Shabana Azmi reveals Govind Nihalani once called her a rat after Shyam Benegal cast her in Ankur: ‘Three days later, he apologized’ Hindi Movie News – Newz9

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi shared heartfelt reminiscences and anecdotes about her affiliation with legendary filmmaker Shyam Benegal throughout his prayer meet. Her tribute was stuffed with humor, respect, and deep admiration for the enduring filmmaker, who she thought to be her mentor and pal.
Recalling her first interactions with cinematographer Govind Nihalani, a shut affiliate of Benegal, Azmi narrated an amusing incident. “When Govind first saw me outside Shyam’s office, I was in torn jeans and a t-shirt. He wrote to Girish Karnad saying, ‘After looking all over the world, Shyam has found a rat to play Laxmi.’”
Azmi continued, “Three days later, I had a scene to perform, and Govind came up to me and apologized. He said, ‘I told Shyam you had chosen a rat, but you are really very good.’ Despite this, he never cast me in any of his films. Thank you, Govind, for always being Shyam’s eyes,” she quipped, including a contact of lightheartedness to the emotional gathering.

Shyam Bengal He breathed his final at Wockhardt Hospital, Mumbai Central, the place he was present process remedy for continual kidney illness. The legendary director, who is thought for movies comparable to Ankur, Mandi, Nishant and Junoon was cremated with full state honors and a three-gun salute.
Born on December 14, 1934, in a Konkani-speaking Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin household in Hyderabad, Benegal collaborated extensively with actors from FTII and NSD, together with Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Smita Patil, Shabana Azmi, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Amrish Puri.His The movies left an indelible impression on audiences, addressing related socio-political themes with exceptional depth.

From Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar to Naseeruddin Shah and Divya Dutta, a number of members of the movie trade gathered to pay homage to Shyam Benegal, who handed away on December 23 on the age of 90.