Shabana ji on the nature of classiness

Ican’t call myself classy, it’s for other people to say that. I can only say that this is what I have seen, this is what I have imbibed, and this is how I am. 
 -- Shabana Azmi

This from an article in Forbes India online, where Shabana ji talks about what makes her - and some of the characters she has played - so gosh darn classy.   She goes on to say:

[Class] has to do with dignity, subtlety, with a layered subtext where much more is expressed because it is hidden. It’s got very little to with wealth and money, and much more to do with an attitude that comes from being comfortable in your own skin.

I have to agree with that, and it's part of why women often seem to get classier with age - comfort in one's own skin often goes hand in hand with maturity.

I am not sure I can agree completely with Shabana ji about this part, though:

But it’s when you’re not doing it for public consumption that counts. Like eating. When I’m by myself and nobody’s watching, do I gobble up my food? Do I eat it elegantly? Do I behave in the same way when there are people for whom I want to put my best foot forward?

I just don't think the table manners I use when I am alone are a particularly relevant measure of my quality as a person.  I'd rather expend energy worrying about how I treat others than about whether I'm a bit of a slob in my pajamas alone at the kitchen table.  Put another way, I only have so much energy to expend on self-improvement, and I don't see anything wrong with conserving that energy for behaviors that actually have a measurable effect on others. 

That quibble aside, there is no doubt that Shabana Azmi does know something about class. 

Have a look at the article - both the mesmerizing pictures I have included here (Shabana ji with Javed sahib, above, and Kaifi sahib, below) are from it. 

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!

"Massive Food Coma"

"Am suffering from massive food coma from Eid at our home and Ganesh Chaturthi at my sis in law Tanvi's place"

-- Shabana Azmi

Did you know that both Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar are on Twitter? I am not a huge Twitter user myself - I have tried to get into it but (probably for the best) haven't ever managed to get too engaged. But, I do participate from time to time (@carla_filmigeek) - and of course I follow @AzmiShabana and @Javedakhtarjadu. It's fun to see what they have to say, and to test my Urdu on the shayari (Javed sahib's, Kaifi sahib's, and others) that they occasionally offer.

Today on Twitter, Shabanaji complains of "food coma," an affliction with which I am all too familiar, and a phrase for describing it that I often use myself. It's fun to see her using the expression as well. I'll continue to pass along her thoughts and Javed sahib's here when they tickle my fancy.

Eid Mubarak!

"I love Eid. The tradition with Eid is that it's an open house. Friends drop in, we don't invite anyone. The dahiwada and sheer qorma must never run out, that's the challenge for the hostess who has no idea how many guests to prepare the food for."

-- Shabana Azmi (source)

Wow, has it really been more than two years? I have a few too many projects and got spread too thin. Something had to go - more than one thing, actually, but this blog has suffered the worst of all my projects.

I miss it. I still admire Shabana Azmi as much as ever, but I am out of touch with her doings. I haven't been keeping up with the news of her activism or her acting. I can't make any promises - it's unlikely I'll ever be able to devote the level of attention to SLP that I did in its heyday. But I'd like to find a way to have at least a little presence here. Let's see what happens.

And in the meantime, enjoy your Eid celebration, Shabana ji!

Starstruck

The first real star I met as a journalist was Shabana Azmi. Long before meeting her I idolised her. As a rookie I still remember how fast my heart pounded as I sat wide-eyed in the portico of her beautiful house in Janki Kutir, waiting for her to emerge from inside. When she eventually did in a chic salwar-kameez, her hair falling to her shoulder and her eyes penetrating into a horizon far beyond human vision, time just froze.

-- Subhash K. Jha.

Source: An edition of Jha's Times of India column from a few weeks ago. I'm not a big fan of Jha - he's an inveterate name-dropper, and this particular article seems to have no other purpose - but these comments struck me; I think all of us who idolize Shabana ji can sympathize. I'm sure that once time started moving again for Mr. Jha, he was able to do the business he went to her house to do, and to leave with a good interview for his editor. When I met Shabana Azmi, though - it's still only been the one time - I lost my tongue, and was unable to make any impression on her whatsoever. I hope I'll be able to keep my head a bit better, next time.

Priorities in order

TV shows extremes – either the women will be as good as gold or wicked as the Devil. When somebody tells me that women are being portrayed in the bad light or as subservient, I consider it far more objectionable than women dressing up skimpily and celebrating their sexuality.

