MUMBAI: Legendary actress Shabana Azmi has completed a remarkable 50 years in the Indian film industry, an incredible milestone that reflects her lasting impact on cinema and society. Known for her versatility, compelling performances, and her dedication to both the arts and activism, Azmi's five-decade-long career has been nothing short of extraordinary. As she celebrates this monumental achievement, her close-knit circle of friends, fellow actors, and colleagues from across the film industry have come forward to wish her love, admiration, and continued success.
In a special voice message which was posted by Zoya Akhtar's production house Tiger Baby's Instagram account, Vidya shared a minute-long message for Shabana. She began by saying, “How can I possibly choose one favourite Shabana Azmi performance? Shabana Azmi has probably had the strongest influence on me as an actor. She was the first actor to make me realize that women could have a voice on screen.”
Vidya went on to give the example of a scene in Arth (1982), which fetched Shabana a National Award for Best Actress. Vidya shared how this telephone scene where her character calls and begs had a big impression on her. She also took the example of two scenes from Masoom (1983), where her character reacts with such truth to the changing circumstances.
Vidya ended her note by saying, "I think sometimes when you watch a performance, you feel that, of course, these are beautiful lines, but that actor has brought a truth to it that very rarely do you see those kinds of moments in a performance. So that’s my love for Shabana ji. No one like her, truly.”
Shabana made her acting debut with Shyam Benegal’s debut film Ankur (1974), for which she won her first National Award. She is the only actor to win it five times, also for Khandhar, Paar, and Godmother. She was last seen in Rocky Aur Rani kii Prem Kahaani, for which she won a Filmfare Award. Fans will see her next in Bun Tikki, also starring Zeenat Aman.
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