Zohra Sehgal | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sehgal in 2010 | |
| Born | Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum (1912-04-27)27 April 1912 |
| Died | 10 July 2014(2014-07-10) (aged 102) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, dancer, choreographer |
| Years active | 1935–2007 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingKiran Segal and Pavan Segal |
| Relatives | SeeMumtazullah Khan family |
| Awards | Padma Shri (1998) Padma Vibhushan (2010) |
Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (bornSahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, andchoreographer. Having begun her career as a member of acontemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting roles beginning in the 1940s. Sehgal appeared in severalBritish films,television shows, andBollywood productions in a career that spanned over eight decades.
Sehgal's most notable films includeNeecha 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 andCheeni Kum (2007); and the TV serialsThe Jewel in the Crown (1984),Tandoori Nights (1985–87) andAmma and Family (1996).[1] At the age of 90, she played the central character in the 2002 filmChalo Ishq Ladaaye. Considered the doyenne ofIndian theatre, she acted with theIndian People's Theatre Association (IPTA) andPrithviraj Kapoor'sPrithvi Theatre for 14 years.[2]
Sehgal was awarded thePadma Shri in 1998,[3]Kalidas Samman in 2001, and in 2004 theSangeet Natak Akademi (India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama) presented her with its highest award, theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement. She received thePadma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, in 2010.[4] She died in aNew Delhi hospital on 10 July 2014 due tocardiac arrest.[5]
Zohra Begum Mumtazullah Khan was born on 27 April 1912 inRampur,United Provinces,British India, to Mumtazullah Khan and Natiqua Begum. She was raised in a traditionalMuslim household inChakrata (present-dayUttarakhand) and was the fourth of seven children—Zakullah,Hajrah, Ikramullah, Azra (Azra Butt), Amina and Sabra. Sehgal described herself as atomboy, who enjoyed climbing trees and playing outdoor games. She lost vision in her left eye when she contracted glaucoma at the age of one.[6] She was referred to a hospital in Birmingham where she was treated at a cost of £300.[citation needed]
Following the death of her mother at an early age, Sehgal and her sisters were enrolled at theQueen Mary College,Lahore. Strictpurdah was observed at the institute, and men invited to give lectures and seminars were only allowed to do so from behind a screen.[7] Having witnessed her sister's failed marriage, Sehgal decided against getting married herself.[8][9] Upon graduating, her maternal uncle, Sahebzada Saeeduzzafar Khan, who was based inEdinburgh,[10] arranged for her to apprentice under a British actor. They started from Lahore by car and, en route, crossedIran and Palestine, before reachingDamascus, Syria, where she met her cousin. Then they travelled intoEgypt and caught a boat to Europe inAlexandria.[11]
In Europe, Sehgal's aunt encouraged her to enrol inMary Wigman's ballet school inDresden, Germany. Sehgal passed the entrance test without much prior experience in the dance form, and became the first Indian to study at the institution.[12] She stayed in Dresden for the next three years studyingmodern dance, while living in the house of Countess Liebenstein. A significant turning point came in her life when she metUday Shankar at a performance of theShiv-Parvati ballet, which he had choreographed. Shankar promised her a job on her return to India at the completion of her course.[13]
Shankar contacted Sehgal through atelegram, saying, "Leaving for Japan tour. Can you join immediately?"[11] Following that, Sehgal joined his troupe in August 1935. The group touredJapan,Egypt, and several parts of Europe and the United States. Sehgal soon established herself as the lead dancer of the troupe, along with Simkin, a French national. On their return to India in 1940, Sehgal became a teacher at the Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre atAlmora.[14] It was here that she met her future husband Kameshwar Sehgal, a young scientist, painter and dancer fromIndore, eight years her junior, belonging to theRadha Soami sect.
The two continued to work at the Cultural Centre and established themselves as leading choreographers. During their time in Almora, Kameshwar Sehgal composed a noted ballet for human puppets and choreographed the balletLotus Dance.[15] The duo later migrated toLahore, where they set up their own dance academy, the Zohresh Dance Institute. Following the communal tension preceding thePartition of India, they moved toBombay, with their one-year-old daughter, Kiran. Sehgal joined thePrithvi Theatre (where her sister, Uzra Butt also worked) in 1945, as an actress with a monthly salary of Rs 400, and toured across India with the group.
