Zohra Sehgal

Zohra Sehgal
Sehgal in 2010
Born
Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum

(1912-04-27)27 April 1912
Died10 July 2014(2014-07-10) (aged 102)
Occupation(s)Actress, dancer, choreographer
Years active1935–2007
Spouse
Kameshwar Nath Segal
(m. 1942; died 1959)
Children2, including Kiran Segal
RelativesSee Mumtazullah Khan family
AwardsPadma Shri (1998)
Padma Vibhushan (2010)
Actress and Dance Choreographer of repute, Charcoal on Paper by Amitabh Mitra

Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (born Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer. Having begun her career as a member of a contemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting roles beginning in the 1940s. Sehgal appeared in several British films, television shows, and Bollywood productions in a career that spanned over eight decades.

Sehgal's most notable films include Neecha Nagar, Afsar (1946), Bhaji on the Beach (1992), The Mystic Masseur (2001), Bend It Like Beckham (2002), Dil Se.. (1998), Saaya (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004) Saawariya and Cheeni Kum (2007); and the TV serials The Jewel in the Crown (1984), Tandoori Nights (1985–87) and Amma and Family (1996).[1] At the age of 90, she played the central character in the 2002 film Chalo Ishq Ladaaye. Considered the doyenne of Indian theatre, she acted with the Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) and Prithviraj Kapoor's Prithvi Theatre for 14 years.[2]

Sehgal was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998,[3] Kalidas Samman in 2001, and in 2004 the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama) presented her with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement. She received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, in 2010.[4] She died in a New Delhi hospital on 10 July 2014 due to cardiac arrest.[5]

  1. ^ Zohra Sehgal Encyclopædia Britannica.
  2. ^ "Zohra Sehgal: Naughty in her 90s!", The Times of India, 8 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 October 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  4. ^ "This Year's Padma Awards announced" (Press release). Ministry of Home Affairs. 25 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference death was invoked but never defined (see the help page).