“When I heard Shabana Azmi is doing Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, I wondered what is she doing in it,” says Waheeda Rehman at MAMI opening ceremony

Shabana Azmi expressed her gratitude at receiving the award for Excellence in Cinema from the legendary Waheeda Rehman.

By Keyur Seta -

October 19, 2024 - 1:46 PM IST

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.

“When I heard Shabana Azmi is doing Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, I wondered what is she doing in it,” says Waheeda Rehman at MAMI opening ceremony

After presenting the award to Azmi, Rehman raised a lot of laughs when she said, “What to say about Shabana ji? She is a wonderful artiste. But I wish to narrate a small incident. Recently, she was seen in the film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. When I heard the news, I wondered what is Shabana doing in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. I couldn’t understand.”

She added, “But I thought Karan Johar and Shabana would together show some magic and kamaal. Shabana did show kamaal and that’s why she received an award as well. Shabana, we wonder how many more 50 years would you complete for your performances. God bless you.”

Azmi responded with, “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.”

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.

Also Read: Shabana Azmi after receiving Excellence in Cinema Award at MAMI, “My best is yet to come, dil thaam ko baitho”