Top 100 Quotes & Sayings by Shabana Azmi
Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Indian actress Shabana Azmi.
Last updated on November 4, 2024.
I am quite proud of being in Parliament, I actually love it.
The position that Indian Muslims have is unique because we exist in a democracy, which is something that cannot be said about many Muslims living in the world.
At the age of seven, I wanted a doll with blonde hair and blue eyes like other girls in my class. But my father gave me a black doll and said 'black is beautiful.' Telling this to a seven-year-old was quite peculiar, but these were the values we inherited from him.
When I entered the industry in the early 1970s, I was a gold medalist from the film institute, Pune. That was when graduates from the film institute were very quickly absorbed by the mainstream commercial industry.
I grew up in a family that believed that art should be used as an instrument for social change.
'Aurat' is an iconic poem which is relevant 70 years later and informs me in the work I do with women.
I am extremely proud of the fact that I have acted in art films.
I have been called a terrorist, among other things. In fact, I am seen in India as being anti-Islamic by the Islamic fundamentalists.
I've embraced life at all stages.
I remember people were horrified when I celebrated my 50th! 'Don't announce your age,' I was advised! How stupid is that.
Kangana has started believing in her own myth. She says she taught feminism to the film industry, she taught it nationalism. I'm glad she spelled that out because nobody else had noticed! I think she fears the day when she will no longer be in the headlines and so has to keep making outrageous statements to stay in the news.
Dissent in art is a fundamental right. But if it is dissent about a book, a piece of art, and if you don't like it, you have the right to express your views outside the theatre, but you cannot create a law and order situation. Then the state has to step in.
India is a country that lives in several centuries simultaneously, and her people at any given time and place encapsulate all the contradictions that come from being a multi-cultural, multi-religious and multi-lingual society.
Hindi cinema needs to make working women and women of substance more visible.
An Indian Muslim can aspire to become a Shah Rukh Khan, can aspire to become an Irfan Pathan or even the President of India. And that makes the Muslim here far more hopeful and far less in despair than in any other part of the world.
I take care to conduct myself formally in public and not be brash. That is a given for people in public life. But I'm very bohemian and informal when I'm with friends.
For a country such as India, whose public healthcare system is already severely strained, the lack of awareness and adaptation of safe practices by menstruating women is known to add another dimension to the overall problem.
I must confess that flowers are my weakness and I love receiving them, especially Indian fragrant flowers - Mogra, Rajnigandha, Sontakka, etc.
Acting is all about reacting. When you look into the eyes of your co-star and there is truth in his eyes, giving a reaction becomes so much easier.
Until the age of 19, I lived in the Communist Party commune where eight families lived in 180 to 200 square feet of space. In that world, social justice was a given. We grew up valuing that.
Not belonging to any political party actually helps me because I value my independent voice above everything else, I treasure it.
Some people feel that the purpose of cinema is entertainment - which in itself is a healthy enough goal, provided you define what constitutes entertainment. But I come from a family where I grew up believing that cinema - art - should be used as an instrument for change and that's the kind of cinema I've largely done and been attracted to.
I am on a strict diet now and medication. It's torture, I simply cannot eat every two hours, which is the way all nutrition plans work these days. I lose weight but the minute I start eating again, I rapidly put it back.
In 1986, I had gone on a hunger strike with Anand Patwardhan rooting for an alternative land for slum dwellers. My mother got very nervous and told my father to tell me that, 'what am I doing?' He sent me a telegram that read: 'Best of luck, comrade!'
Why cannot a woman be shown working out of choice, the way men do? Can't a woman work because she enjoys it and is capable of doing it? Why should they be shown leaving home for employment as a sacrifice for the family?
Valentine's day has been reduced to a marketing gimmick. Buying diamonds for your beloved has no appeal for me.
Growing up, I was so sick of politics - it was in the house all the time - I was proud of not reading the newspaper.
What I value is that I have been able to do some modest work to help women rise to the level of their potential.
