Asha Parekh (Born 1942)

Asha Parekh is a popular mainstream Hindi film actress who starred in many successful Bollywood films in the 60s and 70s. Probably she has delivered more hit films that any other actress from her era. Born in Bangalore, Karnataka, Asha hails from a middle-class Gujarati household. She started her career as a child artiste under the name 'Baby Asha Parekh' in the film Aasmaan (1952). Further on she received a glorious opportunity of working with Bimal Roy in Baap Beti (1954). But the film flopped, and she quit acting and resumed school. At sixteen, producer Subodh Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain signed her for Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor. This was her huge leap to stardom. She went on to act in six more of Hussain's films. Director Raj Khosla cast her in serious roles in films like Do Badan (1966) and Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) and brought a change in her glamorous image. One of the biggest hits of her acting career was Kati Patang (1970). She has also acted in a few Gujarati films. Asha was the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification. She received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. Presently she runs a dance academy called Kara Bhavan in Mumbai.