Shabana Azmi | |
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.jpg) Azmi at theSFU in October 2009 | |
| Born | Shabana Kaifi Azmi (1950-09-18)18 September 1950 (age 75) Hyderabad, India |
| Occupations |
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| Works | Full list |
| Spouse | |
| Children |
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| Parents |
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| Relatives |
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| Family | Akhtar-Azmi family |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (2012) |
| Member of Parliament,Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 27 August 1997 – 26 August 2003 | |
| Nominated by | K. R. Narayanan |
| Preceded by | M. Aram |
| Succeeded by | Hema Malini |
| Constituency | Nominated (Arts) |
| Signature | |
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Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in theHindi film industry has spannedover 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealistparallel cinema, though her work extended to mainstream films as well as a number of international projects. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres.[1] She has won a record of fiveNational Film Awards for Best Actress,[2][3] in addition to fiveFilmfare Awards and several international accolades. TheGovernment of India honoured her with thePadma Shri in 1998 and thePadma Bhushan in 2012.
The daughter of poetKaifi Azmi and stage actressShaukat Azmi, she is an alumna ofFilm and Television Institute of India ofPune. Azmi made her film debut in 1974 withAnkur and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, then a new-wave movement ofart films known for their serious content and realism and sometimes received government patronage.[2][4] Several of her films have been cited as a form ofprogressivism and social reformism which offer a realistic portrayal ofIndian society, its customs and traditions.
In addition to acting, Azmi is a social andwomen's rightsactivist. She is married to poet and screenwriterJaved Akhtar.[5] She is aGoodwill Ambassador of theUnited Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). In appreciation of Azmi's life and works, thePresident of India gave her a nominated (unelected) membership of theRajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.[6]
Azmi was born on 18 September 1950 inHyderabad, India to poet and songwriterKaifi Azmi and veteran stage actorShaukat Azmi. Her parents called her Munni; she was christened with her given name by writerAli Sardar Jafri when she turned eleven.[7] She has one brother,Baba Azmi, who is acinematographer married to actorTanvi Azmi.
Azmi's parents were members of theCommunist Party of India (CPI). Until she was nine, the family lived in Red Flat Hall, a CPI commune with eight families. Each family was allocated one room, and shared one bathroom and lavatory with the other families. She describes the atmosphere at home as "completely bohemian." According to her, members of the party "had re-defined the husband-wife relationship"; most women had jobs, and were not the sole bearers of childrearing responsibilities. When her mother was touring withPrithvi Theatre, her father looked after Azmi and her brother. He also helped Shaukat rehearse cues for her new play or film; he believed that it was their duty as a family to "make it possible for her (Shaukat) to rehearse her lines as many times as she needed."[8][9]
Azmi's childhood was characterised by numerousmehfils (social gatherings) that took place at her home; people from all walks of life would come over to listen to poetry recitals from her father and other eminent intellectuals likeJosh Malihabadi,Firaq Gorakpuri,Faiz Ahmed Faiz,Sajjad Zaheer andBegum Akhtar. Azmi was "fascinated" by thesemehfils. "I would sit up in rapt attention, not even half understanding what they recited, but excited nevertheless," she toldScreen, "Their beautiful words fell like music on my young ears." She also accompanied her parents tomushairas (poetic symposiums), listening tonazms (Urdu poetry) bySahir Ludhianvi andAli Sardar Jafri. "Baba and I used to be fast asleep on the stage, behind thegao takiyas (bolsters), and would invariably wake up to the thunderous applause that resonated every time his name was announced," she recalled, "He was always amongst the last to recite—his deeply resonant voice pulsating with vigour, drama and power."[8]
Azmi travelled to Prithvi Theatre with her mother, and Mazdoor Kisan meetings inMadanpura with her father. "There used to be red banners everywhere, a lot ofnarebaazi (sloganeering) and a lot of protest poetry," she said, "As a child I was only interested in these rallies because the mazdoors pampered me. Imperceptibly however, my roots were catching soil." Azmi considers her eventual involvement in activism to be "an extension of what I saw happening as a child."[8]
Azmi attendedQueen Mary School, Mumbai, and graduated fromSt. Xavier's College, Mumbai degree inPsychology. During her time at Xavier's, she started a Hindi theatre group with her seniorFarooq Sheikh, and together, they won several awards in inter-college drama competitions. She was drawn to acting after "being completely enchanted" byJaya Bhaduri's performance inSuman. Her father supported her choice to pursue acting, following which she joined theFilm and Television Institute of India, Pune, where she was awarded the gold medal for the Best Student in Acting.[10][9]
Shabana Azmi does not immediately fit into her rustic surroundings; but her poise and her personality are never in doubt, and in two high-pitched scenes she pulls out all her stops and firmly establishes herself as one of our finest dramatic actresses."
