MUMBAI: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, who made her acting debut with Shyam Benegal’s debut film Ankur (1974), has completed 50 glorious years in the industry. “When I started out, I never thought about how long my career would last. I was playing film to film. It is heartening that I still got my boots on, and that I’m getting a wide variety of roles. I am extremely grateful and pleased,” says the actor, who was last seen in Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani.
Azmi’s cinematic legacy of five decades is being celebrated not just by the Indian film fraternity but even globally. On May 10, she was honoured with the oldest award in London the Freedom To City award which was given by the London Corporation. And the upcoming edition of New York Indian Film Festival will host a special event (on June 2) that includes the screening of her 1996 film Fire, directed by Deepa Mehta.
“It is humbling that it’s all coming together at 50 years. It’s heartwarming that my work is considered worthy of respect,” she continues, “This is not the first time my work is being celebrated globally. Many years ago at a NYIFF, Lincoln Center, I was the only actor in the whole world who ever had a retrospective in her name since it is considered a filmmakers’ festival.”
From the time when Azmi was doing mainstream roles to 50 years later now, there has been a paradigm shift in the way things work in the film industry. Agreeing that dynamics have changed massively, the 73-year-old says, “There was a time when we were doing 12 films at a time. Back then, we didn’t have the comfort of anaconda ACs or great vanity vans to rush into. So, after the shot would get over, we used to continue to hang out on the sets, which nurtured a sense of camaraderie. You felt much more involved with the process.”
The actor goes down memory lane, and shares that there used to be no such thing as a complete script that was given to actors. “We just had a story idea. I remember this crazy situation where (late) Rajesh Khanna and I were doing the first page of a scene, not knowing what the dialogues of the second page would be. We were doing representative acting on mainstream cinema, it was devoid of any kind of subtlety. We used to work on pre-production for a month and then shoot and post-production would take two years. Cut to now, they spend two years on pre-production, and finish the shooting in 2-3 months, and honestly, I feel that’s how it should be,” elucidates the five-time National Award winner.
Up next, Azmi is shooting for Bun Tikki with Zeenat Aman, marking their reunion after 41 years, since Ashanti (1982). “We always had cordial relation and that still remains. We were not able to keep in touch on a daily basis, but getting back together for Bun Tikki and that too after so many years, was as if there was no gap at all. Zeenat is such a warm person. We met each other with a big hug,” the actor wraps up.
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Credits - Hindustan Times
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