Consider the following statements and identify the actress : She is a renowned film actress, director and producer, and an accomplished Indian classical dancer. She was conferred the Padma Shri in 1992 and has served as the Head of Central Board for Film Certification from 1998 to 2001. In recognition to her exemplary lifetime contribution to Indian Cinema, she was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award.

The correct answer is D, Asha Parekh. Asha Parekh received the Padma Shri in 1992, chaired the Central Board of Film Certification from 1998 to 2001 as its first woman head, and was given the Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2020. She began as a child artist and became one of the leading heroines of Hindi cinema in the 1960s with films such as Dil Deke Dekho, Teesri Manzil and Kati Patang. A trained classical dancer, she staged dance dramas, and she also produced and directed television serials such as Kora Kagaz. Option A is wrong because Vyjayanthimala, a famous Bharatanatyam dancer and actress, later became a Member of Parliament but never headed the film board. Option B is wrong because Waheeda Rehman also won the Phalke Award, for 2021, but she received the Padma Shri back in 1972 and did not head the CBFC. Option C is wrong because Mala Sinha, a star of films like Pyaasa and Anpadh, has not received the Phalke Award. Exam tip: Asha Parekh = first woman chairperson of the CBFC (1998–2001) and Phalke Award for 2020; the first Phalke Award went to Devika Rani in 1969.