Veteran Bollywood actor Asha Parekh was recently honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for her contribution to Indian cinema. The actor featured in 95 films in a career spanning over five decades. Some of her most memorable films included titles such as Dil Deke Dekho, Kati Patang, Teesri Manzil, Baharon Ke Sapne, Pyar Ka Mausam, and Caravan. In a recent interview, the actor recalled working with Dev Anand in Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai and Manoj Kumar in Do Badan.
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Parekh, 80, in a new interview with Connect FM Canada, said that she remembers Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai because it was her first trip to Darjeeling. But at one point while shooting of the film with Dev Anand, she got sad. She said, “I remember the film because that was the first time that I went to Darjeeling. The hero was Dev Anand and people were crazy about Dev Anand. So, we were shooting at a hotel which had beautiful flowers, and by the time we started the shooting, everything was flat on the ground. There were no flowers because people were going crazy about Dev Anand. I felt very sad.”
The actor also reminisced about sharing the screen with actor Manoj Kumar in the 1966 romantic drama Do Badan. She revealed how she wanted only her character to die in the climax of the Raj Khosla film, but her idea left her co-actor Kumar ‘upset’.
Parekh said, “People who have seen Do Badan realise that in the end, Manoj Kumar dies suddenly. We had to reshoot that because I said that only I will die, how can he die? So, Mr Manoj Kumar was very upset. He said, ‘Take a bet with me, I will get this re-shot again’. So, we had to reshoot it and he dies. So, we both died in the film.”
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During the free-wheeling chat, the veteran star revealed several anecdotes from her illustrious film career. One of her revelations was about the song “Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera” from the movie Teesri Manzil. “Mr Vijay Anand was fond of taking long shots. My complete mukhda and antara were picturised in one shot,” the actor revealed.
After receiving the Dadasaheb Phalke award from President Droupadi Murmu during the 68th National Film Awards ceremony, she said she continues to be attached to the movies in her own small way even after 60 years.