Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress who works in Bollywood films, television and theatre. She is famous for being one of the leading actresses of Indian parallel cinema. She has acted in more than 120 Hindi and Bengali films and has also appeared in many international films. Shabana Azmi is considered “one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema”.
Wiki/Biography
Shabana Azmi was born “Shabana Kaifi Azmi” on September 18, 1950, in Hyderabad, India (age 73; as of 2023). Shabana studied at Queen Mary School in Mumbai.
Young Shabana Azmi
She graduated in Psychology from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. Shabana studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. She topped the list of successful candidates in 1972 and won a gold medal in the show.
appearance
Height: 5′6″
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family, caste and husband
Shabana Azmi was born into a Sayyid Muslim family. Her father, the late Keffi Azmi, was an Indian poet. Her mother, Shaukat Azmi, is a veteran Indian stage actress. Her parents were members of the Communist Party of India.
Shabana Azmi and her parents
Syed Fateh Hussain Rizvi was her grandfather. She has a brother named Baba Azmi who is a cinematographer. Baba is married to actor Tanvi Azmi.
Shabana Azmi with husband Javed Akhtar, brother Baba Azmi and sister-in-law Tanvi Azmi
She has a cousin named Ishan Arya who is a famous cinematographer.
Shabana Azmi’s cousin Ishan Arya
Ishan Arya’s husband Sulbha Arya is a veteran actress and theater artist.
Shabana Azmi’s sister-in-law Sulbha Arya
She was engaged to actor Benjamin Gilani but later called off their engagement.
Benjamin Gilani
Shabana Azmi was in a relationship with film director Shekhar Kapur for seven years.
Shabana Azmi and Shekhar Kapur
Shabana’s husband Javed Akhtar is a poet, lyricist and screenwriter.
Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar
She has a stepson named Farhan Akhtar and a stepdaughter named Zoya Akhtar.
Shabana Azmi with husband Javed and stepsons, daughters Farhan and Zoya Akhtar
She has two nieces named Farah Naaz and Tabu, both famous Bollywood actresses.
Farah Naaz, niece of Shabana Azmi
Neice Tabu by Shabana Azmi
Profession
After graduating from FTII, she signed both “Faslah (1974)” and “Parinay (1974)”.
However, her first film was Ankur (1974).
She is known for portraying real-life characters in films. She has appeared in Hollywood films such as “Mrs. Susatska” (1988) and “City of Joy” (1992).
She made her television debut with the TV series Anupama. She also acted in many stage plays, including MS Sathyu’s “Safed Kundali (1980)” and Feroz Abbas Khan’s “Tumhari Amrita”.
dispute
- During Navratri 2019, Shabana posted a picture on Twitter. Shabana’s text is shown in the photo, which reads: “This Navratri, I pray to Allah that Lakshmi should not beg, Durga should not have an abortion, Parvati should not give dowry, Sara Swati should not be illiterate and Kali should not be illiterate.” No need to be fair and cute! Insha Allah! ” There was a question at the bottom, will she do the same with 3 Talak, 3 Wives, Halala and Population Control? The actual poster was in Hindi. However, Shabana later tweeted that she had not posted made any similar statement that she would work for women regardless of their religion. After this tweet, another went viral with the same content but different text. Shabana posted the original post in 2017 .
Shabana Azmi’s 2017 Tweets
- During the Padmavati controversy, Shabana had given strong support to the film Padmavati (2018). She even tweeted that IFFI was banned for threatening the film’s star Deepika Padukone. Indian director Madhur Bhandarkar lashed out at her on Twitter, saying he too was worried about threats to Deepika but if Congress workers threaten Sabha with violence over his film ‘Indu Sarkar’ Na, he would be grateful to Sabana if he could get the same support from her. 2017)”.
Madhur Bhandarkar’s tweets about Shabana Azmi
- Shabana Azmi acted alongside Nandita Das in the film Fire (1996). The film sparked intense controversy for its depiction of lesbianism. It triggered multiple protests from social groups and Indian authorities. The film was even banned from screening by several theaters, with protesters demanding that the film be banned.