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: This article about Shabana ji's role in Ekta Kapoor's "Kaun jeetega Bollywood ka ticket," which I mentioned here not long ago. Shabana ji astutely touches upon a very important point. To object to the portrayal of women as human beings with autonomous sexuality is to perpetuate the dichotomy that is described in Western culture as the Madonna-whore problem. It shows in Shabana ji's body of work (among other things) that she recognizes the importance of a woman's freedom to express her own sexuality as she chooses, and that a dramatic portrayal of a woman doing so is not automatically cheap, improper, or objectionable.

Nahiiiiin!

Imagine [me] being a mother and holding a thali and then saying, "Nahi!" and dropping the thali. If this were the case, I would have packed up and gone a long time ago.

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: A new interview in the Times of India. I am, just like Shabana ji, very grateful that directors are finding more interesting roles for her than thali-dropping, "nahin"-yelling, distraught mothers.

In the interview Shabana Ji also talks about Farhan Akhtar's new movie Rock On (she loves it) and his rock-star predilections; about her television talent contest Kaun jeetega Bollywood ka Ticket; and about doing comedy.

In fact the most interesting portion of the interview may be this:

She was in Delhi to shoot for Anubhav Sinha’s Rajdhani Express, which she describes as “a completely mad film. It is a political satire on the lines of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro. In fact, Anubhav, who has written it, says that it is his ode to Jaane Bhi...”

I had not thus far encountered very much news about Anubhav Sinha's political satire, so this is quite nice to see. As always, more news when it's available.

The very lovely picture above also comes from the Times of India piece.

The populist poet

I have always aimed at making poetry understandable even to a person who does not have the remotest idea of the art. If I can't communicate my lines to people what's the use of making it public?

Source: This interview on Glamsham. In the above comment Javed Akhtar sahib sums up what I admire most about his work: it is poetic, evocative, and original, while still being accessible. As a learner of Hindi I particularly appreciate this, as I can both understand his writing and appreciate its cleverness.

In the interview Javed sahib also makes his favorite joke about his marriage to Shabana Azmi:

Our friendship is so strong that even marriage could not ruin it.

Thanks to Steena at the BollyWHAT forums for calling the interview to my attention.

Shabana Azmi's columns in *Harmony*

In a democracy, people need to become active participants, not passive recipients of government policy.

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: This column which Shabana ji wrote for Harmony magazine in 2004. I have to send a hearty thanks to SLP reader fadista di mouraria for bringing these wonderful columns to my attention. Harmony magazine is the publication of the Harmony for Silvers Foundation, which is an NGO dedicated to improving the lives of India's senior citizens. The foundation's mission is "to create an environment where silvers, irrespective of their cultural beliefs, can retain their dignity, self-respect, pride and self-confidence."

The foundation's website features about fifteen brief pieces that Shabana Azmi wrote for the magazine between 2004 and early 2007, in which she urges seniors not to be complacent, not to settle for less than their due rights and respect. She encourages seniors toward grass-roots mobilization, taking advantage of their leisure time and connections:

A positive force that can bring about revolution, senior citizens have so much in their favor. To begin with, they have the time. There's also the tenacity and perseverance that come with age and wisdom to see projects through. They know that impatience won't get them anywhere. The youth, with all their energy, are no match for the elderly as they lose patience easily and may take the easy route out. Not seniors. For them, the harder, the better.

(She writes with awareness that the readership of the publication, which is in English, is educated and middle-class.) In one column she holds up the powerful US lobbying organization AARP as an example of what mobilized seniors can achieve, and suggests that there is a need for an Indian organization to step up to that level.

In addition to her calls to activism, some of the columns are touchingly personal, including anecdotes about her mother and other elderly people close to her heart; I particularly liked this one about her mother (in which she calls herself a "spunky lass"). I also liked this one, in which she talks about several elderly people who inspire her. In this column, she describes rushing to help and elderly man struggling to get down the stairs in a train station. Can you imagine a movie star helping a stranger in a train station? If I weren't already completely in love with this woman before, I would be now.

These articles are lovely, just a wonderful find.

On reconciling actor and activist

My work as an actor or as an activist or as a Parliamentarian are not separate boxes. They are part of who I am; all aspects of my identity are there.

-- Shabana Azmi

(Source: the Lehren video linked in this post.)

In a discussion on another post, commenter Maru raised a thought-provoking question: What to do when admiration for Shabana Azmi the actor conflicts with one's views about Shabana ji's offscreen endeavors?

Perhaps more than any other actor, Shabana Azmi's activism is an integral part of who she is, as she notes in the quotation at the top of this post. For me, this is a large part of what makes her so remarkable - she is not merely an effective performer, someone I enjoy watching on screen. There are lots of stars who can captivate me temporarily in a movie, but I've only founded a blog in praise of one of them. Her presence in the movies is what caught my attention; her commitment to social change is much of what continues to hold it.

