30 Facts About Zohra Sehgal

Zohra Sehgal was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998, Kalidas Samman in 2001, and in 2004 the Sangeet Natak Akademi presented her with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement.

Zohra Sehgal received the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, in 2010.

Zohra Sehgal died in a New Delhi hospital on 10 July 2014 due to cardiac arrest.

Zohra Sehgal Begum Mumtazullah Khan was born on 27 April 1912 in Rampur, United Provinces, British India, to Mumtazullah Khan and Natiqua Begum.

Zohra Sehgal described herself as a tomboy, who enjoyed climbing trees and playing outdoor games.

Zohra Sehgal lost vision in her left eye when she contracted glaucoma at the age of one.

In Europe, Zohra Sehgal's aunt encouraged her to enrol in Mary Wigman's ballet school in Dresden, Germany.

Zohra Sehgal passed the entrance test without much prior experience in the dance form, and became the first Indian to study at the institution.

Zohra Sehgal stayed in Dresden for the next three years studying modern dance, while living in the house of Countess Liebenstein.

Zohra Sehgal soon established herself as the lead dancer of the troupe, along with Simkin, a French national.

Zohra Sehgal joined the Prithvi Theatre in 1945, as an actress with a monthly salary of Rs 400, and toured across India with the group.

Also in 1945, Zohra Sehgal joined the theatre group, Indian People's Theatre Association, acted in several plays, and made her film debut in IPTA's first film production, directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas, Dharti Ke Lal in 1946; she followed it up with another IPTA-supported film, Neecha Nagar.

Zohra Sehgal lived in a rented house owned by Chetan and Uma Anand.

Zohra Sehgal worked as a choreographer for Hindi films, including Guru Dutt's Baazi and Raj Kapoor's Awaara.

Zohra Sehgal worked in the same position for about three years.

Later in 1962, Zohra Sehgal was awarded a drama scholarship, which required her to move to London, United Kingdom.

Zohra Sehgal briefly worked as a dance instructor at a Chelsea-based school run by Bharatanatyam dancer Ram Gopal.

Zohra Sehgal went on to appear in three episodes of the science fiction fantasy series Doctor Who in 1964 and 1965; the episodes that Sehgal worked in are currently lost.

Zohra Sehgal anchored 26 episodes of BBC TV series, Padosi.

Zohra Sehgal appeared in the James Ivory-directed The Courtesans of Bombay, which released later that year.

Zohra Sehgal continued to make sporadic appearances in British films for the next few years, most notably in such productions as The Raj Quartet, The Jewel in the Crown, Tandoori Nights, and My Beautiful Laundrette.

Zohra Sehgal returned to India in the mid-1990s and lived for a few months in Burdwan.

Zohra Sehgal 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.

Zohra Sehgal even travelled to Pakistan to recite verses for "An Evening With Zohra Sehgal".

Zohra Sehgal became very active in Hindi films in grandmotherly roles from 1996, with frequent appearances in high budget movies such as Dil Se, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Veer Zara, Saawariya and Cheeni Kum.

Zohra Sehgal was 90 when she did the film Chalo Ishq Ladaye in 2002, where she was the central character of the film and Govinda played her grandson.

Zohra Sehgal married Kameshwar Zohra Sehgal, a Hindu, despite some initial reluctance from her father.

Zohra Sehgal had two children; Kiran Segal, who is an Odissi dancer and Pavan Zohra Sehgal, who works for the WHO.

Zohra Sehgal died on 10 July 2014, aged 102, after suffering cardiac arrest.

Zohra Sehgal had dictated that upon her death she wanted to be cremated and buried without fuss or problems, and told her family to flush her ashes down the toilet if the crematorium refused to keep them.