Zohra Sehgal: Who was the Indian actress and dancer who became an international star?
Google doodle marks day star’s Palme d’Or-winning film was released
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Zohra Sehgal, who is being celebrated with a Google Doodle, was an iconic Indian actress who won international recognition during a career spanning six decades.
She is perhaps best remembered in the UK for her appearances in British TV classics Doctor Who and The Jewel in the Crown as well as her role in the 2002 film Bend it Like Beckham.
However her talent was apparent from the 1940s when one of her first films, Neecha Nagar (Lowly City), won the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ms Sehgal went on to receive some of India's highest awards including the Padma Shri, the Kalidas Samman, and the Padma Vibhusha.
She was born Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan in 1912 in Sahranpur in what was then British India. After attending ballet school in Germany and touring the world with Indian dance pioneer Uday Shankar, she returned home to focus on acting as a member of the Indian People’s Theatre Association in 1945.
She moved to London on a drama scholarship in 1962 and made her TV debut in a BBC adaptation of the Kipling story The Rescue of Pluffles. Doctor Who followed in 1965, although the episode in which she appeared is believed lost.
Ms Sehgal continued to act well into her 90s and died in Delhi in 2014, aged 102.
The Google Doodle, which appeared to mark the day on which Neecha Nagar was released in 1946, was created by artist Parvati Pillai.
Ms Pillai said: "Zohra Sehgal is admired across generations for her acting and loveable personality.
"She overcame social and cultural stereotypes with her sheer tenacity and infectious passion from a very young age.
"She is an inspiration not just for women everywhere, but for anyone who wants to follow their own path! Zohra Sehgal lived her life to the fullest. In today’s challenging times, it is important to be optimistic and keep smiling!"
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