Shabana ji's dedication is not enough, though; if she were devoted to causes that I felt were wrong-headed I obviously would not admire her as I do. So it's essential, for me, that I happen to agree with her ideals, at least in an abstracted, theoretical way (as I discussed at length in these comments, I am not really equipped to evaluate her specific implementation-level ideas).

But what if you, like Maru, don't share Shabana ji's ideals, and believe that the changes she works so hard to effect will not be beneficial to Indian society?

Maybe with other actors, one can put aside their off-screen foibles and just enjoy watching them do their thing in the movies. Maybe you think Salman Khan is a cutie but can't bear to think about him shooting deer or running over pedestrians in his SUV. Maybe you're riveted by Amitabh Bachchan but wish he didn't have that creepy Amar Singh by his side all the time. Maybe Kajol is enchants you in the movies but strikes you as vapid and bitchy in real life.

These things might be easier to sweep aside than a fundamental disagreement with Shabana ji's politics. Most actors don't project the kind of personal link between their on-screen work and their off-screen activities that Shabana Azmi does. With Shabana ji, it's harder to separate the one from the other. She doesn't, as she notes in the interview linked above: "My work as a Parliamentarian ... is a continuity of my work as an activist which is a continuity of my work as an actor."

This is because the roles that Shabana ji takes, and the roles she is most revered for, are both an expression of her social and political views and a vehicle that she uses to advance them. Any reader of this blog will have seen the statement dozens of times: "Art is an instrument for social change."

I don't think this means that one cannot enjoy Shabana ji's work in the movies without signing on to her ideals, but I do have some sympathy for why that might be a difficult line to navigate. Some stars may cultivate a separation between their off-screen lives and their movie personae; Shabana Azmi does the opposite; the role she plays as a political activist is as important, and as public, as any role she plays in a movie. It is difficult to separate the two, and I think Shabana ji wants it to be that way. She wants her movies to make people think. And I don't know for sure, but I'd like to think that she'd be content so long as watching her movies makes someone think - even if that person conscientiously reaches a conclusion that is at odds with Shabana ji's own favored viewpoint.

Javed Akhtar on Hindi films

Dreams don’t offer realism . . . but they are relevant nonetheless as they are often a reflection of our thoughts. In a way, cinema is like a relevant dream as well . . . on decoding it one can unearth the collective psyche of the society.

-- Javed Akhtar

Source: An agencyFAQs report on a talk Javed sahib gave in Mumbai a couple of weeks ago. In addition to the lovely analogy reproduced above, he also made some very interesting and provocative - arguably more provocative than strictly accurate - comments on the history of Hindi films, and in particular of the portrayal of Muslims in Hindi films.

Here's another excerpt:

Further, he insightfully declared that for several years after partition, no film with a Muslim protagonist was made. Finally, in 1960, ‘Chaudhvin Ka Chand’ came along which broke this trend, followed by ‘Mere Mehboob’, both of which has Muslim characters as heroes. “These films, to my mind, were dangerous, because they created ‘Super Muslims’ or unreal Muslims,” Akhtar stated. For instance, such films showed Muslims to be understandably pathans or nawabs living in large ‘havelis’, who talked only in poetic lingo, wore sherwanis all day long, indulged in Mujras/brothels, and sported beautiful women at their arms. “This created a world that never existed!” exclaimed Akhtar.

So then, one saw the era of two categories of Muslims. “The first was who we saw on cinema. The second was my neighbour – an owner of a cycle shop,” smiled Akhtar. This real life Muslim then started believing that his ancestors may have really led the kind of life shown on screen. “As one can see, both these Muslims were far away from reality,” Akhtar said.

It's a nice tight theory, except that there were plenty of films about Muslim characters in the 1950s, as Javed sahib is surely well aware. It would be interesting to ask him how to account for those, or distinguish them as exceptions to his main point. Still, it's an interesting read.

The clothes make the man

Shabana transformed me into a compulsive kurtawalla. The kurta, Shabana, and I have remained together ever since.

-- Javed Akhtar

Source: Bollyvista (with thanks to Specsy at the BollyWHAT? forums). I had noticed that in the few pictures I'd seen of Javed sahib in the 1970s, he wore western clothes, while today he always wears kurta-pajama and a Nehru vest. I'd wondered when he made the change, and why - was it a semi-political statement? Was it because the kurta-pajama was more comfy as he grew a little around the middle? But now we know - it's because Shabana ji thinks a guy in traditional clothes is sexy.

AIDS Activism

A lot of money has been spent on awareness and people are aware about [AIDS]. But now, it is time to spend money on treatment and care. Unfortunately I still hear stories of doctors declining to treat an HIV positive patient. That, I feel, is a cardinal sin.

