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Asha Sachdev
Sachdev in 2012
Born	Nafeesa Sultan (1956-05-27) May 27, 1956 (age 68) Bombay, India (present-day Mumbai, Maharashtra, India)
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1972–present
Relatives	Anwar (brother) Arshad Warsi (half-brother)

Nafeesa Sultan (born May 27, 1956), better known as Asha Sachdev, is an Indian former actress who worked in Hindi films during 1970s and 1980s. She acted in a few early films as a leading lady, including the spy film Agent Vinod (1977) and the thriller Woh Main Nahin, and later shifted to supporting characters. She has appeared in over 90 films in her career and is a recipient of a Filmfare award for her work in Priyatama (1978).

Sachdev starred in a few successful films including Hifazat (1973) and Ek Hi Raasta (1977). The latter featured the song "Jis Kaam Ko Dono Aye Hai", picturised on her and Jeetendra; it remains popular till date, along with the qawwali "Pal Do Pal Ka " from The Burning Train (1980).

Personal life

Sachdev was born as Nafeesa Sultan on May 27 in 1956. She is the daughter of actress Raziyah (who later changed her name to Ranjana) and musician Ahmed Ali Khan (Ashiq Hussain). After her parents divorced, she adopted the stage name "Asha Sachdev", from the name of her stepfather. Singer Anwar Hussain is her brother and through her father's second marriage she is the half-sister of actor Arshad Warsi. Later in her life, Sachdev converted from Islam to Hinduism.

In 2018, Sachdev revealed that she was engaged to a man named Kishen Lal in her youth, but he shortly after died in an accident. She is unmarried till date.

Career

Sachdev was an alumna of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune and joined Bollywood. She began her career in a low-budget film Double Cross in 1972, wherein she played a bold and dynamic role; the film was a flop. She subsequently played the leading lady in Hifazat (1973) and was appreciated for her good performance and the songs, especially "Yeh Mastaani Dagar" and "Hamrahi Mera Pyar", which became popular. Somehow the image stuck and thereafter she was offered only supporting and bold characters. Her bare dare appearance in red hot pants in the Navin Nishchol-Rekha star thriller Woh Main Nahin (1974), which was remake of Naan Avan Illai, created a storm and she was flooded with item dance offers and vamp roles.

She occasionally received offers in the leading role, as in Agent Vinod and Ek Hi Raasta (both 1977), which became hits. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Neetu Singh's best friend in Priyatama in 1978. In the role, she wore a simple saree and was bespectacled throughout the film. Some of her other notable films include Mama Bhanja, Lafange, Mehbooba, Satte Pe Satta, Duniya Meri Jeb Mein, The Burning Train, Judaai, Prem Rog and Eeshwar. In the late 1980s, she moved to television, acting in serials throughout the 90s.

She made a comeback to films later in the 2000s and was seen playing character roles in films like Fiza (2000), Aghaaz, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (2007) and Aaja Nachle (2008). In television, she worked in the early soap opera, Buniyaad (1986), and in 2008, she also appeared in the series, Jugni Chali Jalandhar on SAB TV, with actor Ranjeet.

Filmography

Films

Television

References

1. Jha, Subhash K.; Bachchan, Amitabh (1 November 2005). The essential guide to Bollywood. Roli Books Private Limited. pp. 1999–. ISBN 978-81-7436-378-7. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
2. "Shake a leg with the golden era queens". DNA. 21 June 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
3. "Shriman Bond". Mint. 19 January 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
4. ^ Ranjan, Sweta (14 March 2018). "The Lost Star: Asha Sachdev". National Khabar. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
5. ^ "Who was Asha Sachdev? Some Lesser-known facts About former Bollywood actress". News 18. 2 August 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
6. "Meet actress, who follows Hinduism after being born in a Muslim family, is still unmarried after her fiance died in".
7. "Ranjeet's little secret is out". The Times of India. 23 December 2008. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

External links

• Asha Sachdev at IMDb
• Asha Sachdev at Bollywood Hungama
• Asha Sachdev – Memories, 1998 interview

• Indian film actresses
• Living people
• Actresses in Hindi cinema
• Film and Television Institute of India alumni
• Indian television actresses
• 21st-century Indian Muslims
• Actresses from Mumbai
• Filmfare Awards winners
• Converts to Hinduism from Islam
• Indian former Muslims
• Indian Hindus