watch at Bombay Talkies launched the career of Madhubala, one of the leading actresses of the 1950s. The song "Aayega Aanewala" from Mahal was the turning point in the career of a hitherto little known young singer called Lata Mangeshkar. Off the screen, Ashok Kumar gave B.R. Chopra, then a film critic and unsuccessful filmmaker, his first break as director with the 1951 film Afsana. The success of Afsana established Chopra as a respected filmmaker. Ashok Kumar also played mentor to his assistant at Bombay Talkies, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, who went on to become one of the great directors of Hindi cinema. He was the lucky mascot for a promising young director called Shakti Samanta in the late 1950s, delivering a series of hits with Inspector (1956), Howrah Bridge (1958) and Detective (1958) which helped the young man establish himself as a successful director. Shakti Samanta would go on to deliver several movies in the 1960s and 1970s which are regarded today as classics. Ashok Kumar also paved the way for his younger brothers Kalyan (Anoop) and Kishore Kumar. While Anoop is best remembered for his role in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi (1958), Kishore went on to become a singer. Arguably, Kishore is today the most popular of the brothers. He and his brother Anoop Kalyan (Anoop) acted in the 1990 Doordarshan Detective Serial Bheem Bhawani. The distinctive style and mannerisms that Ashok Kumar adopted in his late career still remain extremely popular among mimicry artists. Awards and recognition 1959 – Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 1962 – Filmfare Award for Best Actor, Rakhi 1962 – Padma Shri by the Government of India 1963 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actor, Gumrah 1963 – Bengal Film Journalists' Association – Best Actor Award (Hindi), Gumrah 1966 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, Afsana 1967 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, Meherban 1969 – Filmfare Award for Best Actor, Aashirwaad 1969 – National Film Awards for Best Actor, Aashirwaad 1969 – Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actor (Hindi), Aashirwaad 1969 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, Aashirwaad 1973 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, Victoria No. 203 1977 – Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, Chhoti Si Baat 1988 – Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award for cinematic excellence 1994 – Screen Lifetime Achievement Award 1995 – Filmfare Lifetime