Shabana Azmi: 5 films that prove the versatility of the actor

Shabana Azmi who is known for portraying several challenging roles in cinema is celebrating her birthday today. The actor has won several accolades for her performances over time including National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards, and several international honours. She is also the recipient of Padma Shri.

On Shabana Azmi’s special day, let’s take a look at her top five performances

Neerja
The Ram Madhvani directorial is based on the biography of flight attendant Neerja Bhanot, who had sacrificed her life for the safety of her passengers when terrorists hijacked Pan Am Flight 73. Sonam Kapoor played the titular role and Shabana Azmi portrayed the role of Neerja's mother.

‘Masoom’ 
Starring Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi, this film is an adaptation of the 1980 novel ‘Man, Woman, and Child’ by Erich Segal. The Shekar Gupta directorial shows how Devendra Kumar's family life is disturbed after discovering he has an illegitimate child from a brief fling. He brings his son home, but his wife Indu Malhotra, played by Shabana, fails to accept the child.

‘Chalk N Duster’
This movie is about the emotional journey of two teachers Vidya, played by Shabana Azmi, and Jyoti, played by Juhi Chawla. Directed by Jayant Gilatar, the film opened to mixed reviews, but the performance of Shabana Azmi was highly praised.

‘Arth’
The Mahesh Bhatt directorial narrates the story of an ambitious director named Inder, who is romantically involved with a successful actress, Kavita. He abandons his wife, who then embarks on a journey to find her true identity.

‘Makdee’
The film, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, featured Shabana Azmi and Shweta Prasad as lead characters. Shabana portrayed the role of a 100-year-old witch in the film, who lived in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of a village. Anyone entering her would turn into an animal. The film shows how Chunni tries to rescue her twin sister Munni from the witch. Shabana’s performance received compliments from the audience as well as the critics.