She is one the leading actresses of Parallel Cinema, a new-wave movement known for its serious content and neorealism and received government patronage during the times. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in India, her performances in films in a variety of genres have generally earned her praise and awards, which include a record of five wins of the National Film Award for Best Actress and several international honours. She has also been honored among “women in cinema” at the 30th International Film Festival of India.An actress of substance, she is none other than Shabana Azmi. As she celebrates her septuagenarian birthday, here’s a small memory walk of her career and her films which shaped our society.
THE ACTING SEEDLING OF SHABANA SPROUTS
Shabana Azmi’s debut film was Ankur: the seedling directed by Shyam Benegal in 1974.It belongs to Indian art films, or more precisely, the Indian Parallel Cinema. The plot is based on a true story that occurred in Hyderabad, apparently in the 1950s. It was filmed almost entirely on location. Shabana plays the role of Lakshmi a Dalit woman who happens to be the wife of a poor alcoholic potter who is deaf and mute. Her character throughout the film shows the struggle of a woman especially belonging to a minority caste and how she suffers from mistreatment but paves her own way and shatters prejudices by giving a befitting reply to the rich and powerful males in her village.
SHABANA V/S SHIRLEY
Azmi was not only reserved to Bollywood. Her acting was quite revered overseas too. Azmi’s British film Madame Sousatzka is one such film. Directed by John Schlesinger the film hit the screens in 1988. Azmi plays the role of Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen who lives in London with her son Manek (Navin Chowdhry) who is musically gifted. She supports them both as a caterer of Indian food, while Manek studies the piano with Madame Sousatzka (Shirley MacLaine), who is a Russian-American immigrant.The movie shows how Manek, the son has to choose between his mother (Azmi) and his teacher as they both fight for his attention. Azmi does complete justice to the role of a doting mother here.
SHATTERING INJUSTICE THROUGH MOVIES
Azmi being a social activist has shattered many misogynistic and patriarchal norms through her roles. One such movie is her 1989 release Sati directed by Aparna Sen which was based on a story by Kamal Kumar Majumdar. Azmi portrays the role of a young Brahmin girl who has a disastrous horoscope which is quite inauspicious for a village in 1828. What compounds her difficulties is her being mute and her horoscope prediction which states that she will be widowed at an early age thus not receiving many proposals from prospective grooms. The film through Azmi’s role shows how daunting it is for a girl to live in an era when young girls had to commit the act of Sati which means biting oneself in her husband’s pyre upon his death.
AZMI TEACHES THE TRUE ESSENCE OF A TEACHER
Chalk n Duster is a 2016 Indian drama film about the commercialization of the Indian private education system, starring Juhi Chawla and Shabana Azmi. The film talks about teachers’ and students’ communication, and highlights the problem of teachers and students in an educational system which is changing day by day. The movie’s name is actually an initiative by IIT and IIM graduates which very much resonates with the message of this film and aims to solve the problems related to education in India. Shabana plays the role of Vidya Sawant who suffers a heart attack due to unfair dismissal which came into action after the school received a change of Principal. After the dismissal of Vidya, a series of drama ensues which ends with a recovered Vidya and her friend/colleague Jyoti taking on a ‘Who Wants to Be A Millionaire-style quiz’ to win 5 crore rupees. The trade-off is that if they lose, they will have to accept their termination and leave their profession respectively. Vidya and Jyoti use their talents and win the quiz battle. The winning amount is then given to the former principal Indu by Vidya and it gives the message of how education should not be segregated based on money.
THE TEST OF FIRE MAKES A FINE STAR
Sita and Radha are young Indian women whose husbands choose celibacy or mistresses over their wives. This leads them to form an intimate, passionate relationship amidst a close-minded society.
Although the movie received backlash, protests from various political associations, met with some real hypocritical and abusive judgments along with controversial comments, it emerged victorious as the Film board along with the judiciary system allowed its screening. For an actress to star in a role which spoke about LGBTQ in that era when such topics were alien and considered a taboo, surely deserved bags full of appreciation and spoke volumes about Shabana Azmi.
