She twisted and turned, and sent a million hearts flipping with her moves. But after having ruled the silver screen for around two decades in a series of hits, veteran actress Asha Parekh rues the turn Bollywood's dances have taken in recent years
Asha Parekh
She twisted and turned, and sent a million hearts flipping with her moves. But after having ruled the silver screen for around two decades in a series of hits, veteran actress Asha Parekh rues the turn Bollywood's dances have taken in recent years.
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The 74-year-old yesteryear star of hits such as "Kati Patang", "Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke" and "Caravan" and acclaimed dancer says that the song and dance sequences in Bollywood are unlike those in the films of the past, for Hindi films have lost touch with Indian culture.
"Technically, we have become superior and can compete with any Hollywood film. But the only sad part is that we have become too westernised. Hindi films have lost touch with Indian culture. Even Bollywood dance sequences lack the impression of our Indian dances. It is dying, which is disheartening," she says.
Parekh states that the music and lyrics of songs are "different" from those of her time. "There are some songs which are nice, but the rest of the music is not something which will be memorable," Parekh told PTI.
The actress says she does not like the concept of remixes but is fine with remakes, provided they are done tastefully. "I don't like the whole culture of remixes. My song 'Kanta Laga' was ruined. I don't like this at all. But I am fine with remakes if they are nicely made."
Parekh, who enjoyed stardom in the '60s and '70s, is however all praise for today's generation of actors. "I give full credit to actors today for choosing tough roles. They work really hard and it is commendable how they deal with the paparazzi. I can't imagine myself doing all this, or dealing with the social media and tabloid culture,"
she says.
The actress stresses that she has no plans to get back into films, though she is involved with organisations working for the industry. "I have always been involved with a lot of things related to the film industry but I don't want to make films. I want an easy life. I am involved with a lot of social work. I have worked too hard and now is the time to enjoy," she says.
Parekh, who recently launched her autobiography "The Hit Girl", says it was not difficult for her to share her life story with the world. "Opening up was not difficult. But certain memories were painful and I never talked about them. In this book, the good and the bad come together," she says.
She adds that people want to know more about her. "There is much more to me than being an actress." The book is penned by journalist-writer Khalid Mohamed, with a foreword by Salman Khan. The book was launched by Aamir Khan in Delhi.
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