The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : City holds a special place for Shabana Azmi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 14, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

City holds a special place for Shabana Azmi

Staff Reporter

`If it was not for Hyderabad, I would not have been born at all'

HYDERABAD: It was a homecoming of sorts for actor-activist Shabana Azmi on Monday as she came back to her roots in Hyderabad.

"If it was not for Hyderabad, I would not have been born at all," she said, going on to explain that her parents Kaifi Azmi and Shaukat Azmi had first met each other in this city. Moreover, Ms. Azmi's first movie, Shyam Benegal's `Ankur' was shot in Hyderabad.

"Hyderabad has always been special for me," she told reporters at the Annapurna Studios during her trip to the city to receive the Akkineni Nageswara Rao award.

Pointing out that she was "deeply humbled and honoured" to receive the award instituted by Mr. Nageswara Rao, Ms. Azmi said, actors like her walked through the paths paved by veteran actors like him.

"This award is very special to me, because it comes from an elder in my own community. I promise to try my best to rise to the faith you have shown in me," she told Mr. Nageswara Rao, who was flanked by his son Venkat and daughter-in-law Amala Akkineni as they received her.

Social activities

Answering queries on her social activities, Ms. Azmi said she did not consider her roles as a Parliamentarian, actor or social activist as different entities. "All these are different media to express the same concern towards society," she said, recalling that her father's dictum was that art should be used as an instrument for social change.

In the same vein, she said that celebrities should not be scared to espouse social causes. "Actors are usually seen as endorsing only soft causes like cancer or polio. The moment they take up an issue that has political ramifications, all hell breaks loose. That was what happened in the case of Aamir Khan in Gujarat, where he had just shown concern for the people who would be displaced by the dam. But we should fight and not be scared," she said.

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