Asha Parekh on 60s' Bollywood, remixes and much more

Brut India

This veteran actor was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke award today. Watch Asha Parekh reminiscing about the good old days, and dissing remixes at India International Film Festival Boston during a conversation with Faridoon Shahryar.  : Faridoon Shahryar : Connect FM Canada India International Film Festival of Boston - IIFFB

Transcript

00:00Asha ji, many of your songs have been remixed into music videos.

00:04Powerful.

00:07Powerful.

00:08People have forgotten their own dance.

00:12And what are we doing?

00:14We are imitating western dance.

00:21How important was the 60s period in your career?

00:23When I started working, I was 9 years old.

00:26Late Pimal Roy saw me and called me.

00:29He said, will you work?

00:31I said yes without any hesitation.

00:34Rest is history.

00:35Dil Dekhe Dekho started.

00:37And I starred in it.

00:39The film was a very big hit.

00:41That's why I will say from 1959.

00:45This was a very good time.

00:47Do Badan Se, Kati Patang and Main Tulsi Tere Angan Ki.

00:49As an actor, many people appreciated you in that.

00:53How important was it for you to get recognition as an actor?

00:58And people appreciate your performance and not merely your glamour quotient.

01:01Actually, the critics thought that I was not a good actress.

01:05These films did prove that I could act.

01:09So that was a good thing for me.

01:11How do you look back at Dil Dekhe Dekho?

01:14That was the stepping stone of my career.

01:17It could have broken me.

01:20So we were shooting in a hotel which had beautiful flowers.

01:24It was on a slope.

01:26And by the time we started the shooting,

01:29there were no flowers.

01:31Everything was flat on the ground.

01:34Because the people were going crazy about Mr. Dev Anand.

01:38People who have seen Do Badan,

01:40we had to reshoot that.

01:42Because I had said that only I will die.

01:44How can he die?

01:46Mr. Manoj Kumar was very upset.

01:48We both died in the film.

01:50I think your western dance style was outstanding.

01:54I didn't know how to jive.

01:57I remember there was a tall boy.

02:00He danced on both my toes and destroyed them.

02:07We have forgotten our own dance.

02:11And what are we doing?

02:13We are imitating western dance.

02:17You are not very happy with a lot of other songs?

02:20Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an exception.

02:23He is bound by it.

02:25You can see a lot of our culture in it.

02:30A lot of your songs have been remixed.

02:33Awful.

02:35Awful.

02:37Because

02:39the original song of Mithas

02:43is in the film.

02:45When he remixes it,

02:47only drums are heard.

02:49Dham, dham, dham.

02:51All those words are removed.

02:54A lot of people believe that

02:56you have been offered citizenship in Japan.

02:58No.

02:59You have been here twice.

03:01What was the phase like in those days?

03:04Late 50s, 60s.

03:06You are in the film industry.

03:08You have to be protected as well.

03:10How did your mother contribute to that?

03:12She never allowed anybody to come near me.

03:14I am being very frank.

03:16There were quite a lot of heroes

03:18who used to get very frightened of me.

03:20I don't know why they used to be frightened.

03:22How did fans approach the stars at that time?

03:24Did you get letters?

03:26Did you get proposals from them?

03:28Once,

03:30outside the door of my house,

03:34a Chinese man started living there.

03:37If people go and tell him to go,

03:40he would take out his knife and show it to them.

03:42He wanted to marry me.

03:45I rang up the commissioner of police.

03:47He wrote a letter to me.

03:49From the jail?

03:50From the jail.

03:51He said, I have been put in jail.

03:53Get me out.

03:55I have put you in jail.

03:58How can I get you out?

04:00Who impresses you the most

04:02among the actresses of today?

04:04I like Alia.

04:05I admire Deepika Padukone also.

04:10I admire Deepika Padukone also.

Category

Transcript

Recommended