Happy Birthday to versatile actor Late Zohra Sehgal

Lucknow: Zohra Sehgal is a Bollywood diva who essayed character roles in a career spanning over seven decades in both theatre and cinema was born on April 27, 1912 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Unlike most other children she was a tomboy, who loves to climb trees and play games. On her birth anniversary newztrack.com brings you some interesting facts about Zohra sehgal:

Early Life

• Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan was born in Rohilla Pathan family on April 27,1912.
• She travelled across India, West Asia, and Europe by car with her uncle to whom she was very close.
• She attended Queen Mary's Girls College, Lahore.( A place of higher learning for daughters in a Burqa).
• Later, she joined dance troop of Uday Shankar, which was a turning point .

Personal Life

• On her trip, she met Kameshwar Sehgal who was eight year younger than her and fell in love.
• Kameshwar was Hindu and a non-religious man.
• He was eight years younger than Zohra and later after initial opposition from her parents she tied knot in August 1942.
• The couple had two children
• The couple worked together in Uday Shanker's Dance Institute at Almora.
• Zohra lost her husband in 1952.

Career

• After few months they migrated to Lahore and founded their own Dance institute.
• She has acted in number of plays across the country.
• Unfortunately the communal tension prior to the partition of India, and they went to Bombay where she joined Prithviraj Kapur's theater as a stage actress and worked there for 14 years.
• She choreographed for Indian movies like Guru Dutt’s Baazi and Raj Kapoor’s Awaara.
• She got her first break in Arthur Ranks’s movie.
• She became popular after appearing in TV series Mullah Naseeruddin.

• In 2012, daughter Kiran wrote Zohra’s biography named Zohra Sehgal: Fatty.
• She passed away on July 10, 2014 due to Cardiac arrest at the age of 102.

Awards and Recognition

1963: Zohra was honored with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

1998: She was awarded Padma Shrii.

2001: Honoured with Kalidas Samman

2002: Zohra was conferred with Padma Bhushan

2004: Honoured with sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship

2010: Honoured with Padma Vibhushan

The entire Bollywood pays tribute to the talented and versatile actress on her 106^th birthday.