Asha Parekh turns 65 
By Subhash K. Jha, October 3, 2007 - 12:31 IST
It was a relatively quiet 65 th birthday yesterday for the ageless go-go girl of the 1960s whose hits like Teesri Manzil, Kati Patang, Jab Pyar Kissise Hota Hai, Aan Milo Sajna and Love In Tokyo continue to be a staple diet for cable television.
"That is so much in the past,” Ashaji laughs her still-girlish laughter. "I'm glad people remember those films today. Nevertheless, they were loads of fun to do. I was the biggest prankster in the industry. I had fun on the sets constantly. There was never any question of an affair with any of my co-stars. They were all buddies….Sunil Dutt, Joy Mukherjee, Biswajeet, Shashi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Shammi Chacha-that's what I call Mr. Shammi Kapoor even today."
So no affairs and flings for Ashaji?
"Well," she chortles. "It wasn’t as if I was an ice maiden. I was a nice maiden," and she bursts out laughing. Ashaji feels every girl aspiring to be in the entertainment industry should learn dancing. "I was a dancer first, an actress later. Recently I went on Sony's ‘Boogie Woogie’ and was amazed at the dancing skills of the young ones today.” Keeping herself completely aloof from acting world, Ashaji now has a small but faithful group of family and friends. "Waheeda Rehmanji, Vyjanthimalaji, Nanda, Sadhana, Shammy Aunty, and I form a core group of friends. We do meet whenever we can. But I guess everyone is busy with family and other obligations." Except Ashaji, who never married and has no regrets on that front. "When there was an opportunity to do so I was busy with my career. But I have no regrets.”
“Yes, I do miss a family, specially my parents." Ashaji lost her mom earlier and her father recently. She sold her famous bungalow in Juhu and moved into a more manageable apartment a few years ago where a steady trickle of cousins, nephews, and nieces keeping her engaged.
Professionally she has been producing and directing television serials for a decade. “Not any more. At least not, right now. The television industry has changed so much. It has become too cutthroat for me. I was never competitive as an actor. Why should I get into any race now?"
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Asha Parekh, Manoj Kumar and Dev Anand to be felicitated
