September 3, 2011

Al Jazeera Interview



"Every time you make a statement about India, the opposite is also true."


-- Shabana Azmi

Catching up on Shabana Azmi news I missed during my hiatus, I have come across quite a few newer videos that I'll pass along here, on the off chance anyone is reading. Back in April, Shabana ji gave an English-language interview to Al Jazeera, which you can watch here on YouTube.

The interview doesn't cover any new ground, if you are a long-time Shabanaficionado like myself. The interviewer asks easy questions that allow her to trot out her well-rehearsed lines - about art being an instrument for social change, about India living in several centuries simultaneously, about only seeing Javed sahib in airports, and other familiar topics.

Still, it's enjoyable to watch, especially to me as a sort of re-introduction after not hearing Shabana ji's voice on a regular basis for so long. Toward the end, she does make some interesting comments about religion and tolerance. And the video opens with some charming pictures of Shabana as a young girl, including this one that I'd never seen before:



Everyone: awwwwwwwww!

2 comments:

Sally said...

Hey Carla,

A friend told me you were posting again! Glad you now have a bit more time to get back to some of the projects you enjoy. If you haven't already, check out Kaifi and I -- Shaukat's memoir which is now available in English. Think it's readily available online, including Amazon. As a Shabana fan, you will definitely enjoy it, although it is also interesting as a social history.

Filmi Geek said...

Hello Sally! Yes, still trying for balance - if I can post here now and again without it taking over my life, I would like to find a way to do so! Now that my trip to India is planned and really happening, I have given myself license to think about Hindi movies - and about Shabana ji - a little more actively and consistently than I have in the past couple of years.

Thanks for the tip about Kaifi and I in translation - I think I will go order it now!