Biographies and autobiographies seem to be the flavour of the season. Early this year, filmmaker Karan Johar and actor Rishi Kapoor came out with their respective books, An Unsuitable Boy and Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored. Now, a book on veteran actress Asha Parekh, written by journalist and filmmaker Khalid Mohamed, is due to hit bookstores in April 2017.
Parekh began her career as a child artiste in Aasmaan (1951) starring Shyama and got a small role opposite her idol Vyjayanthimala in Aasha (1957). But it was Nasir Husain’s Dil Deke Dekho (1959) with Shammi Kapoor that launched her into the big league. A trained dancer, Asha Parekh quickly became a star with hits like Teesri Manzil (1966), Kati Patang (1970) and Caravan (1971).
The book’s title, The Hit Girl, alludes to the large number of hit films she was associated with during the 1960s and 1970s. Besides acting, Asha Parekh continued to perform dance ballets internationally and in India at the peak of her career.
From 1998 to 2001, she also became the first actress to become the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). She later produced and directed television shows for the small screen in the 1990s.
Salman Khan has written the foreword for the book which is due to be released mid-April.