She is the golden one, blessed with more hits in her kitty than any of her contemporaries. And yet Asha Parekh, typecast as the glamorous ‘Miss Neeta’ also gave some truly sensitive performances when the need arose. Here’s looking at her 10 best performances on her 71st birthday (2 October 2013). 1. Baharon Ke Sapne (1969) - At a time when her career was saturated with light- hearted picnicky roles Asha Parekh surprised everyone, including herself, with her scrubbed no-makeup look and intense performance in her mentor Nasir Hussain’s most realistic film ever. This was also one of Rajesh Khanna’s earliest triumphs. The two went on to do several successful films together. 2. Kati Patang (1970)—Sharmila Tagore turned down the role of the widow. Director Shakti Samanta who had done two wonderful film Aradhana and Amar Prem with Rajesh Khanna and Sharmila signed AshaParekh instead. Playing the unfortunate lady in white Asha melted hearts and also won popular awards for her performance. 3. Chirag (1969) —Raj Khosla had a special affinity to Asha’s histrionic persona that most directors chose to bypass. In this dramatic film Asha was cast as a blind woman who is estranged from her husband Sunil Dutt. Memorable for her restrained performance and the Madan Mohan composed melody Teri aankhonke siva duniya mein rakha kya hai. 4. Do Badan (1966) —The first of Raj Khosla’s trilogy of films that offered scope for Asha to perform in a serious dramatic role. While in Chirag she goes blind in this film it’s her male co-star Manoj Kumar who lost his eyesight. Three years later Manoj Kumar signed Asha as the female lead in his directorial debut Upkar. But she didn’t have much of a role in Upkar. 5. Nadaan (1971) —Asha Parekh played a tomboy who transforms into a feminine entity after she is smooched by Navin Nischol. Deven Verma directed this forgettable film made memorable by the actress’ fun-to-somber transition reminiscent of Jaya Bhaduri’s metamorphosis in Uphaar. 6. Teesri Manzil (1966) —An out-and-out Shammi Kapoor vehicle where Asha left a sunny mark by creating her own space as a girl in search of her dead sister’s killer. Asha’s sheer vivacity and space control in the film’s celebrated R D Burman songs furnished Shammi K a worthy co-star. 7. Caravan (1971) —The last of the 7 films that she did with her mentor Nasir Hussain Caravan was arguably the biggest hit of Asha Parekh’s success-driven career. Though the focus was on Aruna Irani as the fiery gypsy woman Asha held her own as the runaway girl mostly hidden from public view. Not quite the way this hit-making diva’s career went. 8. Bin Phere Hum Tere(1979) —Asha Parekh’s own Mother India. Bin Phere Hum Tere gave her a chance to play the archetypal all-giving mother-figure like Nargis in Mother India, Sharmila Tagore in Amar Prem or Shabana Azmi in Bhavna. Asha’s character goes through many phases of cruelty in a patriarchal society, from prostitution to widowhood to an all-sacrificing mother’s role as she devotes her life to looking after her dead beloved’s twin sons. One can’t say much about the quality of film that featured Vinod Mehra in a double role. But Asha shone. 9. Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978) —As the eponymous Tulsi destined to remain an outsider in the home set-up Asha Parekh had only 20 minutes of playing-time in this Nutan-dominated drama directed by Raj Khosla. But she left a lasting impression. The soul-searing title song sung by Lata Mangeshkar aided her performance. 10. Bharosa (1963) -A simple rustic tale with Guru Dutt and Asha Parekh cast as a pair of lovers oblivious to the maladies around them. What more can we say about this effervescent actress, except to borrow a line from a song in Bharosa. Aaj ki mulaqat bass itni.