One of the most versatile Indian actresses, Farida Jalal made her debut in the 1960s as a child artist. Since a young age, Farida had always been interested in cinema. She was discovered at Filmfare`s United Producers Talent hunt, along with the great Rajesh Khanna. Farida has appeared in several critically and commercially acclaimed movies such as Paras (1972), Henna (1992), Mammo (1994), Dilwale Dhulaniya Ley Jayengey (1995), and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). The actress also won the Best Actress Award at the 2012 Harlem International Film Festival for her performance in the movie A Gran Plan. In 2017, she starred in the travel drama film Sargoshiyan directed and produced by Imran Khan.

Personal Life
The actress did her schooling from St Joseph`s Convent, Panchgani. Farida Jalal was married to late actor Tarbez Barmavar. They met on the sets of Jeevan Rakha and got married in November 1978. The couple`s son Yaseen Jalal is also pursuing a career in Bollywood as a director.

Movie Career
A veteran actor having played all kinds of roles, Farida Jalal has made her mark in Indian cinema ever since the 1960s. She began her career as a child artist in 1963 with the movie Yeh Raaste Hai Pyaar Ke. Jalal appeared as an adult for the first time in 1967 in the movie Taqdeer. The film Aradhana (1969) was one of the biggest hits of her career, where she played the lead along with Rajesh Khanna. The movie won the Filmfare Award for Best Film. Two years later, she acted in Paras (1971), a murder drama film directed by C.P. Dixit. In 1973, in the film Bobby, the actress played the character of Rishi Kapoor`s mentally disabled girlfriend. This was said to be one of her most compelling performances of her career. The year 1974 saw her in the Amitabh Bachchan starrer Majboor. Farida played the role of the actor`s handicapped sister and was widely praised for it. Between 1980 and 1990, Farida didn`t appear much on-screen, other than acting in the indie film Pushpaka Vimana (1987), which was directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao and also starred Kamal Hassan.

In 1991, she returned to the silver screen with Randhir Kapoor`s romantic drama Henna. However, one of the best roles of her career came with the 1994 movie Mammo. Farida played the lead in the film, directed by Shyam Benegal, for which she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress. The film also won the National Film Award for the Best Feature Film in Hindi. The year 1995 saw her play an important role in the cult film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, which featured Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in the lead roles. Farida went on to win the Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actress for this Aditya Chopra-directed masterpiece. The actress became a household name after playing numerous motherly roles and strong female characters in the 1990s and the early 2000s. Farida re-united with Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in 1998 for Karan Johar`s blockbuster hit Kuck Kuch Hota Hai and in 2001 for another Karan Johar`s blockbuster family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee and Jaya Bachchan. Over the next several years, the versatile actress featured in movies like The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), the Salman Khan-starrer Garv: Pride and Honour (2004), and as actor Sidharth Malhotra`s grandmother in the 2012 film Student of the Year.

In the same year, she won the Best Actress Award at the Harlem International Film Festival for her role in A Gran Plan, an English independent drama film produced by Prema Menon and directed by Sangeeta Nambiar. Her 2017 release includes the travel drama film Sargoshiyan directed and produced by Imran Khan. The movie also stars Alok Nath, Imran Khan, and Inderneil Sengupta. She then worked in movies like Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018), Jawaani Jaaneman (2020) and Laila Majnu (2020).

Television career
Farida Jalal has also appeared in daily soaps such as Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi (1984), Dekh Bhai Dekh (1993), and Jeanie and JuJu (2013). She also played a very promising role as "Naani" on a Disney-based serial named Shararat (2003-2009), in which her character was widely appreciated. The star also appeared on Comedy Nights with Kapil in 2014.