Google on Tuesday paid tributes to the legendary actor-dancer Zohra Sehgal by dedicating a special doodle to her that completely captures the screen icon’s joie de vivre.
On today in 1946, “Neecha Nagar”, starring Sehgal, was released at the Cannes festival and won the Palme d’Or prize. The movie, consistent with Google is Indian cinema’s first international critical success.
Illustrated by guest artist Parvati Pillai, the doodle shows the late actor’s sketch replacing the O of ‘GOOGLE’ and showing one among her iconic step from the song ‘Jiya Jale’ from Mani Ratnam-directed “Dil Se”.
Born on April 27, 1912 in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh during a traditional Muslim family, Sehgal grew up in Chakrata, Uttarakhand and was sent to Lahore for education .
Sehgal started her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar in 1935. She had appeared in many Bollywood films as a personality actor also as in English films besides television series and plays.
Considered the doyenne of Indian theatre, Sehgal worked with Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and Prithviraj Kapoor’s Prithvi Theatre for 14 years.
She moved to London on a drama scholarship in 1962 and built a world profile with roles in British television classics Doctor Who and therefore the Jewel within the Crown” among others.
In the mid-1990s, she returned to India and continued working on the stage and in Bollywood films.
Sehgal went on to feature in hits like “Cheeni Kum”, “Dil Se”, “Veer Zaara”, “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”, “Bend It Like Beckham”, among others.
Her last big screen appearance was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2007 movie “Saawariya”.