Dada Saheb Phalke Award to be conferred upon actor Asha Parekh this year

Veteran Bollywood actor Asha Parekh, who was the highest paid actress of her times, was on Tuesday chosen for the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award for her contribution to Indian cinema.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur made the announcement about the 79-year-old actress, who first appeared on celluloid at the age of ten in Bimal Roy’s movie Maa (Mother) in 1952, being chosen for the recognition.

Also an accomplished classical dancer, Parekh was chosen by a jury consisting of actresses Hema Malini and Poonam, playback singers Asha Bhosle and Udit Narayan and Kannada filmmaker TS Nagabharana.

“It is a matter of pride for the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to announce this prestigious award for the veteran actress,” Thakur said. The award will be presented to her by President Droupadi Murmu in Delhi on September 30 when the National Film Awards will also be distributed.

Born on October 2, 1942 in Gujarat to Salma Parekh and Bachubhai Parekh, she was chosen for Padma Shri in 1952. She was also the first woman chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) between 1998 and 2001..

One of the successful actresses of the 1960s and 1970s, she quit acting in films as she was not enthused in the kind of roles she was getting in her later career and turned to directing Gujarati TV serials.

While she debuted as a child artist in 1952, her first film as heroine was in 1952 when she was cast in the lead role in Dil Deke Dekho. She acted in well known films like Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo, Mere Sanam, Kati Patang, Aya Saawan Jhoom Ke, Aan Milo Sajna and Mera Gaon Mera Desh.