Shabana Azmi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shabana Azmi
Azmi at the SFU in October 2009
Born	Shabana Kaifi Azmi (1950-09-18) 18 September 1950 (age 74) Hyderabad, Hyderabad State, India
Occupation	Actress social activist
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	Javed Akhtar ​ (m. 1984)​
Parents	Kaifi Azmi (father) Shaukat Kaifi (mother)
Relatives	Baba Azmi (brother) Ishan Arya (first-cousin)
Family	Akhtar-Azmi family
Honours	Padma Bhushan (2012)
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha
In office 27 August 1997 – 26 August 2003
Nominated by	K. R. Narayanan
Preceded by	M. Aram
Succeeded by	Hema Malini
Constituency	Nominated (Arts)
Signature

Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is a famous Indian actress. She has worked in movies, television, and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry includes over 160 films. She is known for playing strong and unique female characters.

Shabana Azmi has won many awards. She has a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress. She also has six Filmfare Awards and other international honors. The Government of India gave her the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012. These are high civilian awards in India.

Her father was the poet Kaifi Azmi, and her mother was the stage actress Shaukat Azmi. Shabana Azmi studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune. She started her film career in 1974 with the movie Ankur. She quickly became a leading actress in "parallel cinema." This was a new style of art films known for showing real-life stories.

Besides acting, Shabana Azmi is also a social activist. She works for women's rights and other important causes. She is married to the poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. She is also a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). Because of her important work, the President of India made her a member of the Rajya Sabha. This is the upper house of India's parliament.

Early Life and Family

Shabana Azmi was born in Hyderabad, India. Her family followed the Shia faith. Her parents, Kaifi Azmi and Shaukat Azmi, were both members of the Communist Party of India. Her brother, Baba Azmi, is a cinematographer. Her sister-in-law, Tanvi Azmi, is also an actress.

Her parents were very active in social causes. Their home was always full of people and activities related to the communist party. This environment taught her to value family and human rights. Her parents always encouraged her to learn and grow.

Azmi went to Queen Mary School, Mumbai. She studied Psychology at St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. After that, she took an acting course at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune. She decided to join the film institute after seeing Jaya Bhaduri act. She was very impressed and wanted to achieve that level of acting. Shabana Azmi was the top student in her class in 1972.

Acting Career Highlights

Shabana Azmi finished her studies at the FTII in 1973. Her first movie to be released was Shyam Benegal's Ankur in 1974. This film was part of the "art-house" style, showing real-life stories. In Ankur, Azmi played Lakshmi, a married servant. The movie was a big success, and Azmi won her first National Film Award for Best Actress for her role.

She continued to win the National Film Award for Best Actress for three years in a row. These were for her roles in Arth, Khandhar, and Paar from 1983 to 1985. Her movie Godmother (1999) earned her a fifth National Film Award. This set a new record. Azmi is known for making her characters feel very real. For example, in Godmother, she gained weight and even chewed betel to fit the role.

She often acted in experimental and parallel Indian films. In Deepa Mehta's Fire (1996), she played Radha, a lonely woman who falls in love with her sister-in-law. This movie was one of the first in Indian cinema to show lesbianism. It caused some protests but also brought Azmi international fame. She won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Chicago International Film Festival.

Shabana Azmi also acted in Hollywood movies. These include John Schlesinger's Madame Sousatzka (1988) and Roland Joffe's City of Joy (1992).

Television and Theatre Work

Azmi started her television career in a show called Anupama. She played a modern Indian woman who balanced traditional values with seeking more freedom. She has also performed in many stage plays. A famous play she was in was Tumhari Amrita with actor Farooq Sheikh. This play ran for five years.

She has toured different countries with theatre companies. She acted in Ingmar Bergman's version of Ibsen's A Doll's House in Singapore. She also toured the UK, Dubai, and India with the British play Happy Birthday Sunita in 2014.

Personal Life

Shabana Azmi with Javed Akhtar in 2012.