I am an optimist and my father was an optimist.
Unless you have strong roots in films, music, art, painting, or theatre, you can't talk high and think internationally.
For a long time I didn't believe that I couldn't become a mother. But when I finally came to terms with it, then I didn't look back.
Im hoping that for film actors there is this kind of emotional trigger on any subject. It need not be only slums. It can be anything. But even if it is tentative, sooner or later, it will - by its sheer force - engulf you in a way where you make a commitment and you get involved in it, beyond just making it an image-building exercise.
Women's health is not a niche issue - it impacts everyone in some way. That is why a collective effort to improve awareness and understanding of menstrual hygiene is key to closing the gender health gap.
In Kaifi's poetry and in his work as a social activist, every setback only strengthened his resolve to fight back with renewed vigor and strength.
As children, my brother Baba and I would be taken to mushairas when my mother Shaukat Kaifi was touring with Prithvi Theatres, because we couldn't afford a maid.
I take up films only if I agree with the ultimate message the film conveys.
We never had any money. All the money we used to get, my father would give to the Communist Party.
Unfortunately, the Hindi film industry is a sitting duck; it is easy to hurl malevolent accusations. It is a systematic campaign to divert attention from real issues, failing economy, China border tensions, spiraling Covid cases, and farmers' agitation by putting the spotlight on the supposed ills of the film industry.
My father used to celebrate all festivals like Eid, Diwali, Holi, Christmas, etc. with great gusto.
A tender touch, a shared experience, listening to music that both enjoy, with the scent of fresh mogras, is my idea of a beautiful celebration of love.
Why is a woman always judged only on the basis of her relationship with her family members and the time she gives them, and not on the basis of her success at work?
If the audience shows that it is interested in films portraying strong women, then the producers will be tempted to make such films.
I'm not saying a housewife is in any way inferior to a workingwoman. No, she isn't. But as an activist, as a woman, I would say the choice of being a housewife or pursuing a career should be left entirely to the woman and that choice should be respected.
It is accepted the world over that women are an essential part of what makes a society successful, and only through supporting and empowering women can a country truly be strong.
Because I was involved in so many other areas of life and so many productive activities, I wasn't judged for not being a mother. There was no pressure on me for not having children.
I'm singularly lucky to have worked with directors who dared me to take risks and be different and I am thankful to the Indian film industry for giving me my primary identity.
I look back on my career with some sort of satisfaction.
I'm not a great stickler for giving or receiving presents on birthdays, anniversaries, etc. as a 'must do.' I prefer giving a gift without occasion if I feel it's something a friend will like.
I think there is not enough understanding of the fact that in a democracy how you treat the security of the minority must be a very important part for the success of a democracy.
My parents always encouraged us to speak our minds and to be respectful while doing so about issues that we thought strongly about and that was unconditional.
A fatwa is not a diktat, it's not binding. To turn the utterance of a non-entity into a fatwa and then talk about it endlessly really gets on my nerves.
My being Muslim is only one part of my identity. But particularly in India and the world over, a concerted effort is being made to diminish all other aspects of identity and only take your religious identity as who you are.
I think men and women are different - I am not saying better or worse, just different.
We never had money but it was never a problem. The spirit of comradeship, the commitment to gender equality, social justice and a celebration of pluralism and India's composite culture provided the glue that kept us joyous and closely bonded.
One of the best things that we have in India is a free press.
My father was a rare poet. He was somebody who worked in the trenches. When he wanted to speak about social justice or gender empowerment, he spoke through his poetry.
If you only play the glamour doll and you want to cling on to the image, then it will be difficult. But if you don't, you will prolong your career.
There is a dumbing down of the news. Newspapers today seem more like tabloids. I have to wade through seven newspapers before I can find a couple of paragraphs that are serious news. What a pity!
Over the years, I've consciously not done films that in any way suggest that women are subservient to men.
It's only in India that you can have six couples going together on a honeymoon. I don't think it happens anywhere else in the world.
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