Legendary actress Shabana Azmi recently attended the launch event of a book titled ‘The Oldest Love Story’. Interestingly, Shabana too has penned interesting anecdotes of her relationship with her mother in this book. Published by Ajay Mago, edited by Shantanu Ray Choudhury, and co-edited by Maithili Rao and Rinki Roy Bhattacharya, the book is based on the stories related to motherhood.
During the launch event, Padma Bhushan awardee Shabana Azmi shared several wonderful anecdotes about her mother Shaukat Azmi. The actress revealed how her mother was a very straightforward person and used to say whatever she used to feel. Shabana Azmi also mentioned how her mother was very impressed with her first movie Ankur.
“My mother never minced or sugarcoated her words. She kept an amazing balance between her professional and her personal life. And she definitely was not the Nirupa Roy type Bollywood maa. She used to express her point in a very straightforward matter-of-fact way. When my first film Ankur was released, my mother was sitting in the front row ahead of me. After the film, she turned around and said, ‘Shabana, you are a very good actress. I am proud of you. This film is very good.’ I was very confident after listening to my mother’s words,” the actress shared.
However, Shabana Azmi further shared how her mother was disappointed with her performance in her second movie Faslah. Shabana went on to reveal that her mother called the 1974 movie ‘bad’. “When my second film Faasla came after 2 months, she was sitting ahead of me. And in the same manner, she looked back and said in front of everyone, ‘Shabana, this is such a bad film and you have done such a bad job. If you had shown me this film earlier, I would have got you married off to some random handicapped man, but would not have not let you act in the film industry!’ She was just straightforward,” she said.
Sharing another childhood incident, Shabana Azmi revealed how she used to think that her mother loves her brother more. “There was a time when I often behaved very rudely. Once my mother called me and asked why am I behaving like this. I told her that I think she loves my brother Baba more. She replied simply, ‘Shabana, ‘I am your mother but I am also a human being. Your nature is rude and unpleasant and I do not like the rude you. Your brother is very loving, good-natured. That’s why I treat him well.’ Hearing this, I left my rude behavior once and for all,” the actress said.
Meanwhile, other writers who have shared anecdotes of their relationship with their mothers in the book include Kamala Das, Shashi Deshpande, Nabanita Dev Sen, CS Lakshmi, Vaidehi, and Mannu Bhandari among others.
