#GoldenFrames: Zohra Sehgal, one of the country’s first female actors - Zohra Sehgal is one of the fir- Navbharat Times Photodhamal

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Zohra Sehgal is one of the first female Indian actors to achieve a truly international profile, with roles in movies such as 'Bhaji on the Beach' (1993) and 'Bend It Like Beckham' (2002). Apart from the legendary actor, she was a dancer and choreographer. Sehgal was awarded the Padma Shri in 1998 and Kalidas Samman in 2001. In 2004, she was presented with the highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (India's National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama). She received India's second-highest civilian honour—the Padma Vibhushan in 2010.

In This Pic : Zohra Sehgal

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Zohra Sehgal was born on April 27, 1912, in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India to mother Natiqua Begum and father Mumtazullah Khan. She was born and raised in a traditional Muslim family. Sehgal went to Queen Mary College, Lahore. Zohra's parents had seven children and Zohra was their third child. Reportedly, she was a tomboy in her childhood days and had also lost vision in her left eye at the age of one.

In This Pic : Zohra Sehgal

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After she graduated, Sehgal took a fascinating journey from Lahore to Europe. Her aunt convinced her to enter Mary Wigman's ballet school in Dresden, Germany, during her visit to Europe. She was the first Indian woman to enter that school. During her stay, she met Uday Shankar, who promised her a job when she completed her course and returned to India.

In This Pic : Zohra Sehgal

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Zohra Sehgal later toured several countries with the dancer Uday Shankar, the elder brother of Ravi Shankar, who was then a small-part dancer in his company.

In This Pic : Zohra Sehgal

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Zohra Sehgal met her husband, the painter Kameshwar Sehgal, in an art centre founded by Uday Shankar in the Himalayan foothills. Kameshwar was a Hindu and eight years younger than Zohra. They married in 1942.

In This Pic : Zohra Sehgal