Asha Parekh

Lore & Background

Asha Parekh was born on 2 October 1942 in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, to Sudha Parekh (née Lakdawala), a Bohri Muslim, and Bachubhai Parekh, a Gujarati Hindu. She initially wanted to become a doctor but changed her mind after witnessing a train accident. Her interest in dance led to training by Kathak dancer Mohanlal Pandey, after which director Bimal Roy cast her as a child actor in Maa (1952).

Parekh made her adult debut in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, beginning a long association with writer-director Nasir Hussain. She starred in numerous successful films in the 1960s and 1970s, including Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Teesri Manzil (1966), Upkar (1967), Kati Patang (1970), and Caravan (1971). She won a Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Kati Patang and received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reader's Guide

Asha Parekh was a leading actress in Hindi cinema during the 1960s and 1970s, known for her work in over 85 films. She was one of the first women to hold the chairperson position at the Central Board of Film Certification, where she navigated controversies over censorship of films dealing with same-gender love, communal riots, and gender stereotypes. Her autobiography, The Hit Girl (2017), provides insight into her career and the film industry. Parekh's legacy includes her acting contributions, her role in shaping film certification policy, and her philanthropic work through the Cine Artiste Welfare Trust, which she helped found in 1991.

Did You Know?

• Asha Parekh was born to a Bohri Muslim mother and a Gujarati Hindu father.
• She was the first woman to be appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification.
• She won her only Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the film Kati Patang (1970).
• Her autobiography, The Hit Girl, was published in 2017.

Early Life & the Road to the Screen

Asha Parekh entered the world on 2 October 1942 in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, the daughter of Sudha 'Salma' Lakdawala, a Bohri Muslim freedom fighter, and Bachubhai Parekh, a Gujarati Hindu. Her parents first crossed paths as students at Fergusson College in Pune, and her mother's activism carried a personal cost: Lakdawala was briefly imprisoned for protesting British colonial rule while carrying her unborn daughter. Young Asha initially aspired to become a doctor, but a harrowing train accident she witnessed derailed that ambition. Instead, her natural talent for dance caught the eye of veteran actor Prem Nath, who happened to be visiting the family of neighbor Mukul Anand. He arranged for Kathak master Mohanlal Pandey to coach her for a performance at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. It was there that director Bimal Roy first noticed the young girl and went on to cast her as a child actor in his 1952 film Maa, launching a career that would eventually span more than four decades and over eighty-five films.

From Rejection to Stardom

At sixteen, Parekh attempted a return to the screen only to be turned away by Vijay Bhatt, who told her she lacked star quality for Goonj Uthi Shehnai. Yet just eight days later, producer Subodh Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain gave her the lead in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, igniting a creative partnership that would produce six more films together, including Teesri Manzil, Caravan, and Pyar Ka Mausam. Through the 1960s and 1970s she delivered a string of box-office hits—Ziddi, Mere Sanam, Love in Tokyo, Aaye Din Bahar Ke, and Upkar—while collaborating with directors Raj Khosla and Shakti Samanta. In a BBC interview she recalled that until Do Badan (1966) she was typecast as a glamour girl, but that film redefined her as a serious performer. Her role in Kati Patang (1970) earned her sole Filmfare Best Actress Award. Beyond Hindi cinema she lent her talent to Gujarati, Punjabi, and Kannada productions, and in 1981 starred opposite Amitabh Bachchan in Kaalia, her only collaboration with the megastar.

Honours & a Lifetime of Industry Service

Parekh's contributions to Indian cinema have been recognized at the highest levels. The Government of India conferred the Padma Shri on her in 1992, and in 2020 she received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, cinema's most prestigious national honour. The Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award followed in 2002. Beyond individual accolades, she devoted years to serving the industry's collective welfare. From 1994 to 2000 she served as president of the Cine and TV Artistes' Association (CINTAA), and in 1991 co-founded the Cine Artiste Welfare Trust alongside Dilip Kumar, Sunil Dutt, Mithun Chakraborty, and Amjad Khan to provide financial and medical aid to struggling performers. In 1998 she made history as the first woman appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification. Her commitment to colleagues extended into the 2010s, when she and director Vipul Shah rallied to cover the medical expenses of ailing actor A.K. Hangal. In 2017 she shared her story with the world through her autobiography, The Hit Girl.

Beyond the Silver Screen

After Kaalia in 1981, Parekh broadened her creative footprint well beyond the film set. She directed the Gujarati television series Jyoti (1988–1989) and went on to establish Akruti, her own production house, which brought several popular shows to Indian homes, including Palash ke Phool, Baaje Payal, Kora Kagaz, and Dal Mein Kaala. Her multilingual range was equally notable: she acted in Gujarati films such as Akhand Saubhagyavati and Kulvadhu, Punjabi productions like Kankan De Ohle opposite Dharmendra and Lambhardarni with Dara Singh, and the Kannada film Sharavegada Saradara in 1989. Across more than four decades, her filmography stretched past eighty-five titles, from her 1952 debut as 'Baby Asha Parekh' in Maa to her later guest appearance in Nasir Hussain's Manzil Manzil (1984). This breadth—spanning acting, directing, producing, and advocacy—cemented her status as one of Indian cinema's most versatile and enduring figures.