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: Times of India. The story is about Shabana ji's involvement in Mira Nair's AIDS JaaGo project, mentioned previously here. (ToI also is the source of the striking and unusual picture that tops this post.) I also have read that the AIDS JaaGo films will be released on YouTube in February - I will let you know as soon as I find out that has happened.

The golden rule

"There is so much pressure to love your neighbor as yourself. It is not necessary to love your neighbor as yourself; it is okay to love yourself more. Just don't kill your neighbor, and don't destroy his property."

-- Shabana Azmi

(Source: my notes from Shabana ji and Javed sahib's appearance at Harvard, November 9, 2006.)

Words to live by

There are certain virtues in laziness. Because when you are not doing anything you are thinking, and when you are thinking you are growing.

-- Javed Akhtar

This observation comes from Anuradha Sen Gupta's terrific interview with Javed sahib on CNN/IBN. His charming voice comes through very clearly. You can read a transcript beginning here, but it's worth having a look at the video beginning here as well - there are a few errors in the transcript, such as in the line I quoted above, and the video adds a couple of fun old photographs.

So who makes her top 25?

After yesterday's rumination on what makes Shabana ji sexy, it seems time to turn the tables.

What I find sexy is when a man is wearing a sherwani and he speaks beautiful English, and when he is wearing a three-piece suit and speaks beautiful Urdu. That I find very sexy.

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: Koffee with Karan, season 1. When pressed, Shabana ji went on to say that although he has been known to do all of those things, she does not consider Javed Akhtar the sexiest man in India. "Of course not," she said. "Nobody would believe me if I said that."



I don't know; I think I would believe her. He's a very good-looking guy.



And do you really think Shabana Azmi would lose her head over just anyone?



What I like about Shabana ji's comment above is the syncretic aspect of it - not a thoroughly traditional man, not an overly westernized one, but a man who takes the best aspects of both, makes them excellent, and makes them his own.

Report from the HungerFREE rally

The HungerFREE blog has another report of Tuesday's rally in which Shabana Azmi participated. There are also pictures, including the one above, and some pictures of Hollywood actor Tim Meadows and Nigerian actor Hilda Dobuko who joined her there.

Shabana ji looks fantastic, and her rhetorical kung-fu is powerful. "I found it shocking that the United Nations has not thought it necessary to go to all means to put food on the table," she said. "We cannot bask in the glory of development when millions go hungry in a country of abundance." Indignation looks so good on her!

She's amazing!

"Empowerment is about participation in the decision-making process."

-- Shabana Azmi

Source: An entry in the blog of HungerFREE, the organization with which Shabana ji recently appealed to the U.N. to expand its programs to combat hunger. Evidently someone at HungerFREE was impressed with her, as the original title of the post included the breathless editorial that I have borrowed for the title of my post: She's amazing! The HungerFREE site has unfortunately since been edited, but the truth of the statement stands.

Birthday news roundup

Once again, if you missed yesterday's birthday post, please have a look and drop a note if you want to. For today, here's a roundup of a couple of little news articles noting Shabana Azmi's birthday.

• Times of India reports on Shabana ji's sweet birthday wish: great success to Manish Acharya, writer and director of Loins of Punjab Presents.
  

• This wire service report (I'm not sure of its provenance) tells us that Shabana ji didn't plan a party for this year's birthday because her home is under renovation, and she and Javed sahib are living crammed into a small corner of the house. (Let me tell you, I feel her pain on this one - my renovation project is well into its fourth month and I want my kitchen and master bath back!) Also, Shabana ji notes that she is observing Ramadan, another reason to forgo any festivities.
  

• Finally, one more reason a birthday party would have been impractical - it looks like Shabana ji is in New York this week. The Wall Street Journal places her at the UN protesting for the right to food with HungerFREE. Here's a little more about this from Hindustan Times. (Thanks to dormeg for the link.) That last article also provides this week's bon mot:

It's very simple, really. Food needs to be put on everyone's plate.... How can we think of making progress, when everyone doesn't get enough to eat?

I love this woman!

If Shabana ji is in the States this week, it's possible that she won't return to India between now and the Loins of Punjab Presents premier on October 3. I'll keep you posted with any news of further U.S. appearances that may cross my desk here at SLP's cyberstalking headquarters (*) - please let me know if you hear of any as well.

(*) joke.

Definitely.

I am definitely a woman's woman.

-- Shabana Azmi

(Source: Koffee with Karan; Shabana ji's appearance during the first season with Shobha De, in 2005. I've been meaning to do a post on this show for a while, so you can look for that in the near future. In the meantime, for $1.99, you can download both that show and her more recent visit as well. I understand these downloads play in Windows Media Player only.)