In the 1970s, Shyam Benegal’s film Ankur marked Shabana Azmi’s film debut, although the role was first offered to Aparna Sen. Sen recently revealed that she was rejected due to lack of confidence in the accent. She later praised Shabana’s performance and described her as perfect for this role. The two later collaborated on Satie and Sonata.
In the 1970s, Shyam Benegal emerged as a central figure in the parallel cinema movement, which introduced new ideas and aesthetics to Hindi film. His debut work ‘Ankur’ was critically acclaimed and marked Shabana Azmi’s entry into acting. Interestingly, she was not Benegal’s original choice for the film, as the director initially approached Aparna Sen, but she chose to decline the offer.
Aparna Sen shares the reason she rejected ‘Ankur’
During a recent interview on Straight Up with Shree, Aparna opened up about why she rejected Ankur. The acclaimed writer-director admitted that her Hindi films have not done well, saying that she never made them with the aim of becoming a lead heroine. “I was asked and I did. The money was tempting. I guess I needed money for something or other, and unfortunately the choices I made were very wrong.”
The selections in Bengal were very good, but for Hindi films it was not so good. “The films I didn’t make that I feel I should have done… one of them was Shyam Benegal’s Anchor,” she said.
Aparna Sen praises Shabana Azmi’s performance in Ankur
She continued: “He sent me a summary and wrote that it was… [the protagonist] He will speak in accented Hindi with a sprinkling of Telugu. I thought this was too far and I would be acting as a domestic helper. This is not something I felt confident about.
This was Shyam’s first film and he was asked by a lot of people and was rejected for being a newcomer. She told me I liked the synopsis and story, but I didn’t think I would do it.
He said: Well, well. You just sent me the synopsis [back].’ He must have felt bad, but if he had said, “Why?” Then I would have told me I was feeling insecure and he would have reassured me. But thank God that did not happen because of Shabana [Azmi] It was very good! We have an actress of Shabana’s caliber!”
Shabana Azmi’s award-winning role
In ‘Aankur’, Shabana Azmi played the role of Lakshmi, a woman whose life changes when she begins working as a maid for a landlord to support herself and her deaf-mute husband, Kishtia. The young landlord enters into an affair with Lakshmi, causing a scandal in the small village. Shabana’s role was praised by critics, and she received the National Award for Best Actress for her performance.
Aparna Sen and Shabana Azmi Association
Over the years, Shabana Azmi and Aparna Sen have become friends. The two later worked together in films like ‘Sati’ (1989), directed by Sen, and the 2017 drama ‘Sonata’, in which they both shared the screen.
