Expresso Bollywood Feature on Asha Parekh: Beloved ‘Jubilee’ Star and Lucky Charm for Dharmendra, Dev Anand, Shammi Kapoor

Asha Parekh, the yesteryear diva was associated with adjectives like effervescent, fashionista, cheerful, dancer, and glamour girl. A leading lady who could give her leading man a run for his money, but only in the typical romantic dramas. She struggled a lot to graduate from her several turns as a conventional Bollywood heroine and become one of the most sought-after leading ladies of the 1960s with unconventional roles.

In her early roles as the love interest of the leading man, Parekh inevitably chewed more scenery and had more eyes riveted on her than on the superstar she was cast opposite, whether it was Shammi Kapoor, Dev Anand, Dharmendra or Rajesh Khanna. Her Bollywood debut Dil Deke Dekho (1959) made Parekh a marquee star.

The late legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy spotted this gem at her school’s annual day and cast her as a child actor in his film Maa (1952) and then in Baap Beti in 1954. She was paid Rs 100 for the movie. After being credited as Baby Asha Parekh in a few more films, she was cast as the lead in Vijay Bhatt’s Goonj Uthi Shehnai, opposite Rajendra Kumar, but got sacked in a couple of days as the director felt she was not “star material”.

After enrolling in filmmaker Sashadhar Mukherjee's acting classes at his studio, she impressed Nasir Husain with her screen test. She was elated to not only earn Rs 11,000 for her big debut but also work with a talent like Shammi Kapoor who taught her how to lip sync and other camera techniques. Dil Deke Dekho was just the beginning of her journey to becoming the ‘Sweetheart of the Swinging 60s’. But she had to plead with Sashadhar Mukherjee to stay Asha Parekh and not become Asha Pari, a name suggested by Dilip Kumar.

Soon after Dil Deke Dekho, in 1960, she delivered a hit with Ramanand Sagar’s Ghunghat, a film too heavy with emotions for an 18-year-old to fathom.

It was never easy for the lively, cheerful Parekh to be broody in life, both on and off-screen. Hence, she balanced with some lighthearted entertainers (Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai, Aan Milo Sajna, Love in Tokyo) that can cheer you up on a dull day.

Some of this carefree, tomboyish attitude came from being the only child of Bachubhai Parekh and Sudha. As a kid, she didn’t play with dolls but had a gang of boys with whom she would indulge in street games. But she also credited her mother for keeping her grounded and disciplined.

After a couple of years and four consecutive superhits, Parekh’s fees rose from Rs 11,000 to Rs 75,000 in the early 60s. She got the moniker of the ‘Hit Girl’. She became a regular in Hussain’s films, the most prominent ones being Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai (1961), Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963) and Teesri Manzil (1966). Between 1964 and 1967, Parekh worked with almost every top filmmaker and actor in the industry and delivered many hits. Parekh also believed, “I danced therefore I was. Without dance, I would not have been an actress.”

But filmmakers were overlooking the actor in her. It was Raj Khosla-directed Do Badan (1966) that changed that for her as she got recognised for her fine performance as a tragedienne. Khosla gave two more meaningful roles to Parekh in his films, Chirag (1969) and Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki (1978).

The film that got Asha Parekh her first Filmfare award, was the 1970 film Kati Patang, featuring Rajesh Khanna. But had Shakti Samanta’s son Aseem not been her fan, Kati Patang would have never come to Parekh. After that, Shakti signed Parekh for Pagla Kahin Ka and apologised to her for assuming that she would “bring the baggage of her stardom” to the film’s set.

The doe-eyed danseuse’s mastery of her craft can also be credited to the people she drew inspiration from, including great talents like Elizabeth Taylor, Grace Kelly, Ava Gardner, and Audrey Hepburn. She also followed the advice of Geeta Bali who told her to be as natural and spontaneous as she was in real life.

She was a total fashion influencer of her time and made popular tight slacks, tops, churidars, kurtas, and designer sarees with sleeveless blouses popular among the masses. Her eyeliner became the Asha Parekh trademark. But she doesn’t take full credit and shares it with the designers who designed her like Bhanu Athaiya, Madame Pompadour, and Leena Daru.

The only man that Parekh fell in love with was Nasir Husain. Though she made peace with unrequited love, it was hard for Parekh to come to terms with the loss of her parents, and she slipped into depression. Her close friend Waheeda Rehman talked her out of it and made a promise to her that she would never think she was alone.

In the 90s, Parekh finally retired from the movies, after getting disappointed in the roles of mother or sister that she played until the late 80s. She then tried her hand at direction and gave the audience one of the finest TV shows in Kora Kaagaz. But by the 2000s, she put the camera away from her. The only controversies that Parekh courted were during her tenure (1998-2001) as the head of the Central Board of Film Certification.

Today, at 81, Asha Parekh is still living her life to the fullest with her friends, Waheeda Rehman and Helen, going on lunch and movie dates. Though watching her contemporaries die makes her anxious, she only wishes to “go without pain” and wants people to remember her as a “nice girl.”