During her final year at FTII, Azmi was offeredKhwaja Ahmad Abbas'Faslah (1974) and Kanti Lal Rathore'sParinay (1974) butShyam Benegal'sAnkur (1974) became her debut film. Speaking toMumbai Mirror, Benegal said he took one look at Azmi and knew she was perfect for the role of Laxmi,"a Hyderabadi servant girl who could speak a smattering of Telugu."Waheeda Rehman andAparna Sen were two of the four actors in consideration to play Laxmi, but had rejected the offer. At the time of casting, Azmi didn't speak Telugu, but she was fluent inDeccani, a dialect of Urdu that borrows from Marathi, which Benegal thought "was essential to fleshing out the character." He also said that at twenty four years old, Azmi "looked too young" to play Laxmi but he was "willing to tweak the role" for her.[12][13] The film received critical acclaim upon release, earning her firstNational Film Award for Best Actress and her first nomination for theFilmfare Award for Best Actress. Indian Urdu novelist and journalistQurratulain Hyder wrote that Azmi "lives her role [as Laxmi]" and "acts like a seasoned dramatic actress" despiteAnkur being her first film.[14] Paramita Ghosh fromThe Indian Express said that "Azmi's Laxmi is a woman of touching vulnerability and pragmatism."[13]
Impressed with Azmi's "huge range" as an actor, Benegal also cast her inNishant (1975),Junoon (1978),Mandi(1983),Susman (1978), andAntarnaad (1991).Mandi was a "bawdy black comedy" featuring Azmi as thebrothel madam Rukminibai andSmita Patil, with whom she had also shared the screen inArth (1982). She played an urban Indian wife, mother and homemaker inShekhar Kapur's directorial debutMasoom (1983).[13] Between 1983 and 1985, Azmi received three National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance inArth,Mrinal Sen'sKhandhar (1984) andGautam Ghose'sPaar (1984).
She also starred inAparna Sen'sPicnic (1975),Satyajit Ray'sShatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players) (1977),Manmohan Desai'sAmar Akbar Anthony (1977),Parvarish (1977),Prakash Mehra'sJwalamukhi (1980),Saeed Mirza'sAlbert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai (1980),Sai Paranjpye'sSparsh (1980),Genesis (1986),Ek Din Achanak (1989), andSati (1989). She was also seen inJohn Schlesinger'sMadame Sousatzka (1988).
In 1990, Azmi teamed up withSai Paranjpye again forDisha. She also appeared inRoland Joffe'sCity of Joy (1992). She dabbled in experimental and parallel Indian cinema withDeepa Mehta'sFire (1996), playing Radha, a lonesome young woman in love with her sister-in-law. The film received critical acclaim after being released overseas in 1996. Azmi won theSilver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 32ndChicago Film Festival and Jury Award for Best Actress atOutfest, Los Angeles.[6]
WhenFire was released in India two years later, the on-screen depiction oflesbianism (perhaps the first in Indian cinema) was deemed "alien to Indian culture" and led to numerous protests urging theCentral Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to ban the film. In her memoir,Hit Girl (2017), the then CBFC chairperson and actorAsha Parekh wrote thatFire explored "the bold theme ofsame-gender love between two women" aesthetically and without sensationalism. "There was no reason to ban it at all or delete a kissing scene between Shabana Azmi andNandita Das," she said, "Sanjivani Kutti (regional manager of CBFC) and I stuck to the collective decision, the censors would not recall the film for a second opinion."[15]
Azmi's performance inGodmother (1999) earned her a fifth National Film Award. She was the initial choice for Deepa Mehta'sWater (2005), which was planned to hit the floors in 2000. A few scenes were already shot. Azmi had to shave her head withNandita Das to portray the character of Shakuntala. However, due to political reasons, the film was shelved and later shot in 2005 withSeema Biswas replacing Azmi.[16]
Azmi debuted on the small screen in a soap opera titledAnupamaa. She portrayed a modern Indian woman who, while endorsing traditional Indian ethos and values, negotiated more freedom for herself.
