1
Asha Parekh started her career as child artiste Baby Asha Parekh in 1952's Aasman. OP Nayyar, who had so far only composed background scores, made his debut as an independent music composer with Aasman.
2
At 15, Asha Parekh had a small part opposite her idol Vyjayanthimala in Aasha (1957), which was shot partly in colour. Aasha featured Kishore Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in the lead roles; the film is mostly known for the song 'Eena Meena Deeka' sung separately by Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar.
3
Asha Parekh was originally cast as the female lead opposite Rajendra Kumar's first big hit Gunj Uthi Shehnai (1959) but later rejected as not having enough 'star material' after two days of shooting. Actress Amita replaced her in the film.
4
Her first big break as lead actress was in Nasir Husain's Dil Deke Dekho (1959) co-starring Shammi Kapoor. Sadhana was also in the running for the role of Neeta but Parekh was eventually chosen. Dil Deke Dekho released on Parekh's 17th birthday and was also Usha Khanna's first film as music composer.
5
Asha Parekh was the first choice for the role of Vandana in Aradhana (1969). She refused it as she didn't want to age on screen. Sharmila Tagore took on the role and won her first and only Filmfare award for Best Actress for her performance.
6
Asha Parekh played the role of village belle Anju in one of the first Westerns of Hindi cinema, Raj Khosla's Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971). The film has several similarities to Sholay (1975) with Dharmendra as Ajit, a former convict who goes to a small village to help the villagers overcome a dacoit gang led by Jabbar Singh, played by Vinod Khanna.
7
At the height of her career, Asha Parekh chose to accompany her dance troupe on an overseas tour to perform 500 shows of the dance ballet Anarkali and 300 shows of Chaula Devi. Along with Kathak dancer Gopi Krishna, she also performed 300 shows of Image of India. She became the first Indian woman to perform at the Lincoln Center in New York in 1973.
8
Asha Parekh never appeared opposite Dilip Kumar. Her only film with Raj Kapoor, Chor Mandali (1982), was never released owing to a dispute. The film co-starred Ashok Kumar, Bindu and Vinod Mehra.
9
Asha Parekh was the first actress to be appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification in 1998. She held the post until 2001.