<p>The last rites of veteran actor Zohra Sehgal were performed on Friday in the presence of friends and family who remember her fondly.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The cremation of the 102-year-old actress, who died on Thursday, took place at Lodhi Road in the presence of her son Pawan, daughter Kiran and her grandchildren.<br /><br />Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, actor Shabana Azmi, lyricist Javed Akhtar, theatre personality M K Raina and Prasar Bharti CEO Jawahar Sircar were among those who came to pay their last respects to Sehgal.<br /><br />Azmi remembered the actress for her vivacious personality. “I worked with her for the first time in a play in 2002. She was around 90 years old at that time. She was always punctual for rehearsals. She was a thorough professional and always had a smile on her face,” Azmi said.<br /><br />Akhtar said it was not possible to write the history of 21st century theatre without Sehgal. “She had contributed a lot to every field where she had worked be it dance, theatre or cinema. She had a cheerful personality,” the renowned lyricist said.<br /><br />Dikshit praised Sehgal for providing her with inspiring memories. “It was hard to describe Zohra Sehgal. She was a great artiste and a very cheerful human being. She had a brilliant memory. Our country will always remember her. She never took anything negatively.”<br /><br />Raina called Sehgal’s death the end of an era in theatre. “She was punctual and highly professional. She was always prepared with her dialogues. Her presence used to make the environment lively.”<br /><br />The veteran star said that during her 102nd birthday in April this year, Zohra was preparing for her death with a smile and wanted a simple funeral.<br /><br />Sehgal had a great innings as an artiste, performer and actor that spanned more than seven decades. She started her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar in 1935. She had acted in many Bollywood and English language films, besides in television series and plays. Often called the grand old lady of Bollywood, she last appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya” in 2007. She worked with some of the biggest stars in this era from Amitabh Bachchan in “Cheeni Kum” and Shah Rukh Khan in “Dil Se” to Salman Khan in “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”.<br /><br />A Padma Shri awardee, she also received the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.</p>
<p>The last rites of veteran actor Zohra Sehgal were performed on Friday in the presence of friends and family who remember her fondly.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The cremation of the 102-year-old actress, who died on Thursday, took place at Lodhi Road in the presence of her son Pawan, daughter Kiran and her grandchildren.<br /><br />Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, actor Shabana Azmi, lyricist Javed Akhtar, theatre personality M K Raina and Prasar Bharti CEO Jawahar Sircar were among those who came to pay their last respects to Sehgal.<br /><br />Azmi remembered the actress for her vivacious personality. “I worked with her for the first time in a play in 2002. She was around 90 years old at that time. She was always punctual for rehearsals. She was a thorough professional and always had a smile on her face,” Azmi said.<br /><br />Akhtar said it was not possible to write the history of 21st century theatre without Sehgal. “She had contributed a lot to every field where she had worked be it dance, theatre or cinema. She had a cheerful personality,” the renowned lyricist said.<br /><br />Dikshit praised Sehgal for providing her with inspiring memories. “It was hard to describe Zohra Sehgal. She was a great artiste and a very cheerful human being. She had a brilliant memory. Our country will always remember her. She never took anything negatively.”<br /><br />Raina called Sehgal’s death the end of an era in theatre. “She was punctual and highly professional. She was always prepared with her dialogues. Her presence used to make the environment lively.”<br /><br />The veteran star said that during her 102nd birthday in April this year, Zohra was preparing for her death with a smile and wanted a simple funeral.<br /><br />Sehgal had a great innings as an artiste, performer and actor that spanned more than seven decades. She started her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar in 1935. She had acted in many Bollywood and English language films, besides in television series and plays. Often called the grand old lady of Bollywood, she last appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Saawariya” in 2007. She worked with some of the biggest stars in this era from Amitabh Bachchan in “Cheeni Kum” and Shah Rukh Khan in “Dil Se” to Salman Khan in “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”.<br /><br />A Padma Shri awardee, she also received the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.</p>