Veteran actress Zohra Sehgal died here Thursday of cardiac arrest at the age of 102, a family member said.
A heart patient, Sehgal was admitted to the Max Hospital in south Delhi's Saket area after being diagnosed with pneumonia Wednesday. She died of a heart attack at 4.30 p.m. Thursday.
She was staying here with her daughter, renowned Odissi danseuse Kiran Sehgal.
Her cremation will take place Friday.
In 1994, Sehgal was diagnosed with cancer, but she fought it off and did not let illness or age dampen her spirit.
A theatre veteran, Sehgal was well-versed with the Hindi film industry and is one of the few actors who worked with four generations of Bollywood's famous Kapoor family - Prithviraj Kapoor to Raj Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor to Ranbir Kapoor.
She is best remembered for her appearances in "Bhaji on the Beach" (1992), "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002), and "Dil Se..." (1998). And who can forget her role as Amitabh Bachchan's impish mother in "Cheeni Kum"!
Her last big screen appearance was in "Saawariya".
Among several awards, she was honoured with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan.
Bollywood's young brigade salutes Zohra Sehgal's spunk
From Prithviraj Kapoor to his great grandson Ranbir Kapoor - Zohra Sehgal held the feat of working with the oldest and newest generation of Bollywood. It is this spirit and spunk for which the Hindi film fraternity will remember Zohra, who passed away Thursday at the age of 102.
A string of celebrities took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the "naughtiest granny on celluloid". Here's what they had to say:
Karan Johar: RIP Zohra Sehgal...what a life...it's that moment when you truly celebrate the end of such a legendary and glorious era.
Manish Malhotra: RIP Zohra Sehgal ji. A true legend. worked with her in Veer-Zaara and rembember her as a charming happy person.
Viveck Vaswani: RIP Zohra Sehgal! One spunky lady! Worked with Prithviraj Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor!
Riteish Deshmukh: RIP Zohra Sehgal - Charming & Elegant - will miss you.
Madhur Bhandarkar: Sad to hear about Zohra Sehgal's demise...legend in herself...full of life. Inspiration for many. RIP.
Farhan Akhtar: RIP Zohra Sehgal-ji. Deepest condolences to the family.
Priyanka Chopra: 102 n a legacy that will always be a part of Indian cinema. It was an honour to know #ZohraSehgal and to b a part of films while she was. RIP
Dia Mirza: 102 years of greatness. I will always love you Zohraji. RIP #GrandOldLady of #IndianCinema #ZohraSehgal
Sophie Choudry: RIP Zohra Sehgal ji..you beautiful #GrandOldLady...Absolute legend & powerhouse of talent..The world was blessed with your presence.
Nimrat Kaur: In her century long life, Zohra Sehgal ji gave us a million years worth of inspiration. Woman, soul, an existence extraordinaire...what a life!
Anubhav Sinha: RIP Zohra Sehgal. The naughtiest Granny on celluloid.
Pritish Nandy: Zohra Sehgal, what a person! What an actor! RIP.
An immensely lovable co-star: Big B remembers Zohra Sehgal
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan Thursday mourned the death of Indian cinema and theatre doyenne Zohra Sehgal, remembering her as an "immensely lovable co-star", who lived a journey of 102 years.
"Zohra Sehgal passes away at 102 yrs... what a journey and what an immensely loveable co star! Prayers for her blessed soul!!" Amitabh tweeted after the news of Sehgal's death in New Delhi.
The actress had played a chilled-out mother to Big B's character in the critically acclaimed 2007 film "Cheeni Kum", but his memories of her go way back in time, when he was a child.
Once earlier, Amitabh had shared how he had met Zohra as a child when she visited his hometown Allahabad.
"My family has a special relationship with Zohra Sehgal. Zohraji used to work with Prithvi Raj Kapoor in Prithvi Theatre. Prithvi Raj Kapoor had a cordial relationship with my father and whenever the Prithvi group visited Allahabad, we used to meet Zohraji," he had said before the actress turned 100 in 2012.
The actress' zest for life and charm continued to inspire generations.
A tireless performer, she used to stay in New Delhi with her daughter, renowned Odissi danseuse Kiran Sehgal.
PM mourns Zohra Sehgal's death
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday condoled the death of cinema and theatre veteran Zohra Sehgal, calling her "prolific and full of life".
"Prolific & full of life, Zohra Sehgal made a mark through her acting, which is admired across generations. Saddened on her demise," Modi tweeted.
