An inner fire pushed me through life: Zohra

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It was quite surprising to see how even amidst a crowd of beautiful ladies, 100-year-old blue-eyed beauty of the theatre world Zohra Segal still looked most glamourous.

The occasion was not just a celebration of her birthday, but an era with Zohra Segal, when her daughter, Odissi dancer Kiran Segal, launched Zohra’s biography titled Zohra Sehgal: Fatty, at India Habitat Centre recently.
The biography, published by Niyogi Books was unveiled by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur. The evening, full of fun and laughter, was an ode to the lady, who has touched many lives with her wit and humour.
Talking about her association with Gursharan, she said, “She is like my adopted daughter.” Presenting Zohra with a commemorative photograph by the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), M.K. Raina unveiled a photograph where Zohra is blessing theatre legend, Habib Tanvir.
Celebrating centenary, the actress entertained the packed venue filled with laughter and sang “abhi na jaana chhod kar… ki cake abhi kata nahin… ki pet abhi bhara nahin (Don’t leave the party, the cake hasn’t been cut yet, tummy isn’t filled yet)”.
Sharing the secret to her life and success, Zohra said, “There’s an inner fire that has always pushed me through life. I have done everything in my life and now I often tell my daughter that I wish someone would euthanise me. The celebration marked with nostalgia, gave guests an opportunity to take a closer look at Zohra’s life in a documentary by noted stage personalities M.K. Raina and Anant Raina, Zohra Segal: An Interview 2012.
Talking about her relationship with Kameshwar Segal, Zohra fondly recalled, “He came in my life as a student. Once he made a painting called it the Burmese Huts with rice fields, I was so amazed to see it that I realised this man has great talent. He was so fond of my acting that he would often take pictures of me while I performed. So once I saw him cleaning his lens, and when I asked what happened, I realised it was covered with his tears. He cried while watching me perform.” About her stint with Bollywood, she fondly recalled how she was approached to be a part of Haseena Maan Jayegi with Govinda. “There was a scene where I had to slap him hard and he said ‘it’s not hard enough’ and I finally gave him a tight one,” she quipped.
Kiran, who was initially unsure about writing the book said, “I wasn’t interested at all. I am not a writer. I kept thinking how ‘what can I write about my mother?’. Then I started jotting down whatever I could recall. I did not want the book to be edited because it was spontaneous.”
Even after her husband demise the lady was quite active in her profession. She recalls, “Even when my children were born, or my husband committed suicide, I managed to carry on. After the 75th year of my career, I decided to stop,” she said. Thanking the guests for being there, it was Zohra at her best when she said, “The relationship between an artist and audience is the most beautiful. If you all would not have come, this evening wouldn’t have been this good.”