Shabana Azmi recalls being humiliated on Parvarish set, wanted to quit Hindi films: Started walking barefoot to my house

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi recently talked about the time when she felt miserable in her career, so much so that she wanted to give up doing films altogether, in her words. It happened so on the sets of Parvarish when she couldn’t dance and choreographer Kamal left her humiliated in front of junior artists. She said the incident left her crying and she decided to not work in Hindi films. Also read: Shabana Azmi on her relationship with Javed Akhtar

Shabana Azmi

Shabana made her film debut in 1974 with Ankur and rose to fame in parallel cinema. She also worked in mainstream films, including Parvarish among many others. Talking about the film, Shabana shared how she was left embarrassed when couldn’t perform a dance sequence.

Shabana Azmi on being humiliated

Shabana told Adi Pocha during a podcast, “I cannot dance to save my life. I have two left feet. I had asked Kamal Master, he was choreographer. I said ‘Please give me rehearsals.’ He said rehearsal is not needed. You just have to clap.” Shabana said when she went to the sets, she found out it was a full-fledged dance. “It was so frightening because I was with Neetu Singh. Even before I could figure out where I have to put my right foot, and left foot, Neetu would have done two rehearsals and sat over there,” she added.

Shabana Azmi wanted to quit Hindi films

Shabana continued, “I was really very nervous. I told Kamal Ji it was very complicated and can we change it a little bit. There were a lot of junior artists on the sets. He said ‘Okay, lights off. Now Shabana Ji is now going to teach Kamal dance master what steps to do’. It was so humiliating and bad that I just ran off the set. I was in these ghastly clothes. I went (out) to find my car was not there. In those clothes I started walking barefoot to my house in Juhu, crying away and saying ‘I am not going to work in any film anymore. I just don’t want this humiliation.”

The senior actor said that it was the Parvarish director Manmohan Desai who later came and hugged her while being sorry about it. He and the producer calmed her down. The next day after the incident, Shabana said that Neetu Singh had asked Shabana about the fiasco. It was Sulakshana Pandit who told Shabana that she being the leading lady is much more needed in the film, instead of the choreographer. She said Sulakshana’s words lifted her up for which she remained grateful.

Shabana Azmi was recently seen in Karan Johar’s Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. The film, which also stars Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt, Jaya Bachchan and Dharmendra, released in theatres on July 28.