Veteran Bollywood actor Asha Parekh has been selected for the Dadasaheb Phalke award 2020, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced Tuesday. The award will be presented at the National Film Awards ceremony to be held in New Delhi on Friday.
Announcing the award, Union I&B Minister Anurag Thakur said, “The Dadasaheb Phalke Selection Jury has decided to recognise and award Asha Parekh ji for her exemplary lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema.” He added that the 68th National Film Awards ceremony will be presided over by President Droupadi Murmu.
In a statement, the I&B ministry said, “Asha Parekh is a renowned film actress, director and producer and an accomplished classical dancer. Starting her career as a child actor, she made her debut in Dil Deke Dekho, and has acted in over 95 movies since, including Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Love in Tokyo, Aya Saawan Jhoom Ke, Aan Milo Sajna and Mera Gaon Mera Desh.”
Parekh was awarded the Padma Shri in 1992 and has also served as the head of Central Board of Film Certification from 1998 to 2001. The jury for the 52nd Dadasaheb Phalke award consisted of five members – singer Asha Bhosle, actor-MP Hema Malini, actor Poonam Dhillon, filmmaker T S Nagabharana and singer Udit Narayan.
The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is the country’s highest award in the field of cinema. Its previous recipients include actors Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna (posthumously).
The winners of the 68th National Film Awards (for 2020) were announced in July, with Tamil film ‘Soorarai Pottru’ and Hindi film ‘Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior’ bagging the most trophies. Soorarai Pottru, which bagged five awards, is inspired by events from the life of Air Deccan founder G R Gopinath, while Tanhaji, which traces the life of Maratha warrior Tanaji Malusare, bagged three awards.
