Mumbai, August 15 (IANS) Bollywood star Jackie Shroff extended warm birthday wishes to veteran actress Rakhee Gulzar as the celebrated star turned 79 on August 15.

Jackie Shroff took to his social media account to share a picture of Rakhee, dressed in a traditional pink saree, and wished the veteran actress on her special day.

The actor captioned it with a simple “Happy Birthday” message and used the iconic song, Aaj Madhosh Hua Jaye Re song as the background score.

Born on August 15, 1947, in Ranaghat, West Bengal, Rakhee, began her acting journey with the Bengali film Badhu Bharan in 1967 before making her Hindi film debut with Jeevan Mrityu in 1970.

Coincidentally, the actress was born on the same day, India attained freedom from the British rule, making her as old as free India.

Rakhee went on to emerge as one of Hindi cinema's most acclaimed leading ladies of the 1970s and 1980s. Her filmography includes Sharmeelee, Daag: A Poem of Love, Kabhi Kabhie, Tapasya, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Kaala Patthar, Jurmana, Barsaat Ki Ek Raat, Shakti and Ram Lakhan.

Her performances in films such as Ram Lakhan, Baazigar, Karan Arjun and Border further established her versatility. Her performance in Rituparno Ghosh's Shubho Mahurat earned her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 2003.

Rakhee and Jackie Shroff shared the screen in the Subhash Ghai-directed Ram Lakhan (1989), which also starred Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. Rakhee later appeared in Ghai's Khal Nayak in 1993, alongside Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff and Madhuri Dixit.

On the personal front, Rakhee is married to legendary lyricist and poet Gulzar and is the mother of director Meghna Gulzar.

–IANS

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