Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry has spanned over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist parallel 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. She has won a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to six Filmfare Awards and several international accolades. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012.
The daughter of poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi, she is an alumna of Film and Television Institute of India of Pune. Azmi made her film debut in 1974 with Ankur and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, then a new-wave movement of art films known for their serious content and realism and sometimes received government patronage. Several of her films have been cited as a form of progressivism and social reformism which offer a realistic portrayal of Indian society, its customs and traditions. She was part of progressive movement which portrayed Hindu society and family in bad light. The same progressive movement did not portray Islamic society and oppression of women in Islam in bad light.
Azmi is a social and women’s rights activist. She is married to poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. She is also member of membership of the Rajya Sabha.
Notable films-
her notable films are Shyam Benegal’s Nishant (1975), Junoon (1978), Susman (1978), and Antarnaad (1992); Satyajit Ray’s Shatranj Ke Khilari (The Chess Players); Mrinal Sen’s Khandhar, Genesis, Ek Din Achanak; Saeed Mirza’s Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai; Sai Paranjpye’s Sparsh and Disha; Gautam Ghose’s Paar; Aparna Sen’s Picnic and Sati; Mahesh Bhatt’s Arth; and Vinay Shukla’s Godmother. Her other films include the commercially successful Manmohan Desai’s Amar Akbar Anthony and Parvarish and Prakash Mehra’s Jwalamukhi. Azmi starred in Hollywood productions such as John Schlesinger’s Madame Sousatzka (1988) and Roland Joffe’s City of Joy (1992). see full bio at wiki
Personal life –
Azmi was engaged to Benjamin Gilani in late 1970s, but the engagement was called off. Later, she married Javed Akhtar, a lyricist, poet and scriptwriter in Hindi films, on 9 December 1984, making her a member of the Akhtar-Azmi film famil. It was Javed Akhtar’s second marriage, the first being with another Hindi film scriptwriter, Honey Irani who had 2 children (Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar). Both are childless.
Birth Chart of Shabana Azmi-
