On September 30, 2022, the veteran film actress, director, and producer, Asha Parekh, was conferred the 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke Award for the year 2020 for her exemplary lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. The five-member jury, comprising Asha Bhosle, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Udit Narayan, and T.S. Nagabharana, had recommended the award to her. Keeping up with the over 60-year-old tradition, President of India, Droupadi Murmu, and information and broadcasting minister, Anurag Thakur, conferred the 68th National Film Awards, two years after the COVID-19 pandemic had suspended the prestigious event.
About the Award
Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India’s highest recognition in the field of Indian cinema. The award is given for ‘outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.’ The selection of the awardee is made on the recommendation of a five-member committee consisting of eminent figures from the Indian film industry. The award consists of a Swarna Kamal (golden lotus), medallion, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 10,00,000.
Instituted in 1969, commemorating Phalke’s contribution to Indian cinema, the award was first presented to Devika Rani for her role as actress in Karma, the first Indian English-language film.
About the Recipient
Asha Parekh is an accomplished classical dancer. She started her career as a child actor in the film Aasmaan released in 1952, and then acted in Baap Beti two years after that. She made her debut in 1959 as lead actress in Nasir Hussains’s film Dil Deke Dekho, starring alongside Shammi Kapoor. She has acted in more than 95 movies including Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo, Aya Saawan Jhoom Ke’, Aan Milo Sajna, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, and many more. Her film career spans over five decades. She is only the seventh female actor to be awarded the top honour.
After she quit acting, she made her directorial debut with Marathi TV show, Jyoti. She also directed and produced the acclaimed TV serial, Kora Kagaz in the late 1990s. She is the first woman to become the head of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998–2001. In 1992, Asha Parekh was also conferred with the Padma Shri Award.
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