Asha Parekh is an Indian film actress, director, and producer who appeared in many commercially successful films throughout her career. She was the highest paid actress of her time and was one of the most successful actresses of the 1960s and 1970s

 

Bio
Real Name	Asha Parekh
Nickname	Jubilee Girl, Tomboy
Profession	Actress, Director, Producer
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 161 cm in meters- 1.61 m in Feet Inches- 5' 3"
Weight (approx.)	in Kilograms- 62 Kg in Pounds- 137 lbs
Eye Colour	Dark Brown
Hair Colour	Black
Personal Life
Date of Birth	2 October 1942
Age (as in 2016)	74 Years
Birth Place	Bombay (now Mumbai), Bombay Presidency, British India
Zodiac sign/Sun sign	Libra
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mumbai, India
School	Not Known
College	Not Known
Educational Qualification	Not Known
Debut	Hindi Film: Aasmaan, 1952 (as Child Artist) Dil Deke Dekho, 1959 (as Lead Role) Gujarati Film: Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963) Punjabi Film: Kankan De Ohle (1971) Kannada Film: Sharavegada Saradara (1989) TV Director: Jyoti (Gujarati serial of the early 1990s)
Awards	• In 1971, won Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kati Patang. • In 1992, awarded Padma Shre by the Government of India. • In 2002, awarded Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Family	Father- Bachubhai Parekh Mother- Sudha Parekh Sister- N/A Brother- N/A
Religion	Jainism (Father), Islam (Mother)
Address	Azad Road, Juhu, Mumbai
Hobbies	Dancing, Doing Yoga
Controversies	During her tenure as the President of the Cine Artists' Association, she was criticized for censoring films; especially not giving clearance to Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth.
Favourite Things
Favourite Actor	Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand
Favourite Actress	Waheeda Rahman, Helen, Saira Bano
Favourite Director	Bimal Roy
Favourite Dance Teacher	Bansilal Bharati
Favourite Singer	Asha Bhosle
Boys, Affairs and More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Affairs/Boyfriends	Nasir Hussain, Film Maker (Rumored)
Husband	N/A
Children	None
Money Factor
Net Worth	Not Known

 

Some Lesser Known Facts About Asha Parekh

• Does Asha Parekh smoke?: Not Known

• Does Asha Parekh drink alcohol?: Not Known

• She was born in a middle-class Gujarati Jain family in Mumbai.

• Her father was from Paldi near Pirana Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

• Her father was a Jain while her mother was a Muslim.

• She is an ardent follower of Sai Baba.

• Being the only child of her parents, she was the pivot of her parents’ lives.

• Her mother, Sudha Parekh, enrolled her in classical dance classes at an early age.

• She started performing stage shows at an early age.

• She started her film career as a child artist with the 1952 film ‘Aasmaan’ in which her screen name was Baby Asha Parekh.

• At a stage function, Bimal Roy saw her dance and cast her at the age of twelve in the 1954 film ‘Baap Beti.’

• After doing a couple of child roles, she quit acting to resume her schooling.

• At the age of 16, she tried to make her debut as a heroine. However; she was rejected by Vijay Bhatt in his 1959 film ‘Goonj Uthi Shehnai,’ citing she was not a star material. Precisely 8 days later, Nasir Hussain cast her in his film ‘Dil Deke Dekho’ opposite Shammi Kapoor, which made her a huge star.

• She was cast by Nasir Hussain in six more of his films.

• She was also associated with Nasir Hussain as a distributor of his films for 21 years.

• She became a symbol of glamor girl, excellent dancer, and tomboy in most of her films. However, she also did serious roles in 3 of her favourite films- ‘Do Badan’ (1966), ‘Chirag’ (1969), and ‘Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki’ (1978).

• She did 3 Gujarati Language films including ‘Akhand Saubhagyavati’ (1963), which became a huge hit.

• She also acted in a few Punjabi Language films including ‘Kankan De Ohle’ (1971) opposite Dharmendra and the hit Kannada film- Sharavegada Saradara (1989).

• After playing the lead roles in the films, she started playing the supporting roles of Bhabhi (sister-in-law) and Mother. However; she described it as the ‘awkward phase’ of her career.

• She founded a production company called ‘Akruti’ and produced serials like ‘Baaje Payal,’ Palash Ke Phool,’ ‘Kora Kagaz,’ and a comedy serial ‘Daal Me Kaala.’

• From 1994 to 2000, she remained President of the Cine Artists’ Association.

• In 2008, she judged a Reality Show ‘Tyohaar Dhamaaka on the 9X Channel.

• She remained unmarried throughout her life. However; in an interview, she revealed that she had a longtime boyfriend but declined to explain the relationship.

• After her mother’s death, Asha sold her bungalow and shifted into a smaller house to take care of her ailing father who passed away later.

• At present, she concentrates on her dance academy called ‘Kara Bhavan’ and the Asha Parekh Hospital (named in her honour) in Santa Cruz, Mumbai.

• In 2017, her autobiography titled ‘The Hit Girl’ (co-written by Khalid Mohammed) was released by Salman Khan.