Entertainment News Desk – Bollywood’s famous actress Shabana Azmi is celebrating her 74th birthday on 18 September. Shabana Azmi, who has given many hit films to Bollywood with her excellent acting, may have been working in Mumbai for many years, but in reality her ancestral village is in Azamgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. She often visits her ancestral village Mijwan. On the occasion of her birthday, let us tell you some such stories of Shabana Azmi, which very few people would know about.
Book ‘Kaif and I Memoir’
Shabana Azmi’s mother Shaukat Azmi’s autobiography ‘Kaif and I Memoir’ mentions some very personal and sensitive incidents related to Shabana’s childhood. Shaukat Azmi herself has been an actress, who has worked in films like ‘Umrao Jaan’ and ‘Salaam Bombay’. Shaukat Azmi passed away in May 2019.
attempted suicide twice
Shaukat Azmi tells in her book that Shabana had tried to commit suicide twice in her childhood. Mentioning an incident, Shaukat writes, “Shabana felt that I loved her brother Baba more than her. There was some truth in this, because Baba’s arrival had filled the void of my first son Khayyam, who had died. One morning I picked up toast from Shabana’s plate and gave it to Baba. This made Shabana sad and she went to the school lab and ate blue vitriol (copper sulphate). Her friend Parna told me that Shabana had said that I loved Baba more than her.”
Tried to commit suicide by jumping in front of a train
Shabana tried to commit suicide for the second time when Shaukat angrily asked her to leave the house. After this incident, Shabana tried to jump in front of a train at Grant Road station, but the school watchman stopped her in time. Shaukat wrote, “After that incident I decided that I would think twice before asking Shabana to leave the house.”
Shabana also used to save 5 paise
Shabana has also mentioned some more interesting aspects related to Shabana’s childhood in her book. She told that Shabana has been a girl of principles since childhood and she never asked for extra money from her parents. She even started getting off the bus early at Juhu Chowpatty to save 5 paise.
Earn 30 rupees by selling coffee
Before joining college, Shabana sold coffee at a petrol station for three months and earned Rs 30 a day. She told this to her mother when she handed over all the money she had earned to Shaukat.
Shekhar Kapur was very close to him
Shabana Azmi had also told in an interview that she was in a relationship with ‘Bandit Queen’ director Shekhar Kapur for many years. Both of them broke up with mutual consent, but even after this they did a film together, in which Shekhar was the director and his wife Medha was the assistant director.
had a crush on Shashi Kapoor
Shabana once admitted that she had a crush on Shashi Kapoor. Shashi and his wife Jennifer were family friends. Shabana said that she was very nervous when she was selected for the film ‘Fakira’ (1976) opposite Shashi Kapoor.
Story of marriage with Javed Akhtar
Shabana and Javed Akhtar’s love story was also much talked about. Shabana told that Javed often brought poems for her father Kaifi Azmi and took advice from him. Javed Akhtar was first married to Honey Irani, but later he married Shabana.
Shabana has no children with Javed
Shabana and Javed Akhtar got married on 9 December 1984. Both of them do not have any children of their own, while Javed has two children from his first marriage – Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar.
