Asha Parekh on her Dadasaheb Phalke Award: ‘All my desires are now fulfilled’

Veteran actor Asha Parekh was on Friday honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema. Asha, who was presented the award by President Droupadi Murmu during the 68th National Film Awards ceremony in Delhi, said she was grateful to receive the award a day before her 80th birthday. Also read: Suriya and Jyothika receive their National Film Awards

Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Asha Parekh on being conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. He lauded her as an outstanding film personality. PM Modi tweeted on Friday, “Asha Parekh Ji is an outstanding film personality. In her long career, she has shown what versatility is. I congratulate her on being conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.”

In an interview to news agency ANI, after receiving the award, Asha said in Hindi, “The time when this award has come… it feels great. It feels as if all my desires are now fulfilled… Initially when they (the government) told me I will be receiving this award, I could not believe that I am getting it. Today it feels that I have actually received the award.” The veteran actor also thanked her fans and said in Gujarati, “I want to thank you all for this award. Thanks for supporting me…”

At the ceremony, Asha was quoted as saying by new agency PTI, “It is a huge honour to have received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. It makes me very grateful that the recognition comes to me just one day before my 80th birthday. This is the best honour I could get from the Government of India. I would like to thank the jury for the recognition that they have bestowed upon me, my long journey and fulfilling the journey in the film industry,” Asha said.

The five-member Dadasaheb Phalke Award committee – comprising of Asha Bhosle, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Udit Narayan, and TS Nagabharana – selected Asha Parekh for the honour for the year 2020.

Asha started her acting career at the age of 10 with the 1952 film Aasmaan and went on to star in Bimal Roy’s Baap Beti two years later. Asha made her debut as a leading lady in Nasir Hussain’s 1959 movie Dil Deke Dekho, opposite Shammi Kapoor. In a career spanning over five decades, she starred in over 95 films, such as Dil Deke Dekho, Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, and Caravan.

A director and producer as well, Asha had helmed the acclaimed TV serial Kora Kagaz that aired in the late 1990s. She was also the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). She served from 1998-2001. Asha was also honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of the country, in 1992.

With Agencies inputs