Zohra Sehgal was born as Sahibzadi Zohra Begum Mumtaz-ullah Khan on April 27, 1912, in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, India, to a Sunni Muslim Rohilla Pathan family. Despite being born into a traditional household, Zohra was a tomboy who enjoyed climbing trees and playing games, defying the norms of her time. Her life took a dramatic turn when she saw Uday Shankar perform in Dehra Dun during a vacation, which inspired her to pursue a career in dance.
Zohra traveled extensively across India, West Asia, and Europe by car with her uncle, and upon her return, she was sent to Queen Mary's Girls College, Lahore, a prestigious institution for the daughters of aristocratic families. After completing her education, she joined Uday Shankar's dance troupe and traveled to Japan, West Asia, Europe, and America. During this time, she met Kameshwar Sehgal, a Hindu eight years her junior, and fell in love with him. After initial opposition from her parents, the couple got married in a civil ceremony in August 1942.
The couple worked together in Uday Shankar's dance institute at Almora, but when it shut down, they founded their own dance institute in Lahore. However, the growing communal tension prior to the Partition of India made them feel unwelcome, and they migrated to Bombay, where Zohra joined Prithviraj Kapur's theater as a stage actress and worked for 14 years.
Zohra and her husband had two children, who were given the choice of being Hindu or Muslim. Initially, they accepted both, but later discarded them. Zohra eventually became an atheist, while her husband was a non-religious man. She acted on stage in various parts of India, including performances for jail inmates, and was known for her versatility as an actress.
After her husband's suicide, Zohra moved to Delhi and later to London, where she struggled to find work as a dancer or actress. She took on odd jobs, including working at the India Tea Centre, before landing her first break in films. She was signed by Arthur Rank and Merchant Ivory productions and went on to appear in many Bollywood films, often playing British characters.
