A nod to a lifetime of excellence

Actress Rekha. AFP
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Zohra Sehgal

Few people have a career spanning 60 years. And even fewer have pulled that off with the depth, flair and grace of Zohra Sehgal. And for her efforts, this 100-year-old actress, whose toothless smile, lightning-fast wit and naughty eyes can effortlessly light up a film frame, will receive a special "Contribution to 100 years of Indian Cinema" award this weekend. Sehgal is no stranger to trophies. Considered the high priestess of dance, drama, theatre and cinema, in 2010 she was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour and in 2004 she received the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement. And what a life it has been. Cinema is only a part of Sehgal's repertoire. She started her career as a dancer with Uday Shankar, the pioneer of modern dance in India. Back in the 1930s, when Indian women were hardly allowed to cross the threshold of their home, she traipsed across North America and Europe with Shankar's dance troupe.

For many years, Sehgal balanced work in cinema in England and India, starring in Merchant Ivory movies, playing the Indian granny in foreign films and TV series. From cross-continent films such as Bhaji on the Beach (1993) and Bend it Like Beckham (2002), to mainstream Hindi films such as Veer-Zaara (2004) and Cheeni Kum (2007), this centenarian is yet to call it a day. While Bollywood is notorious for its stereotypical characters and beautiful stars, Sehgal has persisted as the nonconformist. In Cheeni Kum, Sehgal played a spunky 80-plus mother. "You are seeing me now, when I am old and ugly," she has joked. "You should have seen me then, when I was young and ugly."

Ramesh Sippy

Ramesh Sippy's Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) is a film fan's must-watch, while his 1975 action-adventure film Sholay was so popular it ran for more than five years in a Mumbai cinema, became a guidebook for filmmakers for years to come and spawned an entire subculture. It was also the breakout film for Amitabh Bachchan, the superstar who personifies the power that cinema holds over Indians, and the beginning of a long relationship between the two. Sippy, who will be awarded for his contribution to cinema at the IIFA awards, has not limited his work to the big screen. His television series Buniyaad, which essayed the partition of India and Pakistan and its repercussions, is still a classic. The TV show was recast on an Indian channel after it initially screened in 1986. Following a series of flops in the 1990s, Sippy turned producer for his filmmaker son, Rohan Sippy.

Rekha

For Rekha, one of the most charismatic actresses of Indian cinema, an inherent mystique and natural inclination to avoid the limelight have only contributed to her fame and the public's fascination with her. The superstar daughter of an acting couple is also due an achievement in Indian film award this weekend.

Fierce, independent and with a mind of her own, Rekha's choice of roles have more often than not reflected her persona. And for the most part she has shone, whether it was in her many critically acclaimed art house movies to middle-of-the-road Hindi masala films, amassing so many awards there is a separate page on Wikipedia for all of them. "It has been a long journey and hopefully my passion and love for cinema will continue to reach out to all my fans," said Rekha upon learning of the award. "I am especially happy to be honoured at a time when the industry celebrates a centenary of Indian films."