From Ankur to Morning Raga

Ankur, in particular, was a watershed in Shabana's career. Graduating from the Film and Technology Institute of India in 1972, she bagged a national award in 1974 for her brilliant performance in Ankur in 1974.

Later, Shabana went on to do films such as Deepa Mehta's film Fire. Her controversial role as Radha earned her international acclaim with the Silver Hugo Award at the 32nd Chicago Film Festival.

Shabana's brilliant histrionics were not limited to the big screen. On stage, as Amrita in Tumhari Amrita, Shabana proved her mettle in theatre. The play ran five long years to packed audiences and immense critical acclaim. She went on to do a month-long tour with The Singapore Repertory Company, in Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Ibsen's Doll's House, directed by Rey Buono.

Now on the cards is a role in the new film Umrao Jaan by JP Dutta. Here Shabana is tipped to play the mother of Umrao (essayed by Aishwarya Rai). Though the talented actress (last seen as a Karnataka singer in Mahesh Dattani's Morning Raga) is yet to sign on the dotted line, this casting is more or less a certainty. Co-incidentally, her mother Shaukat Azmi had played the same role in the earlier version of the film. According to the grapevine, this is the first time in any part of the world that the daughter plays the mother's role in a movie remake.

Another first is the combination of Shabana and Aishwarya in a film. Apparently Rituparno Ghosh was planning to cast them in a mother-daughter story. Looks like JP Dutta will beat Ghosh to it.

Compiled by Cultural Correspondent