Zohra Sehgal Indian actress and choreographer Date of Birth: 27.04.1912 Country: India

1. Early Life and Family
2. Education and Early Career
3. Dance with Uday Shankar
4. Marriage and Family
5. Acting and Theater Career
6. Choreography and Teaching
7. Later Life and Legacy

Early Life and Family

Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan, better known as Zohra Segal, was born on April 27, 1912, in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Her parents, who belonged to the Pashtun community, had seven children, and Zohra was the third.

Growing up in Chakrata, Uttarakhand, Zohra was a tomboyish child who engaged in activities typically reserved for boys. At the age of one, she lost vision in her left eye due to glaucoma, but this did not hinder her adventurous spirit.

Education and Early Career

After her mother's death, Zohra was sent to a private girls' school in Lahore, where she studied under strict purdah. In her teenage years, she rejected her family's religious traditions and became an atheist.

With support from her maternal uncle, Zohra left India and traveled to Europe to study ballet. While she was unable to become a ballerina, she studied modern dance for three years, becoming the first Indian woman to enroll at the ballet school in Dresden, Germany.

Dance with Uday Shankar

In 1935, Zohra witnessed a performance by Uday Shankar's ballet troupe and was deeply inspired. Shankar, recognizing her talent, invited her to join his company. She spent the next five years traveling the world with the troupe, dancing lead roles.

After returning to India, Zohra taught at the Uday Shankar Indian Cultural Center in Almora, where she met her future husband, Kameshwar Sehgal.

Marriage and Family

In 1942, Zohra married Sehgal, a scientist, poet, and dancer who was eight years her junior. They had two children together.

Acting and Theater Career

In 1945, Zohra followed in her sister's footsteps and began her theater career. The same year, she made her film debut in "Chetan Anand's "Neecha Nagar" (1946).

Choreography and Teaching

Throughout her career, Zohra continued to dance, teach, and choreograph, including for films. She remained active in the arts after her husband's death in 1959.

Later Life and Legacy

In the 1990s, Zohra returned to India after spending many years abroad. She continued to act until her retirement in 2007.

Zohra Segal received numerous awards for her contributions to Indian cinema and dance, including the Padma Shri (1998), Padma Bhushan (2010), and Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship. She passed away on July 10, 2014, at the age of 102.

Zohra Segal is remembered as a trailblazing artist and a beloved figure in Indian cinema and theater. Her legacy continues to inspire generations of performers.