In a conversation with actorVidya Balan at theMAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024, Azmi said that although the "thrill of performing live on stage is unmatched," she finds theatre "incredibly challenging" and does not consider it be her first medium. "I wouldn't say it's the most satisfying because a film performance lasts forever, whereas theatre is ephemeral," she added.[17]
She has participated in many stage plays: notable among them includeM. S. Sathyu'sSafed Kundali (1980), based onThe Caucasian Chalk Circle; andFeroz Abbas Khan'sTumhari Amrita with actorFarooq Sheikh, which ran for five years. She touredSingapore on an assignment with theSingapore Repertory Theatre Company, acting inIngmar Bergman's adaptation ofIbsen'sA Doll's House, which was directed by Rey Buono. She toured theUK,Dubai andIndia with British productionHappy Birthday Sunita byRifco Theatre Company in 2014.
Azmi was engaged toBenjamin Gilani in late 1970s, but the engagement was called off.[18] She later had a relationship with filmmakerShekhar Kapur for seven years.[19]
On 9 December 1984, she marriedJaved Akhtar, a lyricist, poet and scriptwriter in Hindi films, making her a member of theAkhtar-Azmi film family.[20] It was Akhtar's second marriage, the first being withHindi film scriptwriter,Honey Irani. Azmi's mother was "unhappy" about her relationship with Akhtar, as he was still married to Irani and had two children (Farhan andZoya). For similar reasons, Azmi also faced "tremendous pressure" from her "well-wishers" to break up with him. During this time, she confided in her father about the circumstances of Akhtar's marriage; she believed his marriage was "long over" before they met. "There were no further questions asked. Abba didn't probe, didn't want to know the details of what that meant. He trusted me enough to take me for my word and gave me his blessings," Azmi recalled in an interview, "That was one of the most momentous decisions of my life—had [he] truly said no, I wonder if I would have had the courage to defy him: Not because I'm frightened of him but because in the most personal of matters he can be relied upon to make the most objective judgement."[8][21]
Akhtar and Azmi have no children. In an interview with The Indian Express, she revealed that not being able to have children was "tough" for her to accept, as society "makes you feel incomplete." She said that "women often measure self-worth from their relationships–how they hold up as a wife, mother, daughter," as opposed to men who derive the "greatest satisfaction" from their career.[22] Azmi credits her mother for changing "her perspective on motherhood and life."[23]
Indian actorsFarah Naaz andTabu are Azmi's nieces, and TV actorTanvi Azmi is her sister-in-law.
AsUNFPA Goodwill Ambassador, Azmi participated in a march at theTaj Mahal onWorld Health Day in 2001 to draw attention to the "number of women who still die of causes related to pregnancy and childbirth each year."[24]After the world population crossed six billion in October 1999, Azmi said that "350 million women" globally did not have access to "safe and effective family planning methods." She advocated for policy reform that encouraged men and women to be "equal partners in decisions related to reproductive health issues." She cited the "success stories inTamil Nadu andKerala" where similar policies had been implemented. "You need to have access to safe methods of contraception and a mix of contraceptive services, ensure safe motherhood, to bring down infant mortality and empower women in their decision making abilities," she said, "All this is there in the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme in India since 1997. If we would merely implement the programme, we would be successful."[25]
In April 1986, Azmi was one of five people, includingAnand Patwardhan, who went on an "indefinite hunger strike to demand alternative housing sites for evicted residents of Sanjay Gandhi Nagar, Mumbai." The strike was part of "an ongoing struggle for the rights of slum and pavement dwellers, who are constantly under attack by civic authorities." She criticised the media for not questioning why the slum-dwellers were on a strike, and spoke about the prejudice that slum-dwellers face. Azmi said that many people assume that slum-dwellers are not "working people" and consider slums to be areas "where crime takes place [and] illicit liquor is brewed." She called for them to be "viewed more sympathetically."[26]
The strike was under the aegis of Nivara Hakk, a housing rights NGO that Azmi later joined.[27]In 1986, the Maharashtra government offered the Sanjay Gandhi Nagar residents a three-acre plot inGoregaon for rehabilitation. Nivara Hakk helped to level the barren land, and architect P.K. Das designed low-rise buildings.[28]
