Veteran star Asha Parekh to be conferred with Dada Saheb Phalke award
New Delhi(PTI): Veteran actor Asha Parekh will be honoured with the Dada Saheb Phalke award for 2020, the highest recognition in the field of Indian cinema, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said on Tuesday.
Parekh, 79, will be presented with the award during the 68th National Film Awards ceremony, to be held on Friday.
The five-member Dada Saheb Phalke Award committee -- comprising Asha Bhosle, Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Udit Narayan, and TS Nagabharana -- decided on Parekh's name for the honour, Thakur told reporters in his constituency Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh.
"They decided in the meeting that this time Asha Parekh ji will be honoured with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award, which will be presented during the National Film Awards ceremony. It is a matter of pride for the ministry to announce this prestigious award for the veteran actress," the minister said.
Parekh, an eminent actor whose career spans close to five decades, started her acting career at the age of 10.
Known for starring in over 95 films that include "Dil Deke Dekho", "Kati Patang", "Teesri Manzil", "Baharon Ke Sapne", "Pyar Ka Mausam", and "Caravan", she is considered one of the most influential actresses of all time in Hindi cinema.
She started her career as a child artist with the 1952 film "Aasmaan" and went on to star in Bimal Roy's "Baap Beti" two years later.
Parekh made her debut as a leading lady in Nasir Hussain's 1959 movie "Dil Deke Dekho", in which she starred opposite Shammi Kapoor.
Also a director and producer, Parekh had helmed the acclaimed TV drama "Kora Kagaz" in the late 1990s.
The screen legend also served as the first female chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998-2001.
She came out with her autobiography, "The Hit Girl", co-written by film critic Khalid Mohamed, in 2017.
She was also honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award of the country, in 1992.
Last year, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2019 was conferred on Rajinikanth.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Ex-Army officer assaulted, robbed at gunpoint by woman he met through matrimonial website
Mathura(UP), Apr 5 (PTI): A retired Army colonel from Haryana has filed a police complaint here, alleging that he was held hostage, assaulted, looted and forced to participate in an "obscene video" at gunpoint with a woman he met through a matrimonial website, police said on Saturday.
The woman from Mathura, who was allegedly in on the plan to rob him, was working with other accomplices, the ex-armyman said in his complaint filed on Thursday.
According to Barsana Station House Officer (SHO) Raj Kamal Singh, Colonel Rajneesh Soni (retired), a resident of Gurugram, reported that he was contacted by a woman from Barsana on a matrimonial website in January. The woman allegedly agreed to marry him, and they began communicating.
The woman allegedly persuaded the colonel to visit Barsana on January 25, requesting that he visit the Radharani temple. When he arrived, she arranged for his stay at a guest house and took him on a tour of the area, including a visit to the temple, the complainant said.
After returning to the guest house, the woman and her accomplices allegedly told the colonel that her brother had been involved in an accident and they needed to leave immediately. They then led him to a waiting car.
"Once outside the town limits, the colonel alleges that he was attacked by the occupants of the car. They seized his phone, physically assaulted him, and forced him to contact relatives and friends to transfer money," the SHO said.
"He was then taken back to the guest house, where he was allegedly forced to participate in obscene videos and photographs at gunpoint. He was threatened that the videos would be made public if he reported the incident," the officer said.
The colonel has alleged that his purse, bag, gold chain, debit card and Rs. 12,000 in cash were stolen from the guest house.
After an unsuccessful attempt at locating the perpetrators himself, the colonel finally reported the incident to the Barsana police two days ago, he said.
"A case has been registered under relevant sections of the BNS and all facts are being investigated. Further action will be taken as per facts found in the investigation," the SHO said.
