Contents
Shabana Azmi
Leading performances in Indian parallel cinema, including Ankur, Arth and Paar.
Ankur · Arth
- Born
- 18 September 1950
- Birthplace
- Hyderabad, India
More people
Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi is an Indian actor whose film and theatre work has often centred on women confronting social expectations.
Early life
Creative family
Her father Kaifi Azmi was a poet and her mother Shaukat Azmi a stage actor.
Training
She studied at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune.
Career
- 1974
Screen debut
Ankur brought immediate recognition and a National Film Award.
- 1980s
Parallel cinema
She became a leading performer in socially engaged Indian film.
- 1990s onward
Wider screen work
She combined mainstream cinema, international productions and theatre.
Selected work
Ankur
A rural woman becomes entangled in a landowner’s abuse of power.
Arth
A woman rebuilds her life after marital betrayal.
Paar
A displaced couple struggle for survival.
Beyond work
Public service
She served as a nominated member of India’s Rajya Sabha.
Advocacy
Her public work has included women’s rights, housing and support for the United Nations Population Fund.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Biographical dates and identifiers ↗UNFPA appointment and career ↗Photo: Simon Fraser University - University Communications. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
.jpg){kind=link}