Amitabh Bachchan’s tribute to Zohra Sehgal.
By The American Bazaar Staff
BANGALORE: Veteran Indian actress Zohra Sehgal is no more, having passed away from a cardiac arrest at the Max Hospital in New Delhi on Thursday. She was 102 years old.
Sehgal’s career in film goes all the way back to 1946; in fact, her career spans such a long time that she has shared the screen with generations of leading men, such as Prithviraj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Govinda, Shahrukh and Salman Khan, and Ranbir Kapoor.
She spent several years in Europe, working as an actress there before coming back to India and hitting it big. She is best known to international audiences for her appearance in 2002’s Bend it Like Beckham, and she was even featured on an episode of the long-running BBC show “Doctor Who.”
But to Indian audiences around the world, she will be remembered as the craggy grandma with a heart of gold and sage-like words of wisdom. She appeared in such popular Bollywood titles as Dil Se.., Veer-Zaara, andHum Dil De Chuke Sanam, making an impression each time she came onto the screen.
Born in Uttar Pradesh, her birthname is Zohra Mumtaz-Ullah Khan
Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan. She was only ever married once, to Kameshwar Sehgal, who passed away in 1959. The couple had two children together, Kiran and Pavan.
Her illustrious life saw her receive the Padma Shri award, and also the Padma Vibhushan, which she was deigned with in 2010. Tributes to Sehgal poured over social media as news of her death spread around the world.
“Landed in Mumbai & heard the sad news of Zohra Sehgal’s passing away. An exceptional actress. Loved her attitude towards life. RIP. #Legend” tweeted Anupam Kher.
“She epitomised life, living and its zest .. a spirit that could shame a teenager, and a smile that lit up…” Amitabh Bachchan wrote on his Twitter feed.
Even the official Twitter account of Narendra Modi paid tribute to the screen legend, tweeting “Prolific & full of life, Zohra Sehgal made a mark through her acting, which is admired across generations. Saddened on her demise.”
Her last film appearance was seven years ago, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’sSaawariya. Although the film was a critical and commercial flop, it introduced the world to Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, the former of whom has gone on to become one of Bollywood’s most sought-after leading men. The film also co-starred Salman Khan and Rani Mukherji.