told her to think before she speaks as Padma got twice the number of songs than Asha did in the film. Aruna Irani allegedly made the same claims against Asha when they costarred in Nasir Husain's box office smash Caravan (1971), but Asha always maintained that she and Aruna became very good friends. Also, facts back Asha's claim that she never would cut anyone's part down as Aruna had more songs than Asha and she was also nominated as Best Supporting Actress for a Filmfare Award, while Asha wasn't nominated for the film. However, Asha did win the much coveted Best Actress Filmfare Award for Shakti Samantha's Kati Patang (1970). She played a deglamorized 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, her box-office rival and former co-star, complained that she was more deserving for her own performance in "Tere Mere Sapne". Asha was hitting the heights of fame and glory even though she was now pushing 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 Husain when he directed her in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) and would continue to do so for twenty one years. 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 Sindoor (1976) and Raj Khosla's massive hit, Main Tulsi Tere Aanghan Khi (1978), which also won the Filmfare Award as Best Film. But the rest of her supporting roles disenchanted her, with the exception of her strong performance in Hathyaar (1989). 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. However, her acting accomplishments were not forgotten as she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. She formed her production company "Akruti," through which she produced and directed television serials. 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 later years, Asha admitted that she did have a longtime boyfriend and that "it was nice while it lasted." Now, Asha devotes 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. In 2009, she was seen judging dances on her own television show. Today, Asha says that she is very flattered to know that she has fans all over the world.
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Asha Parekh
Ye Shaam Mastani - Rajesh Khanna & Asha Parekh - Kati Patang
Interview with Asha Parekh
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