In October 2001, Azmi spoke at the Sixth International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific on preventing HIV and safeguarding reproductive health. She appealed to the "influential leaders" to dedicate intellectual and financial resources for tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic. She also encouraged "film stars, sportspersons and other celebrities" to "voluntarily conveyHIV/AIDS prevention and control message to the people." She called for upon the policymakers to target adolescents "as a priority group" for their prevention work. "The issues of sexuality and sexual health must be taken out of the closet. We need to realise that adolescents are increasingly involved in sexual activity and that they are not fully informed of the risks of the HIV infection or other sexually transmitted diseases," she said, "If government does not ensure adolescents access to unbiased information on HIV/AIDS and the means to avoid infection. There is a real danger that the epidemic could grow out of proportion in the very near future."[29][24]
As the goodwill ambassador ofSouth Asian Regional Cooperation (SAARC), she campaigned against the "unjust and unjustified"ostracism of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. Speaking at a 2009 press conference organized by SAARC Tuberculosis Center in theKathmandu, Nepal, she said that HIV is "not just a medical problem" but a "social, cultural and economic" issue.[30]
After the first case of HIV/AIDS was detected in India in the 1980s, Azmi starred in aDoordarshan advertisement aimed at dispelling the commonly-believed myth that HIV/AIDS spreads through physical touch. In the ad, she is seen hugging a child, presumably an AIDS patient, and saying: "Chhoone se AIDS nahi hota. Chhoone se sirf pyar failta hai." (AIDS is not spread through touch. Only love spreads by touch). She later mentioned that the ad achieved the "highest recall among ads" that year.[31][32] In aBengali filmMeghla Akash (2001), directed byNargis Akhter, she played a physician treating AIDS patients. In 2009, she partnered with a nonprofit organisationTeachAids to voice educational animations about HIV/AIDS protection in English, Hindi and Urdu. Javed Akhtar advised TeachAids for the animation's Urdu script.[33][34]
Azmi was also a member of theNational AIDS Commission (of India).[34]
During the opening ceremony of the 12thInternational Film Festival of India (1989) at theSiri Fort auditorium in Delhi, organised byInformation and Broadcasting Ministry, Azmi was asked onstage about directors, in her view, who had "brought out the best in her" as an actor. In response, she said, "My views on my directors and thenew wave can be reserved for a later date. What is very important right now is that we've been distributing someleaflets in the audience. My fear is that not all the leaflets have been equally distributed. And so, I choose this occasion to read out our protest, please bear with me." As the audience applauded, she read a written statement calling outIndian National Congress (INC) for the murder of dramatist, cultural activist, andCommunist Party of India (Marxist) memberSafdar Hashmi. "We filmmakers and film lovers wish to register our protest against a system that on the one hand claims to promote creativity and on the other, connives in the murder of cultural activists," she said.[35][36]Outside of the venue, actorDilip Kumar stood in protest with Hashmi's photograph. Azmi's statement echoed similar sentiments expressed by her peers, including Satyajit Ray,Ravi Shankar,Adoor Gopalakrishnan,Utpal Dutt,Krishna Sobti andRajendra Yadav, who engaged in "public displays of solidarity" in weeks following the murder.[37]
H. K. L. Bhagat, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting at the time, was seen "refuting Azmi's allegations but very few people in the audience appeared to take his word seriously."[38] On 3 March 1989, during a Rajya Sabha session, Member of ParliamentChimanbhai Mehta requested Bhagat to clarify if an instruction had been issued to Doordarshan after Azmi's statement to prohibit her from appearing on the Doordarshan screen. Bhagat denied the existence of such instruction.[39]
Azmi has continued to bring attention to Hashmi's murder over the years. In 2015, she and Akhtar attended the 26th Safdar Hashmi Memorial, organised by Sahmat, a Delhi-based activist and artist collective.[40] On Hashmi's 31st Shahaadat Divas (Martyrdom Day) in 2020, the couple joined a gathering of artists and workers inSahibabad district ofJhandapur, Uttar Pradesh, to celebrate his memory. The event marked the launch of Sudhanva Deshpande'sHallaBol: The Death and Life of Safdar Hashmi (2020) published byLeftWord. Addressing the audience, Azmi recited lines from her father's and Akhtar's poetry. She also said that being in Jhandapur was "special" because it reminded her of Hashmi, and of her own childhood spent accompanying her father toworker-rights meetings.[41][42]