Also in 1945, Sehgal joined the theatre group,Indian People's Theatre Association (IPTA), acted in several plays, and made her film debut in IPTA's first film production, directed byKhwaja Ahmad Abbas,Dharti Ke Lal in 1946; she followed it up with another IPTA-supported film,Neecha Nagar. Directed byChetan Anand and starring Rafiq Ahmed and Uma Anand,Neecha Nagar was one of the first projects of theparallel cinema movement in the subcontinent. Upon release, the film became a critical success and was screened as such international film festivals asCannes Film Festival, where it won thePalme d'Or.[16][17]
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During her stay in Bombay, Sehgal became friends with several theatre and film personalities. She continued her association with theatre, appearing in successful productions includingEbrahim Alkazi'sDin Ke Andhere (portraying Begum Qudsia) andK.A. Abbas's stage productions for IPTA. She lived in a rented house owned byChetan and Uma Anand. She also worked as a choreographer for Hindi films, includingGuru Dutt'sBaazi andRaj Kapoor'sAwaara (both 1951).[18]
After her husband's death in 1959, Sehgal moved toDelhi and was appointed as the director of the newly founded Natya Academy. She worked in the same position for about three years. Later in 1962, Sehgal was awarded a drama scholarship, which required her to move toLondon,United Kingdom. She briefly worked as a dance instructor at aChelsea-based school run byBharatanatyam dancerRam Gopal.[19] Following that, Sehgal made her television debut with a BBC adaptation of a Kipling storyThe Rescue of Pluffles, in 1964. She went on to appear in three episodes of the science fiction fantasy seriesDoctor Who in 1964 and 1965; the episodes that Sehgal worked in, however,are currently lost.[20] She also anchored 26 episodes ofBBC TV series,Padosi (Neighbours; 1976–77).[21]
Sehgal's first film role came in 1982, when she was signed byMerchant Ivory Productions. She appeared in theJames Ivory-directedThe Courtesans of Bombay, which released later that year. This paved the way for an important role as Lady Chatterjee in the television adaptation ofThe Jewel in the Crown (ITV, 1984). She continued to make sporadic appearances in British films for the next few years, most notably in such productions asThe Raj Quartet,The Jewel in the Crown,Tandoori Nights, andMy Beautiful Laundrette.
Sehgal returned to India in the mid-1990s and lived for a few months in Burdwan. At that time she acted in several films, plays and TV series. She first performed poetry at a memorial to Uday Shankar organised by his brother,Ravi Shankar in 1983, and soon took to it in big way; she started getting invited to perform poetry at various occasions. She even travelled to Pakistan to recite verses for "An Evening With Zohra Sehgal". Her impromptu performances ofPunjabi andUrdu became a norm. After stage performances she was often requested by the audience to reciteHafeez Jullundhri's famousnazm,Abhi To Main Jawan Hoon.[13][22][23]
In 1993, the critically acclaimed playEk Thi Nani was staged in Lahore for the first time, featuring Zohra and her sister Uzra Butt (who was now staying in Pakistan). A performance of its English versionA Granny for All Seasons was held atUCLA in 2001.[24] She became very active in Hindi films in grandmotherly roles from 1996, with frequent appearances in high budget movies such asDil Se,Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,Veer Zara,Saawariya andCheeni Kum. She was 90 when she did the filmChalo Ishq Ladaye in 2002, where she was the central character of the film and Govinda played her grandson. The filmIshq Ladaye had her riding a bike and fighting the villains as well. In 2008, at theUnited Nations Population Fund (UNPF)-Laadli Media Awards in New Delhi, she was namedLaadli of the Century, and the award ceremony was presided by the then Chief Minister of Delhi,Sheila Dikshit.[25][26]
Sehgal married Kameshwar Sehgal, aHindu, despite some initial reluctance from her father. The ceremony was held on 14 August 1942;Jawaharlal Nehru was to attend the wedding reception, but he was arrested a couple of days earlier for supporting Gandhi'sQuit India Movement.[7]
Sehgal had two children;Kiran Segal, who is anOdissi dancer and Pavan Sehgal, who works for theWHO.[27] Kiran Segal, wrote her mother's biography titledZohra Sehgal: Fatty, which was released in 2012.[28][27]
On 9 July 2014 she was admitted to the Max Hospital inSouth Delhi after being diagnosed withpneumonia.[5] She died on 10 July 2014, aged 102, after sufferingcardiac arrest. Prime MinisterNarendra Modi paid tribute to Sehgal onTwitter, describing her as "prolific & full of life," and adding that she "made a mark through her acting which is admired across generations."[28] Also paying tribute,Amitabh Bachchan tweeted that Sehgal was "immensely lovable".
