Shabana Azmi is one of the most versatile actors in the Bollywood & Theatre industry of India. With a career over four decades, Shabana has given some stupendous performances in movies like Makdee, Arth, Paar and many more. As the veteran star turns 70 today, here are some lesser-known facts about her:
#1 Inspiration
Did you know that Jaya Bachchan inspired Shabana Azmi to pursue her career in acting. In an interview she once said, “Seeing Jaya Bhaduri act in Suman, a film made by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), drew me to the institute in Pune.”
#2 Award Galore
Shabana Azmi won the National Award for Best Actress for her debut film, Ankur. The movie also marked the directorial debut of veteran director Shyam Benegal. Shabana Azmi totally holds 5 National Awards. In 1988, she was also honoured with the Padma Shri Award.
#3 Crush
Shabana Azmi had a huge crush on Shashi Kapoor. Shashi’s father, Prithviraj Kapoor, was her neighbour, and whenever Shashi paid a visit to his father, Shabana would get him to autograph one of his pictures.
#4 Relationships
Shabana Azmi & Shekhar Kapur fell in love on the sets of Ishq Ishq Ishq. They even got engaged, but sadly the engagement broke off as things didn’t work out between them.
#5 Marriage
Javed Akhtar (Shabana’s now husband) was already married to Honey Irani when he met Shabana. However, his wit and intellect attracted Shabana towards him. “Javed was married and we tried to break off several times. Finally, he got a divorce and we were married on December 9, 1984,” she told in an interview.
