At the opening ceremony of MAMI Mumbai Film Festival last evening at the iconic Regal cinema in Mumbai, veteran artiste Shabana Azmi was presented with the Excellence in Cinema Award by fellow legendary actress Waheeda Rehman.
Shabana Azmi after receiving Excellence in Cinema Award at MAMI, “My best is yet to come, dil thaam ko baitho”
Overwhelmed by the response from a packed audience, Azmi said, “I am so honoured that I am getting this award from you. I would like to thank MAMI Mumbai Film Festival, especially Shivendra Singh (Dungarpur), Maithili and Deepti DaCunha. I would also like to thank Zoya Akhtar and the team of Tiger Baby and Namrata Goel for making this possible.”
Azmi credited the crew working behind the scenes for her success as an actress. “Filmmaking is a very collaborative medium,” she said. “Actors get most of the prominence because they are the ones who come in front of the camera. But we actors know that because there is a whole team behind the scenes working to enhance our strength and cover our weaknesses that is responsible for what we come up on the screen.”
Sharing the importance of her directors over the years, the veteran actress added, “Film is a director’s medium and, of course, the content creators as well. I, personally, have never been able to rise above the director or the role. So, at this moment, I would like to thank all the directors that I have worked with – from Shyam Benegal to Steven Spielberg.”
Lastly, Azmi announced that she is surely not done yet. “In my 50th year, what I have realized is that what I love doing the most is being an actor. So, I intend to carry on working and I promise my best is yet to come. Dil thaam ke baitho, meri baari aane hi wali hai,” she said.
The evening also saw the screening of Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light as the opening film. The movie had received the prestigious Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
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