- In 1993, former South African President Nelson Mandela kissed Shabana on the cheek when he visited India. This created huge controversy within the Hindu and Muslim communities, who objected to their actions. Many social and political organizations even held multiple rallies and darnas to protest against this act. Lawyers from students to the Supreme Court were spotted dragging the actress down and kissing her.
Nelson Mandela kisses Shabana Azmi
- The number “Ishq Ki Maa Ki” from the movie “I Don’t Love You (2013)” angered Shabana. She heard the song on an FM channel; she called the radio jockey and asked why the station was playing the song? She even took to Twitter to accuse filmmaker Pallavi Mishra of writing the song. However, the song was written by Amit Kasaria, who later stated that his song was not insulting to women but merely expressed the frustrations of young people in love.
- At one point, Naseeruddin Shah called the film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) and its lead actor Farhan Akhtar “fake”. Farhan’s stepmother Shabana lashed out at Naseeruddin; saying he should have been more concerned about his performance. She further added that his (Nasiruddin’s) vision of the film and Farhan’s performance were not appreciated.
Awards and Honors
Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1988
Shabana Azmi meets Padma Shri
- Yash Bhartiya Award 1988 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh
- Gandhi International Peace Prize awarded by the Gandhi Foundation in London in 2006
Shabana Azmi wins Gandhi International Peace Prize
- Awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2012
- Honorary Fellow of the National Indian Students Union, UK
Honorary doctorate
- TERI University February 5, 2014
- Simon Fraser University 2013
Shabana Azmi receives honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University
- Jamia Milia Islamia, Delhi, 2008
- Brendan Foster, Principal, Leeds Metropolitan University, Yorkshire
- 2003 Jadavpur University, West Bengal
- Received the Martin Luther King Professor Award from the University of Michigan in 2002
national awards
- In 1975, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Ankur”
- In 1983, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Arth”
- In 1984, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Khandhar”
- In 1985, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Pal”
- In 1999, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “The Godmother”
international awards
- In 1993, she won the North Korean Best Actress Award for the movie “Libaas”
- In 1994, she won the Best Actress Award at the Taormina Festival in Italy for the movie “Patang”
- In 1996, she won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the Chicago International Film Festival for her film “Fire”
- 1996 Los Angeles Outfest film “Fire” won the Best Feature Film Actress Award
Film Audience Award
- In 1978, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Swami”
Shabana Azmi wins Filmfare Award
- In 1984, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Arth”
- In 1985, she won the Best Actress Award for the movie “Bhavna”
- 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award
- In 2017, she won the Best Supporting Actress Award for the movie “Neerja”
favorite thing
- Cuisine: Hyderabadi Biryani
- Starring: Jaya Baduri Bachchan / Madhubala / Nargis
- Color: red, blue, black
- travel Destination: New York, London, Venice
fact
- Earlier, Shabana used to be called ‘Munni’. The late writer Ali Sardar Jafri gave her the name “Shabana” when she was 11 years old.
- Shabana was chosen as the female lead in the 1974 Bollywood film Ankur after several actresses turned down the lead role. The film became her career debut.
- Satyajit Ray said of Shabana’s performance in the film:
In Ankur, she may not have immediately blended into the rural surroundings, but her poise and personality were unquestionable. In two soaring scenes she gives it her all, firmly establishing herself as one of our finest dramatic actresses. “
- Jaya Bhaduri Bachchan inspired Shabana to work in films. She watched Jaya Bhaduri’s graduation film “Suman” and was deeply moved by her natural performance.
- She is a staunch socialist active in supporting child survival, fighting AIDS, and social injustice. She participated in several plays and demonstrations condemning communalism. She even supported slum dwellers and displaced Kashmiri Pandit migrants.
Shabana Azmi writes about fasting for slum dwellers
- In 1989, she undertook a four-day long march from New Delhi to Meerut to promote communal harmony.
- Shabana has been a member of the National Integration Council and the National AIDS Council of India since 1989.
- In 1998, the “United Nations Population Fund” appointed her as the “Goodwill Ambassador of India”.
- In 1997, she was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha by the then President of India KR Narayanan.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education