Wouldn't have been able to handle stardom today: Asha Parekh

She dismissed with a laugh when asked about Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's remark that she lobbied for the Padma Bhushan, and climbed 12 floors to meet him. "How could it be? When I can't climb seven floors to my house, how can I climb 12 floors with a bad back? It's impossible," Asha said. Why would he claim so then? "I don't know... You should ask Nitin Gadkari," she remarked in a jiffy. Interestingly, Asha Parekh has not been all about glamour. She took on significant roles behind the scenes of the male-dominated film industry. She was the first woman to be appointed chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) from 1998-2001, a stint as President of CINTAA (Cine and TV Artists Association) and she continues to work for the welfare of film industry workers.