Shabana Azmi is a magnificent Muslim actress. She worked in a numer of films,which have brought her lot of praise and appreciation. She is one of the most leading actresses of Bollywood. Shabana played in a large number of movies and can perfectly adapt to the roles of the various genres.
Besides, Azmi is a social and women's rights activist and a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament.
Background
Shabana Azmi was born on 18 September 1951 in Azamgarh. She is a daughter of famous Indian Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi and renowned stage actress Shaukat Azmi. Kaifi and Shaukat had active social life, were actively involved in the field of fine arts and were members of the Communist Party of India.
Shabana has a brother Baba, who is a cinematographer now.
She studied at Queen Mary School, graduated from St. Xavier's College in Mumbai and took up a course in Acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).
Education
Shabana said the following words about her decision to attend the FTII: "I had the privilege of watching Jaya Bhaduri in a (Diploma) film, Suman, and I was completely enchanted by her performance because it was unlike the other performances I had seen. I really marvelled at that and said, 'My god, if by going to the Film Institute I can achieve that, that's what I want to do."
Career
When Azmi graduated from the FTII she began work on Kanti Lal Rathod's Parinay. She debuted in Shyam Benegal's film "Ankur" (1974), which belongs to the arthouse genre of neo-realistic films. The film became a major critical success, and Shabana won the National Film Award for Best Actress. Later she received the National Film Award for three years for the roles in the following films: "Arth", "Khandhar", "Paar" and "Godmother".
Shabana's acting can be described as realistic and life-affirming. She also acted in experimental film "Fire", which brought her the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Chicago Film Festival and Jury Award for Best Actress at Outfest, Los Angeles.
Shabana's notable works:
Ankur (1974) - Laxmi
Nishant (1976) - Sushila
Fakira (1976) Geeta / Neeta C I D Police Inspector
Shatranj Ke Khiladi (1977) - Khurshid
Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) - Laxmi
Junoon (1978) - Firdaus
Swami (1978) - Saudamini
Sparsh (1980) - Kavita
Arth (1982) - Mrs. Pooja Inder Malhotra
Masoom (1983) - Indu D. Malhotra
Mandi (1983) - Rukmini Bai
Shart (1986)- Kiran Dutt
The Bengali Night (1988) - Mrs. Sen
Madame Sousatzka (1988) - Sushila
City of Joy (1992) - Kamla Pal
In Custody (1993) - Imtiaz Begum
Son of the Pink Panther (1993) - Queen
Fire (1996) - Radha
Saaz (1997) - Bansidhar (Bansi) Vrundavan
Side Streets (1998) - Mrs. Chandra Bipin Raj
Earth (1998) - voice of older Lenny
Godmother (1999) - Rambhi
Makdee (2002) - Makdee
Tehzeeb (2003) - Rukhsana Jamal
Morning Raga (2004) - Swarnlatha
15 Park Avenue (2005) - Anjali "Anju" Mathur
Waterborne (2005) - Heera Bhatti
Umrao Jaan (2006) - Khannum Jaan
Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007) - Nahid
Loins of Punjab Presents (2007) - Rita Kapoor
Sorry Bhai! (2008) - Mother Gayatri
It's a Wonderful Afterlife (2010) - Mrs. Sethi
Kalpvriksh (Film) (2012) - Gypsy Woman
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2012) - Chaudhari Devi
Some of her films were noted by the Norwegian Film Institute, the Smithsonian Institution and the American Film Institute.
Shabana is a facinating actress who has truly proved her talent.
Politics
Shabana is not just an acterss, but a great social activist. She has made an incredible contribution in raising voice against unjust and inequality. She fights AIDS and is active in supporting child survival. In 1998 the United Nations Population Fund appointed her as its Goodwill Ambassador for India.
Views
Quotations:
Shabana believes that art should be used as an instrument for social change.