Shabana Azmi is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. The daughter of poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi, she is an alumna of Film and Television Institute of India of Pune. Azmi became one of the leading actresses of Parallel Cinema, a Bengali new-wave movement known for its serious content and neo-realism and received government patronage during the times. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in India, Azmi’s performances in films in a variety of genres have generally earned her praise and awards, which include a record of five wins of the National Film Award for Best Actress and several international honours. She has also received five Filmfare Awards, and was honored among “women in cinema” at the 30th International Film Festival of India. In 1988, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country.
Azmi has appeared in over 120 Hindi and Bengali films in both mainstream and independent cinema, and has acted in several foreign projects. Several of her films have been cited as a form of progressivism which portrays Indian society, its customs and traditions. In addition to acting, Azmi is a social and women’s rights activist. She is the wife of poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. She is a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) which seeks to spread contraception and abortion in India in order to limit that country’s population. In appreciation of Azmi’s life and works, the Congress party’s government gave her a nominated (unelected) membership of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.
The actor who played Pankaj Kapur’s man Friday Matru, in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola, turns 30 years old today…
Imran Khan was born on January 13, 1983 to Anil Pal and Nuzhat Khan. Imran, whose birth name was Imran Pal chose to take on his mother’s name as a tribute to her ‘coz because she raised him as a single mother. He is also well-known as superstar Aamir Khan’s nephew. And Imran debuted in Bollywood with Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na in 2008.
While Imran made his mark in B-town as a metropolitan guy-next-door (with approximately a dozen such roles to his credit), he recently tried to break the stereotype with Vishal Bhardwaj’s Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola. And yeah, he did succeed, to an extent. Didn’t he?
We’re sure that Imran’s Khan‘daan’ comprising darling wifey Avantika Malik will have a wonderful day planned for him today. And we would like to make it even more special by wishing him a truly blissful ‘happy birthday’.
And why don’t you do the same, peeps. Send in your birthday wishes to budday bwuoy Imran Khan, pronto!
