Veteran actress Asha Parekh has been an icon of Indian films ever since she made her debut in 1959 in Dil Deke Dekho, in which she starred opposite the equally legendary Shammi Kapoor.
Her fabulous performances in cult films like Teesri Manzil (1966), Kati Patang (1970) for which she won a Filmfare Best Actress award; and Caravan (1971) cemented her name as a star to reckon with and in 1992, she was awarded the Padma Shree for Arts. Ten years later, in 2002, Parekh was also bestowed with a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her acting accomplishments.
But if that was not enough of an honour, UTV Stars’ Walk of the Stars now pays an ode to the yesteryear’s diva by launching the impression of her palm print, on a tile. It will be embedded into the Walk of the Stars promenade at Bandstand in Bandra Mumbai.
Asha Parekh unveiled her hand impression at a glitzy event in Mumbai yesterday where she was cheered on by a huge number of close friends and celebrities of her era.
Said Asha Parekh at the official unveiling, “I am extremely touched by this, honoured and am grateful to all those who have appreciated my contribution to Indian cinema, which I still hold very close to my heart.”
TRIVIA:
Asha Parekh made her acting debut in 1952 in a film called Aasman. She was known as Baby Asha Parekh, back then.
She was spotted by legendary director Bimal Roy, at a dance concert in 1954. He then cast her in Baap Beti. The film did not fare well at the time.
Her big break came in 1959 when Aamir Khan‘s uncle, Nasir Hussain, cast her opposite Shammi Kapoor in Dil Deke Dekho. The original choice for the hero was Dev Anand. but due to some differences with Hussain, he opted out of the film.
In 1995, Asha Parekh retired from acting and chose to focus her energies on producing television serials and even dabbled in direction.
Source: Wikipedia
Pix: Viral Bhayani for MissMalini