"I was the only heroine whose name sold films"

Hit machine Asha Parekh looks back at her life and times in a heartwarming chat with Farhana Farook

IF ANY LEAD ACTRESS OF THE '60S-'70S HAS SCALED THE FULL ARC IT'S ASHA PAREKH. All the pizzaz in her early films, her ditties Aaja aaja, O mere sona re, O haseenon zulfon wali, Bangle ke peeche... still rock the party floor. She has equally evocative elegies to her credit... Suno sajna papihe ne, Jaiye aap kahan jayenge, Aaja piya tohe pyaar doon, Achha toh hum chalte hain... are top reruns on the airwaves. The finest ode would be Majrooh Sultanpuri's Teri aankhon ke siva from Chirag, the mukhda inspired by Faiz Ahmed Faiz's masterpiece Mujhse pehli si mohabbat mere mehboob na maang. Widening her world, Asha later directed top shows on television, including no, helmed CINTAA (Cine and TV Artistes' Association) and the Censor Board, apart from film distribution. Her personal profile displays the same poise she lent to her professional run. Self-respecting and not wanting to be dubbed a home-breaker, she chose not to marry the man she loved - filmmaker Nasir Hussain. Self-regarding, she turned away from a two-timing suitor in the US. Self-aware, she helped herself break out of transient depression. Self-reliant, she's embraced life solo and with spunk. A feminist without a placard, she has a message for women. "Never trust people on face value. Know the person well or they can take you for a ride. Remember, women are more powerful, more intelligent and stronger than men," smiles the actress who's been there, done that...

JUBILEE STAR