Shabana Azmi Became Smita Patil's 'Surrogate' To Her Parents After Her Death, 'I Regret Saying...'

Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil were two prominent Bollywood actresses who came into the spotlight during the rise of parallel cinema during the 80s and 90s. Both the actresses were shaped into leading ladies by filmmaker, Shyam Bengal and their powerful roles in the male dominated era of showbiz helped them create a separate place in the hearts of fans. They shared the screen space multiple times during their career, but behind the camera, rumours were rife about the rivalry between the two talented divas. In a recent interview, Shabana Azmi opened up about how she has developed a closer bond with her family.

Shabana Azmi reveals she regrets saying certain things about Smita Patil

Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil's conflicts made headlines in the '80s, which came to a halt after Smita Patil's demise on December 13, 1986. Her sudden demise due to childbirth complications at the age of 31 left everyone in shock, including Shabana, who felt a deep sense of regret over their sour bond. In a new interview with Filmfare, Shabana Azmi admitted that they shared a broken bond, which never got mended during Smita's lifetime. However, the latter's parents were always cordial with Shabana, and after her demise, she became like a daughter to them. In her words:

"What was broken was never repaired. But her parents were nice to me, and my parents were nice to her. In a strange way, after she passed away, I sort of became a surrogate Smita to her parents. Which baffled me, but it completed the circle. So, I regret that I said uncharitable things about Smita. I really regret it. I wish I hadn't done it."

Shabana Azmi added that her husband, Javed Akhtar, suggested that since they came from similar backgrounds and worked on similar kinds of films, they should be friends in the big and sometimes isolated entertainment industry. But, Shabana admitted that they made little attempts that were never successful. She also mentioned that unlike the press which created rivalry between other actresses, her and Smita's enmity wasn't fueled by anyone else. She said:

"I remember Javed saying that we are from similar backgrounds and do the same kind of work; we should be friends and be on the same side. We made a very weak attempt with Javed and Raj Babbar to bury the hatchet, but that never happened. It is not like the press created it all. There was definitely an inherent rivalry."

Shabana Azmi shares if she took away films from Smita Patil 

In the same conversation, Shabana Azmi shared that Smita Patil used to think she had taken away her roles, but that wasn't the case. Shabana admitted that she didn't take away any role purposely; rather, they both were equally preferred by filmmaker, Shyam Bengal. At the same time, the filmmaker had clarity on whom to cast, and she couldn't take away any film from Smita. Instead, a few roles that she was supposed to go to went to the late actress. Recalling the same, she said:

"There were lots of imaginary roles that she thought I had snatched from her, but it was nothing like that. We were Shyam Benegal's favourites, and he was very clear about who to take to which film. Strangely, I was supposed to do Manthan, the role that Smita did, and she was supposed to do the role that Abha Dhulia did. Some crazy thing happened, and Shyam never forgave me for it."

More about Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi debuted with the film, Ankur in 1974 and soon gained success by working in parallel cinema. She has portrayed many progressive and unique characters in films like Arth, Paar, Mandi, Godmother, Masoom and Fire. In recent years, she has also worked in a few mainstream films like Jazbaa, Chalk n Duster, Neerja, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and more. She will soon be seen In Lahore 1947, co-starring Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and more. 

What do think about Shabana Azmi regrets about her rivalry with Smita Patil?

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