Zohra Sehgal

The veteran Indian actress and choreographer, Zohra Sehgal, turns 101 today and celebrates her Birthday amidst family and friends. She was born on 27 April 1912 in Uttar Pradesh into a traditional Muslim family. She was the third of her seven siblings. She lost her mother at a young age. Zohra attented Queen Mary College, Lahore as per her mother's wish. She then, travelled all the way with her uncle to Europe where her aunt encouraged to join the Mary Wigman's ballet school in Dresden. With this, she became the first Indian to study in that school. After three years of modern dance training, she joined Uday Shankar's ballet troupe in 1935. The troupe travelled to places like Egypt, Japan and the US and gave dance performances. Later in 1940,  Zohra Sehgal  was made a teacher at the Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre at Almora. During that time, she met Kameshwar Sehgal, a young scientist and painter, whom she married in 1942 and had two children Kiran and Pavan. The couple later went to Lahore to establish their own Dance Institute. But because of the disturbances of India's partition, they came to Mumbai and joined actor Prithviraj Kapoor's Prithvi Theatre. This Celebrity made her film debut in 1946 with Dharti Ke Lal, followed by Neecha Nagar, the first Indian film to gain international recognition and won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.





Zohra turned choreographer for several films that include Baazi (1951), Awaara and others. Kameshwar became art director in Hindi films. He expired in 1959 and Zohra moved to Delhi and turned director of the Natya Academy. Based on a drama scholarship, she went to London in 1962, and worked as a teacher in the Uday Shankar's dancing school. There, she was signed by Merchant Ivory Productions and worked in the docudrama, The Courtesans of Bombay. Then she appeared in films like The Jewel in the Crown, Tandoori Nightsm My Beautiful Laundrette etc. Post her return to India in the mid 1990s, she acted in several films and TV series that include Amma and Family, Dil Se, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Bend It Like Beckham, Veer-Zaara, Mistress of Spices, Cheeni Kum and Saawariya. Zohra received several awards till now which include Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, Kalidas Samman, and Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards. She was born under the Taurus zodiac sign and she is a person who adores comfort, and value harmony in personal life. Her Horoscope reveals that this year is good for the old beauty in most aspects. There will be love, care and support from family members but more attention towards health is suggested. On the whole, the year will pass peacefully. Recently, I shared Moushumi Chatterjee's horoscope.