Asha Parekh (2 October 1942) is a Bollywood actress, director, and producer. She was one of the top stars in Hindi films from 1959 to 1973 and is said to have starred in more hit films than any other actress.

Asha Parekh was born into a middle-class Gujarati household on 2 October 1942 in Maharashtra, India to a Jain father was from Paldi near Pirana, Ahmedabad, Gujarat and Muslim mother, and her religious upbringing involved worshiping Sai Baba. Her mother enrolled her in Indian classical dance classes at an early age.

Asha has remained unmarried, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable made people hesitate in asking for her hand in marriage. There were rumors that she was romantically involved with her married director Nasir Hussain. In her later years, Asha said that she had a longtime boyfriend but declined to elaborate on the relationship, only stating that "it was nice while it lasted." She said she hadn't seen Nasir Hussain the last year of his life, as he became reclusive because of his wife's death, but she did speak to him on the phone the day before he died in 2002.

Today, she concentrates on her dance academy Kara Bhavan. The Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai is named after her because of her many contributions.

Source: Wikipedia