Yesteryear Bollywood divas relive their glorious past in Kashmir

Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman, Helen reminisce about their glorious past and the mesmerising, never-ending attachment they have with the Valley

Srinagar: Three Bollywood legendary divas of yore — Asha Parekh, Waheeda Rehman and Helen — are holidaying in Kashmir to relive their glorious past.

Every wave of the famous Dal Lake, on which the three took a ‘Shikara’ ride together in a single boat on Sunday, reminded them of the glorious past and the mesmerising, never-ending attachment they have with Kashmir.

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For Asha Parekh, this lake in addition to the hill stations of Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg come with a resounding reminder of ‘light, camera and action’. Her most superhit movies, including the first in the long list of her great successes Dil Deke Dekho, was shot in Kashmir in 1959.

In fact her widely believed romantic relationship with the director of Dil Deke Dekho, Nasir Hussain, owed itself to their long association with Kashmir. This movie was followed by her second superior movie, Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, again shot in Kashmir in 1963 and directed by Nasir Hussain. This was followed by another Asha Parekh superhit shot in Kashmir in 1965, Mere Sanam and Caravan in 1971. Caravan was again directed by Nasir Hussain.

The slender long poplar trees lining the two sides of the road, where the famous song of Mere Sanam from Pukarta Chala Hoon Main was filmed, today form the green tunnel arching the road patch on the two sides as these trees have grown tall and mighty over the years.

Thus, for Asha Parakh this visit has been “a pilgrimage into her past” as she told people she met at The Lalit Grand Palace where the trio is staying in Srinagar city.

Yash Chopra’s Kabhi Kabhi shot in the Valley in 1976 became a landmark love story and Waheeda Rehman stayed in the same five-star hotel in 1976 where she is staying these days in Srinagar.

For Helen, who featured as a supporting actress in more than 1000 movies, Junglee (1961), Dus Lakh (1966), Caravan (1971) and another dozen such movies featuring Helen were shot in the picturesque locales of the Valley.

By having breakfast on the sprawling lawns of The Lalita Grand Palace, which overlooks the Dal Lake, the three great artistes of Indian cinema are reliving their past. The days that went by took away the years of glory and fame like the wind sweeping the sands of a desert.