Google Doodle features Zohra Segal, Bollywood's iconic actress and dancer

Over the years, India has recognised Zohra Segal's prolific contributions with some of the nation's highest awards: the Padma Shri (1998), the Kalidas Samman (2001), and the Padma Vibhushan (2010)

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Indian actress and dancer Zohra Segal, one of the country’s first female actors to achieve recognition on the international stage. This day marks the anniversary of the release of her 1946 film Neecha Nagar at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Widely considered Indian cinema’s first international critical success, Neecha Nagar won the festival's highest honor: the Palme d’Or prize.

Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan was born on April 27, 1912, in Saharanpur, British India. She attended a prestigious ballet school in Dresden, Germany, in her early 20s and later toured internationally with the Indian dance pioneer Uday Shankar. After she returned to India, she transitioned to acting, joining the Indian People’s Theatre Association in 1945.

Segal moved to London, England, in 1962 and built an international profile over the following decades with roles in British television classics like Doctor Who and the 1984 miniseries The Jewel in the Crown. In the mid-1990s, she returned to India, where she continued acting on the stage and in Bollywood films. 

In 2002, the year of her 90th birthday, Segal appeared in her memorable role in the film Bend it Like Beckham, and continued to act well into her 90s.

Over the years, India has recognised Segal’s prolific contributions with some of the nation’s highest awards: the Padma Shri (1998), the Kalidas Samman (2001), and the Padma Vibhushan (2010).

One of Segal's favourite couplets was: Duaen de mere baad aane vale meri vehshat ko, bohat kaanten nikal aaye mere hamrah manzil sey (May those that come after me bless me for my frenzy because in walking ahead, I have cleared the path of thorns.) Zohra passed away at the age of 102, in 2014. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had tweeted about her death and said: “Prolific & full of life, Zohra Segal made a mark through her acting, which is admired across generations. Saddened on her demise.”