Shabana Azmi Quick Info
Height5 ft 6 in
Weight75 kg
Date of BirthSeptember 18, 1950
Zodiac SignVirgo
SpouseJaved Akhtar

Shabana Azmi is an award-winning Indian actress best known for her work in commercial and art-house films like Arth (1982), Masoom (1983), Fire (1996), and Neerja (2016). She became a dominant figure in the ‘Parallel Cinema’ movement after working with directors like Satyajit Ray, Shyam Benegal, and Aparna Sen in the 1970s and 1980s. Shabana has more than 50k followers on Instagram and more than 3.5 million followers on Twitter.

Born Name

Shabana Kaifi Azmi

Nick Name

Shabana

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Hyderabad, Hyderabad State (now Telangana), India

Residence

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Nationality

Indian

Education

Shabana studied at the Queen Mary School in Mumbai. She attended St Xavier’s College and graduated with a degree in Psychology.

She studied acting at the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune and graduated in 1973.

Occupation

Actress, Social Activist

Family

  • Father – Kaifi Azmi (Urdu Poet)
  • Mother – Shaukat Kaifi (Stage Actress)
  • Siblings – Baba Azmi (Younger Brother) (Cameraman, Cinematographer)
  • OthersTanvi Azmi (Sister-in-law) (Actress), Tabu (Niece) (Actress), Farah Naaz (Niece) (Actress)

Build

Average

Height

5 ft 6 in or 167.5 cm

Weight

75 kg or 165.5 lbs

Boyfriend / Spouse

Shabana Azmi has dated –

  • Uday Chandra
  • Benjamin Gilani (1974) – In 1974, Shabana got engaged to actor Benjamin Gilani but they broke up soon after.
  • Shekhar Kapur – Director Shekhar Kapur and the young actress dated in the late 1970s and even moved in together. However, they called it quits after 7 years.
  • Boney Kapoor
  • Javed Akhtar (Mid-1970s-Present) – The Sholay screenwriter Javed Akhtar got married to Shabana on December 9, 1984, despite her parents against her decision to get married to Javed. They initially started going out in the mid-1970s. The couple does not have any kids together but Shabana has been involved in the lives of Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar, Javed’s kids from his first marriage to Honey Irani.
  • Race / Ethnicity

    Asian (Indian)

    Hair Color

    Black

    Eye Color

    Dark Brown

    Sexual Orientation

    Straight

    Distinctive Features

    • Bright smile
    • Sparkling eyes
    • Tiny mole on her chin

    Brand Endorsements

    Shabana has endorsed the following brands –

    • Nasaka Water Purifier (2011)
    • TeachAIDS

    Religion

    Atheism

    Shabana Azmi Favorite Things

    • Music Band – The Beatles
    • Actor – Rajesh Khanna
    • Cult Film – Gone With The Wind (1939)
    • Character Played By Her – Amrita in the play Tumhari Amrita
    • Food – Biryani
    • Co-Star – Rajesh Khanna
    • Poem By Javed Akhtar – Aansoo
    • Book – Saare Sukhan Humare by Faiz Ahmad Faiz
    • Poet – Faiz Ahmad Faiz (Pakistani)

    Source – TheQuint.com, IMDb, Hindustan Times, Scroll.in

    Shabana Azmi Facts

  • She decided to pursue a career in acting after watching Jaya Bhaduri’s performance in a Diploma film called Suman.
  • As of 2019, she has received 5 National Film Awards for ‘Best Actress’ for her performances in Ankur (1974), Arth (1982), Khandhar (1984), Paar (1984), and Godmother (1999).
  • Her acting credits include more than 150 films in languages as varied as Hindi, Bengali, and English.
  • In 2000, Azmi famously shaved her head for a role in Deepa Mehta’s film Water. However, due to controversies and political pressure, the shooting was canceled soon after.
  • Shabana was awarded the 4th highest civilian honor, a Padma Shri, in 1988.
  • In June 2021, she was cheated by an alcohol delivery scam.
  • In February 2022, it was revealed that Shabana had been tested positive for COVID-19.
  • Featured Image by Bill William Compton / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 2.0

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