In 1989, along withSwami Agnivesh andAsghar Ali Engineer, Azmi undertook a four-day march for communal harmony from New Delhi toMeerut. Among the social groups whose causes she has advocated are slum dwellers, displacedKashmiri Pandit migrants and victims of theearthquake at Latur (Maharashtra, India). The1993 Mumbai riots appalled her and she emerged as a forceful critic of religious extremism. In 1995, she reflected on her life as an activist in an interview in Rungh.[43] After the11 September 2001 attacks, she opposed the advice of the grand mufti ofJama Masjid calling upon the Muslims of India to join the people ofAfghanistan in their fight by retorting that the leader go there alone.[44]
Since 1989, she has been a member of theNational Integration Council headed by thePrime Minister of India, and was nominated (in 1997) as a member of theRajya Sabha, the upper house of theIndian parliament in 1997.[24]
In2019 Indian general election, she actively campaigned forKanhaiya Kumar who contested fromBegusarai,Bihar on aCommunist Party of India (CPI) ticket.[45]
Azmi is regarded as one of the greatest actors ofIndian cinema.[46]Rediff.com placed her as the seventh-greatest Indian actress of all time.[47] In 2022, she was placed inOutlook India's 75 Best Bollywood Actresses list.[48] Azmi was placed first inRediff.com's "Best Bollywood Debut Ever" list, for her filmAnkur.[49] In 2023,Rajeev Masand named Azmi as one of Hindi cinema's best actresses of all time.[50]Times of India placed her in its "50 Beautiful Faces" list.[51]
Filmfare included Azmi's performances inMandi andArth in its list of "80 Iconic Performances" of Bollywood, placed 37th and 27th respectively. ForMandi, it noted, "Shabana is dramatic, she is quirky and she's bang on. A natural, her carefully restrained performance makes you smile at her lament about professionalism and loyalty. Although she is supported by a sterling cast, this is a satire which is all hers. See her spirited performances inMorning Raga,Masoom andAnkur as well."[52]
She has acted in more than one hundredHindi films, both in the mainstream as well as inParallel Cinema. Several of her films have received attention in the international arena andScandinavian countries, including at theNorwegian Film Institute, theSmithsonian Institution and theAmerican Film Institute. She has appeared in a number of foreign films, most of which have won international acclaim, includingJohn Schlesinger'sMadame Sousatzka,Nicholas Klotz'sBengali Night,Roland Joffe'sCity of Joy,Channel 4'sImmaculate Conception,Blake Edwards'Son of the Pink Panther, andIsmail Merchant'sIn Custody.
Civilian award
National Film Awards
Azmi has received theNational Film Award for Best Actress five times, making her the overall most-awarded actor in the function:[6]
| Year | Category | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Best Actress | Ankur | Won |
| 1983 | Arth | Won | |
| 1984 | Khandhar | Won | |
| 1985 | Paar | Won | |
| 1999 | Godmother | Won |
Filmfare Awards
| Year | Category | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Best Actress | Ankur | Nominated |
| 1978 | Swami | Won | |
| 1981 | Thodisi Bewafaii | Nominated | |
| 1984 | Arth | Won | |
| Masoom | Nominated | ||
| Avtaar | Nominated | ||
| Mandi | Nominated | ||
| 1985 | Bhavna | Won | |
| Sparsh | Nominated | ||
| 2003 | Best Villain | Makdee | Nominated |
| 2004 | Best Supporting Actress | Tehzeeb | Nominated |
| 2006 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Won | |
| 2017 | Best Supporting Actress | Neerja | Won |
| 2024 | Ghoomer | Nominated | |
| Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani | Won |
| Year | Award/Country | Category | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | North Korea | Best Actress | Libaas | Won |
| 1994 | Taormina Arte Festival in Italy | Patang | Won | |
| 1996 | Chicago International Film Festival | Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress | Fire | Won |
| 1996 | L.A. Outfest | Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film | Won |
| Year | Award | Category | Movie | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards | Best Actress (Hindi) | Ankur | Won |
| 1984 | Paar | Won | ||
| 1987 | Ek Pal | Won | ||
| 1998 | Screen Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Mrityudand | Won |
| 1999 | Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards | Best Actress (Hindi) | Godmother | Won |
| 2003 | Best Supporting Actress (Hindi) | Tehzeeb | Won | |
| 2004 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | |
| 2005 | Screen Awards | Best Performance in an Indian Film in English | Morning Raga | Won |
National awards
Honorary doctorates
