Asha Pharek will be honored with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020, according to the news agency ANI’s tweet. Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur announced the news. He said, “We are delighted to announce that Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020 will be given to Asha Parekh.” He further said that Parekh is a renowned Indian actress who has been a part of approximately 95 films and worked as the CBFC Chairperson for around three years in her career. “She will be given the Dada Saheb Phalke Award at the 68th National Film Awards ceremony on September 30th.”

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Who is Asha Parekh?

Asha Parekh was born on October 2, 1942.
A Gujarati by birth, she is a retired Indian film actress, director and
producer who has been a part of a number of commercially successful films. She
was born to Sudha (also known as Salma Parekh) and Bachubhai Parekh. She
received training in Indian classical dancing from a number of teachers
including Pt. Bansilal Bharati. 

Her career started as a child artist
under the alias Baby Asha Parekh. Bimal Roy, a well-known film director, saw
Parekh’s dance on a stage show and cast her in the film Maa (1952) and then
again in Baap Beti (1954).

As an adult, her acting career started
with Dil Deke Dekho (1959), in which she was paired with Shami Kapoor. During
the 1960s and 1970s, she was one of the most successful actresses and also the
highest paid one of her time.

Parekh has been a part of a number of
films throughout her career like Jab
Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai (1961), Kati Patang (1970), and Caravan (1971). 

In 1992, the Government of India awarded
her with the Padma Shri – the fourth highest civilian award. 

 However, in the 90s, Asha did not
feature in many films. She was a part of a few films like Professor Ki Padosan
and Bhagyawan (1993), Ghar Ki Izzat (1994) and Andolan (1995).

In 2002, she received the Filmfare
Lifetime Achievement Award.

She also chaired the Central Board of
Film Certification (Censor Board) of India as its first female chairperson.

After giving up acting, she started a
career as a director with the Gujarati serial Jyoti.

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When asked about her personal life, the
79-year-old said in an interview that though she would have loved to get
married and have children, it was not meant to be. “However, I have absolutely
no regrets,” she further added.