Veteran actor Asha Parekh, celebrated for iconic films such as ‘Kati Patang’, ‘Caravan’, ‘Chirag’, ‘Teesri Manzil’ and ‘Love In Tokyo’, has had a remarkable career spanning decades. The actress has admitted that Nasir Hussain whose death anniversary was on March 13, was the only man she loved. Despite never marrying, the legendary star has often said she has no regrets about remaining single and has spoken candidly about why marriage never worked out for her.In an earlier interview with Verve magazine, Parekh shared her thoughts on relationships and the realities of married life. She said, “Marriage is not all rainbows and butterflies; you have to give in to your partner’s whims every now and then, and that’s a two-way street.”When asked whether she ever felt regret about not tying the knot, especially since many people fear loneliness in old age, she made it clear that the thought never troubled her. “Not at all. I saw the kind of people that were out there. When I went out with the boys that my mother set me up with, I was completely put off by the whole premise of marriage. They were so fussy! They’d take longer to get ready than I did and would keep preening in the mirror. The narcissism was repulsive. I know it seems silly but these little things really nettled me. There was also the case of my heroes Rajesh Khanna and Vinod Khanna getting an earful from their girlfriends during outstation shoots because they were gallivanting and making merry at night instead of being in bed. I would’ve never been able to take someone dictating terms to me — I was just not cut out for it.”Parekh also recalled a time when she almost got married. Speaking about the incident, she revealed how an unexpected moment changed everything. “I did come very close to tying the knot once with a professor from the US. I was visiting him and we were in a cafe at 2 a.m., when he turned to me and nonchalantly said, ‘I have a girlfriend and you’ve come in the way’. It completely caught me off guard. In a way, that was the final straw for me in this whole wedding business. My friend was travelling with me at the time and when I told her that we were returning to India that very instant, she asked me how I wasn’t gutted that I was cutting ties so unceremoniously with the man I was supposed to be marrying.”The actress had once admitted that Nasir Hussain was the only man she loved. “Yes, Nasir Saab was the only man I ever loved. It is not respectful to those whom we love if we don’t acknowledge their presence to the world,” she had said. The actor has also openly spoken about her feelings for filmmaker Nasir Hussain in the past. However, she explained why marriage was never an option. In her autobiography, Parekh wrote, “I was never a home breaker. There was never any ill will between me and Nasir Saab’s family. In fact, I was so happy to see Nusrat (Hussain’s daughter) and Imran Khan (grandson) at my book launch. I feel I’ve lived my life decently and without hurting anyone.”
