Golden Era of Bollywood: Happy Birthday Asha Parekh

Asha Parekh was born into a middle-class Gujarati Jain family on 2 October 1942 in Mumbai,she started her career as a child artist under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh in the film Aasmaan (1952). Famed film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the age of twelve in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her and even though she did a couple more child roles, she quit to resume her schooling.

She made her debut as a heroine from Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, which made her a big star.The film was produced by Subodh Mukharji and directed by Nasir Hussain,who later casted her as the heroine in six more of his films: Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Pyar Ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971). She also did a cameo in his film Manzil Manzil (1984).

Her films were essentially cheerful, lighthearted entertainers. Today, they may not count as classics, but are redolent of a more gentler and amiable age of entertainers., She made an impact in Ziddi (1964). Asha played a characteristic no-nonsense tomboy who cavorts around with a cute baby elephant for company. She surprised many in her emotional scenes, which captured her painful passage to adulthood.

The true efflorescence of Asha's talent came in the year 1966, which saw her star in four successful films: Vijay Anand's masterly suspenseful musical Teesri Manzil reteamed her with Shammi Kapoor, Love In Tokyo gave her a chance to dance and emote in picturesque Japan, Aaye Din Bahaar Ke started a successful teaming with Dharmendra (five successes, no flops), and Raj Khosla's rather maudlin Do Badan offered her the opportunity to play tragedy.

She did deglamourised roles in Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), or Chiraag (1969).She finally got the much coveted Best Actress Award in Kati Patang (1970). As the widow whose watery smile hides a painful secret, Kati Patang was followed by hits like Aan Milo Sajna, Nasir Hussain's Caravan and Raj Khosla's Mera Gaon Mera Desh in the early seventies.

Later she concentrated on her dancing and went on a an extended trip abroad for her dance shows.Asha's obsession with dance continued and her performance of famous dance ballets like Chauladevi won attention.

She did the ocassional film like Raj Khosla's Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki (1978), or J P Dutta's Hathyar (1989), which made demands on her creativity. But when she found film roles degenerating into the maa-bhabhi glut, she firmly retired from films in the early 1990s.

Her biggest challenge however came with her appointment as chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification,She held this post from 1998 to 2001, where she was forced to take a stand on innumerable controversial issues, but as usual, Parekh emerged with flying colours.She was given PadmaShri by Govt. of India in 1992

Today, she concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan and the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, named in her honour because of her many humanitarian contributions.We wish her long life and remember her with her Super Hit songs