Sehgal was cremated on 11 July at Lodhi Road crematorium, Delhi.[29][30][31]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1935 | Romantic India | ||
| 1943 | Rahgeer | ||
| 1946 | Neecha Nagar | Bhabi | |
| 1946 | Dharti Ke Lal | ||
| 1950 | Afsar | ||
| 1953 | Fareb | ||
| 1956 | Heer | ||
| 1957 | Paisa | ||
| 1964 | The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling | Fareda / Ameera's mother / Ayah / Mrs. Hauksbee's Ayah | 5 episodes |
| Doctor Who | Attendant on Ping-Cho | Uncredited; 2 episodes; serial:Marco Polo[32] | |
| 1965 | Sheyrah | Episode: "The Knight of Jaffa"[20] | |
| 1967 | The Long Duel | Devi | |
| 1967 | Theatre 625 | Amma | Episode: "55 Columns" |
| 1968 | The Vengeance of She | Putri | |
| 1968 | The Expert | Mrs. Singh | Episode: "Miss Daley" |
| 1969 | The Guru | Mastani | |
| 1973 | The Regiment | Nanni Ji | Episode: "Women" |
| 1973 | Tales That Witness Madness | Malia | (segment "Luau") |
| 1974 | It Ain't Half Hot Mum | Rangi's Mother-in-Law | Episode: "The Road to Bannu" |
| 1978 | Mind Your Language | Mrs. Singh | Episode: "Many Happy Returns" |
| 1983 | The Courtesans of Bombay | Maria | |
| 1984 | The Jewel in the Crown | Lili Chatterjee | 2 episodes |
| 1985 | Tandoori Nights | ||
| 1985 | Harem | Affaf | |
| 1986 | Caravaggio | Jerusaleme's Grandmother | |
| 1987 | Partition | ||
| 1987 | Never Say Die | Gajmukhi | 4 episodes |
| 1989 | Manika, une vie plus tard | Mère de Ranjit | |
| 1989 | The Bill | Mrs. Gunn | 2 episodes |
| 1991 | Masala | Grandma | |
| 1990 | Mulla Nasiruddin | Old Woman / Story Teller | TV Mini-Series |
| 1992–1994 | Firm Friends | Suvira Bhatia | 8 episodes |
| 1993 | Bhaji on the Beach | Pushpa | |
| 1994 | Little Napoleons | Jayaben Shah | 3 episodes |
| 1995 | Amma and Family | Amma | TV series |
| 1995 | Ek Tha Rusty | TV series | |
| 1998 | Tamanna | Mrs. Chopra | |
| 1998 | Dil Se.. | Grandmother | |
| 1998 | Not a Nice Man to Know | Guest | TV series |
| 1999 | Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Dadi | |
| 1999 | Dillagi | Ranvir's Grand Mother | |
| 1999 | Khwaish | Aapa | TV series |
| 2000 | Tera Jadoo Chal Gayaa | Elderly Lady | (in song "Agre Mein Hai Mashoor") |
| 2001 | Zindagi Kitni Khoobsoorat Hai | Dadi | TV series |
| 2001 | The Mystic Masseur | Auntie | |
| 2001 | Landmark | Gran | Short |
| 2002 | Bend It Like Beckham | Biji | |
| 2002 | Anita and Me | Nanima | |
| 2002 | Chalo Ishq Ladaaye | Dadi | |
| 2003 | Saaya | Sister Martha | |
| 2003 | Kal Ho Naa Ho | ||
| 2004 | Kaun Hai Jo Sapno Mein Aaya? | ||
| 2004 | Veer-Zaara | Bebe | |
| 2005 | Chicken Tikka Masala | Grandmother | |
| 2005 | The Mistress of Spices | First Mother | |
| 2007 | Cheeni Kum | Mrs. Gupta | |
| 2007 | Saawariya | Lilian Ji aka Lilipop | (final film role) |
On 29 September 2020,Google commemorated the anniversary of the release of her 1946 film,Neecha Nagar, (on this day, the film released at theCannes International Film Festival), with aDoodle. The accompanying write-up says, "Among Sehgal’s notable early work was a role in the film “Neecha Nagar“ ("Lowly City"), which was released on this day in 1946 at the Cannes Film Festival. Widely considered Indian cinema's first international critical success, "Neecha Nagar" won the festival's highest honour: the Palme d’Or prize."[36][37][38][39]
