In a delightful exchange during a recent event, veteran actresses Waheeda Rehman and Shabana Azmi engaged in lighthearted banter that showcased their mutual admiration and respect for one another.
The conversation began with Waheeda humorously addressing the microphone issues when asked to say something about Shabana, saying, “The mic is not working. It means that I am quiet.” When the microphone was confirmed to be working, Shabana teased Waheeda, urging her to praise her loudly.“If you want to praise me, say it loudly,” Waheeda quipped, prompting laughter from the audience.
Waheeda responded playfully, “What should I say? I am short of words. Absolutely. What can I say between you and your husband? I am nothing compared to them.” She continued, “Ek bohot ee bada artist toh hai hi. I would like to tell you a small incident. Recently, one of his pictures was released, RRKPK. I thought what is Shabana doing, Shabana showed Kamal. He also got an award for it. It's been 50 years now. God bless you for your and your performances (What should I say about Shabana? I want to tell you about a small incident. When I heard the news about Rocky and Rani Kii Prem KahaniI did not understand what Shabana is going to do. But I thought Karan Johar and Shabana would do something great together. And Shabana did a great job).”
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Waheeda further added, “Shabana, you are 50 years old, and I don’t know how many 50 years you and your performances have been. God bless you all.”
Shabana then took the opportunity to reflect on the collaborative nature of filmmaking. “Filmmaking is a very collaborative medium. Actors get most of the prominence because they are the ones who come in front of the camera. But we actors know that it is because there’s a whole team behind the scenes working to enhance our strengths and cover up our weaknesses,” she explained.
She emphasized the importance of directors in her career, saying, “Film is a director’s medium and, of course, the content creator as well. I personally have never been able to rise above the director or the role. So at this moment, I’d like to thank all the directors that I’ve worked with, from Shyam Benegal to Steven Spielberg.”