Shabana Azmi is married to the poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. They got married in 1984. Actresses Farah Naaz and Tabu are her nieces. Tanvi Azmi is her sister-in-law.

Social Activism and Humanitarian Work

Shabana Azmi is a dedicated social activist. She supports causes like child survival and fighting AIDS. She also works against injustice. She has spoken out against treating people with HIV/AIDS badly. A short film from the Government of India shows her holding an HIV-positive child, saying, "She does not need your rejection, she needs your love."

Azmi at the 2006 World Economic Forum

She has taken part in many plays and protests against communalism. In 1989, she walked for four days from New Delhi to Meerut to promote peace between different communities. She has also helped slum dwellers, displaced people from Kashmir, and victims of the 1993 Latur earthquake. She strongly criticized religious extremism after the 1993 Mumbai riots.

Since 1989, she has been a member of the National Integration Council in India. She was also a member of the National HIV/AIDS Commission. In 1997, she was chosen to be a member of the Rajya Sabha, which is part of the Indian parliament. In 1998, the United Nations Population Fund made her their Goodwill Ambassador for India.

In the 2019 Indian general election, she supported Kanhaiya Kumar. He was running for election from Begusarai, Bihar, for the Communist Party of India (CPI).

Legacy and Recognition

Azmi in 2012

Shabana Azmi is seen as one of the greatest actors in Indian cinema. Rediff.com ranked her as the seventh-greatest Indian actress ever. In 2022, Outlook India included her in its list of the 75 Best Bollywood Actresses. Her first film, Ankur, was named the "Best Bollywood Debut Ever" by Rediff.com.

Filmfare magazine included her performances in Mandi and Arth in its list of "80 Iconic Performances" in Bollywood. They praised her natural acting and spirited performances.

Filmography

Shabana Azmi has acted in over one hundred Hindi films. These include both mainstream movies and Parallel Cinema films. Many of her films have been shown and recognized internationally. She has also appeared in several foreign films that have won awards. Some of these include John Schlesinger's Madame Sousatzka and Roland Joffe's City of Joy.

Awards and Honors

Major Awards and Recognitions

President Pratibha Patil giving Azmi the Padma Bhushan in 2012

Civilian Awards

• 1988: Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
• 2011: Awarded the Raj Kapoor Special Contribution Award by the Government of Maharashtra.
• 2012: Awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India.

National Film Awards Shabana Azmi has won the National Film Award for Best Actress five times. This makes her the actor with the most wins in this category.

Filmfare Awards

International Awards

Other Awards and Honors

• 1999: Received an award from the Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image for her important contributions to Indian Cinema.
• 2002: Given the Martin Luther King Professorship award by the University of Michigan. This was for her work in arts, culture, and society.
• 2006: Awarded the Gandhi International Peace Award by the Gandhi Foundation in London.
• 2007: Received the ANR National Award from the Akkineni International Foundation.
• 2009: Honored with the World Economic Forum's Crystal Award.
• 2012: Her handprint was placed at Bandra Bandstand in Mumbai as part of the Walk of the Stars.
• 2013: Awarded an Honorary Fellowship by the National Indian Students Union UK.
• 2018: Power Brands gave Shabana Azmi the Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar. This was for being a great actress, supporting women's education, and working for human rights and peace through the Mijwan Welfare Society.

National Awards

• 1988: Yash Bhartiya Award from the Government of Uttar Pradesh. This was for highlighting women's issues in her acting and activism.
• 1994: Rajiv Gandhi Award for "Excellence of Secularism."

Honorary Doctorates

• 2003: Received an honorary doctorate from Jadavpur University in West Bengal.
• 2007: Received an honorary doctorate in art from Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire.
• 2008: Received an honorary doctorate from Jamia Milia Islamia in Delhi.
• 2013: Received an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University.
• 2014: Received an honorary doctorate from TERI University.

Images for kids

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  Shabana Azmi's signature

See Also

In Spanish: Shabana Azmi para niños