Five days to her 80th birthday (October 2), veteran Bollywood actress Asha Parekh received an early gift in the form of the venerated Dadasaheb Phalke Award on Tuesday. As of this year, there have been 52 recipients of the award, its first recipient being Devika Rani. The award was posthumously bequeathed upon Prithviraj Kapoor and Vinod Khanna. Parekh, known as the Hit Girl of the 1960s well into the 70s, has been conferred the highest accolade in the nation for a lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. Parekh, 79, will be presented with the award during the 68th National Film Awards ceremony, to be held on Friday.
The five-member Dada Saheb Phalke Award committee — comprising Asha Bhosle, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Udit Narayan, and TS Nagabharana — decided on Parekh’s name for the honour.
Parekh, an eminent actor whose career spans close to five decades, started her acting career at the age of 10.
Known for starring in over 95 films that include ‘Dil Deke Dekho’, “Kati Patang”, “Teesri Manzil”, “Baharon Ke Sapne”, “Pyar Ka Mausam”, and “Caravan”, she is considered one of the most influential actresses of all time in Hindi cinema.
She started her career as a child artist with the 1952 film “Aasmaan” and went on to star in Bimal Roy’s “Baap Beti” two years later. Parekh made her debut as a leading lady in Nasir Hussain’s 1959 movie “Dil Deke Dekho”, in which she starred opposite Shammi Kapoor. Also, a director and producer, Parekh helmed the acclaimed TV drama “Kora Kagaz” in the late 1990s.
The screen legend also served as the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998-2001. She came out with her autobiography, “The Hit Girl”, co-written by film critic Khalid Mohamed, in 2017. She was also honoured with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 1992.
Last year, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019 was conferred on Rajinikanth.
