 |
| The Grand Old Lady, Zohra Sehgal. Photo by: Sify Website |
The veteran Bollywood actress who
was starred in numerous films, television series and theatre productions and who
is known as the ‘Grand Old Lady of Bollywood’ - has died yesterday 10th June at
the age of 102 years in a cardiac arrest. According to a senior doctor
at Max Hospital, she was admitted
yesterday and diagnosed with pneumonia. She was also a heart patient and she
suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away at 4pm
on Thursday in the Delhi hospital.
Actress and
choreographer Zohra Sehgal started her career as a dancer with the classical Indian dancer Uday
Shankar in the year 1935. Zohra
who was Born on 27th April, 1912
and belongs to a traditional Muslim family in Sahranpur of Uttar Pradesh state and had appeared in many
Bollywood films as a character actor as well as in English language films
besides television series and plays. She appeared in Bollywood hits
like Cheeni Kum, Dil Se, Veer Zaara, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Zohra also
appeared in Hollywood movies such as The
Vengeance of She, Tales that Witness Madness, Never Say Die, Little Napoleons
and Bend It Like Beckham . Zohra last
appeared in director Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film
Saawariya at the year 2007, the first Bollywood feature film
produced by a Hollywood studio (Sony Pictures). Zohra married the
scientist and dancer Kameshwar Sehgal in August 1942 and had two children,
Kiran and Pavan. Her husband Kameshwar died in 1952 and Zohra who performed across Japan, Egypt, Europe and the U.S
as a dancer raised the two children.
Many across the globe are paying tributes to
Zohra and one of them is the Indian newly elected Prime
Minister Narendra Modi who tweeted that he was saddened by the news of
Zohra’s sudden death. “Prolific &
full of life, Zohra Sehgal made a mark through her acting, which is admired
across generations. Saddened on her demise”, tweeted Indian PM Narendra Modi at 10th July, 9:39 PM. Zohra Sehgal who was a member of the
Indian People’s Theatre Association received some of India’s highest
awards, including the Padma Shri in 1998, the Kalidas Samman in 2001, the
Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2004, in addition to the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.
Sehgal had been cremated today at 11:00 am at the Lodhi Road crematorium of
Indian Capital New Delhi.
No comments: