My Brother, My Jaan: B-Town Divas Celebrate Raksha Bandhan

Parineeti Chopra: My brothers Sahaj and Shivang are my buddies ever since they grew up. I am the eldest. So I am going to be pampering and spoiling them this Raksha Bandhan. 

Minissha Lamba: My brother is the closest person I have in Mumbai. And just to have him around is gift enough on raksha bandhan. 
Celina Jaitley: My brother Vikrant is a major in the Indian army. Considering the crisis at the LOC he may soon be deployed, as he is on the special forces. The only Raksha Bandhan wish I have for him is to be safe. And to have a lil baby of his own soon as he's newly married. 
Shabana Azmi: My brother Baba is most precious to me. He is my son, my friend and guide. Raksha Bandhan is a festival I get mos sentimental about. This year I am at my native village Mijwan for Raksha Bandhan. 

I feel really sorry that I can't be personally present to tie him the raakhee. I make sure I am with Baba on this day. I think I missed being with my brother for raksha bandhan only 4-5 times in my entire life. 

Sadly this is one of those years of absence. Baba is my most precious gift. I don't need anything from him. He doesn't allow anyone else to tie a raakhi on him. No mooh-boli bahens for my brother! I wouldn't tolerate them. 
Manisha Koirala: I have the most precious gift in the world. My brother Siddhartha. I always wish him happiness and success, and not just for Raksha B

andhan but every single day. I consider myself the luckiest sister in the world. More power to my adorable bhaiya. 
Pooja Bhatt: I am older to my brother Rahul. So tradition be damned. I'll be gifting him this Raksha Bandhan, not the other way around. 
Bela Sehgal: I am very lucky to have a wonderful brother like Sanjay (Leela Bhansali). He is thoughtful caring and loving, understanding and always concerned about my well-being. For Raksha Bandhan I pray for his good health and the super-duper success of Ram Leela. The only gift that I want from him is that he should always continue to love me. 
Divya Dutta: My brother Dr Rahul Dutta is more a friend than an elder brother. And he knows exactly what I want. The other day I liked a piece of jewellery while window-shopping. Before I knew it, it became my Rakhi gift. He is traveling but will be back in time for me tie the rakhi. 
Lata Mangeshkar: More than a brother, Hridaynath is the son that I never had. When I sing for my brother I feel a mixture of elation and fear. He's such a perfectionist. To work with him is taxing but ultimately very satisfying. When I sing for other composers I'm always unsure about whether I've done my best. Hridayanath doesn't hesitate in ticking me off if I go wrong. 

Even if I go wrong with one word he doesn't let me off the hook. He makes me sing it a hundred times over no matter how tired I get. At the most he'll let me off until the next day. But he must have the flawless recording.

I agree with him when he says, 'Right now only the recordist and I can hear you. But tomorrow the entire world will hear you. How would you feel if listeners pinpoint the errors in your singing? ' He's a very knowledgeable human being and not just in the field of music. 

Hridayanath is very particular about the way I sing. And I like that. He makes me sing until I achieve the quality he desires. Hridayanath always says, 'In a recording room there're only ten people to hear you. 

Once the song is recorded 10 crore people will hear it. So who loses face? People will say Lata doesn't sing the way she used to. ' He's as particular with any singer, whether it's my sister Asha or Usha.
Happily Hridayanath has the knowledge to achieve a high quality in the recording. He not only has a sound base in classical music but also listens to the old songs of my father (Pandit Dinanath Mangeshkar) and uses them as a foundation for some of his compositions.

I'm always on tenterhooks singing for him. He's a very learned musician. His knowledge of Marathi literature and poetry is so vast. He's familiar with both modern and non-contemporary poets. By God's grace all my albums with my brother have been perennially popular. 

My first non-film album with Hridayanath was Mogra Phulela 35 years ago. And that's still selling... 

It wasn't a conscious decision to not work together for so long. Nothing materialized for one reason or another. . . . My brother Hridaynath Mangeshkar's album of Meera bhajans Chala Vahi Des is an all-time favourite. It's fallacy that I refused to sing Meera bhajans for anyone except my brother. 

I sang Jaidev's Main janoon nahin piya ko Milan kaise howe ri in Chand Grahan and Jo tum todo piya for Shiv-Hari in Silsila. I refused to give playback to the film on Meerabai when Gulzar made it. Meera is very close to my heart. I couldn't bear the thought of any actress sing her songs while playing Meerabai. 

Laxmikant-Pyarelal, then R. D. Burman left the project. Then Gulzar Saab brought in Pandit Ravi Shankar. I also love what my brother made me do in Maya Memsaab and Lekin. In the CD of Lekin there's a Ghazal Dil mein lekar which didn't feature in the film. I love that as well. 
Pooja Bedi: I deeply miss my brother Siddharth who died 15 years ago. And I'm grateful for my brother Adam who is 12 years younger to me. Being so much older I don't look at him in the traditional role of the protective brother. On the contrary I feel I need to protect him and take care of him. All I expect from him is some time to spend together and oodles of love.

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Wharton Rejects Narendra Modi, Welcomes Shabana-Javed

The Wharton School Of The University Of Pennyslvania has said no a lecture by Narendra Modi. However Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar are proceeding to the prestigious forum for a lecture.

But before that, the couple are currently at Cambridge University in London and the London School Of African & Asian Studies this week to address students.

Speaking from London Shabana said, We're here to lecture at the two prestigious universities. At the London School Of African & Asian Studies we're addressing students on the topic of, can cinema be used as an instrument for social change with special emphasis on the portrayal of women in our films. At Cambridge University we are lecturing on women, cinema and poetry. I am also getting an honorary fellowship at the students wing of the London School Of Economic.

At the London School Of Economics Shabana and Javed will be honoured for the inspirational work done in films and as agents of social change.

The cherry on the icing would be the lecture at Wharton later in the month.

It's a good time for us to feel happy with our lives,  jokes Shabana.

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Cinema not fully exploited in India yet: Shabana Azmi

Veteran actress Shabana Azmi feels that Indian filmmakers are yet to fully exploit the medium of cinema. She also says that in the pursuit of appealing to the international market, they have become confused about the kind of films that must be made.

"The diversity and the hardwireness of aesthetics come deeply from within our roots and gives a uniqueness to our film industry, but have we been able to live up to the challenge? Hundred years later, isn't it time to understand what our identity is, " Shabana said at the CII Media and Entertainment Summit 2012 here Tuesday.

"In a bid to cater to the international market, there is a lot of confusion on what kind of films do we make in our cinema. Our cinema is unique because it is based in our roots, but we haven't risen to the sophistication of the medium itself, " she added.

The critically acclaimed actress, who featured in films like "Ankur" and "Masoom", feels a lot of aspects of filmmaking are yet to be tapped, including judicious use of technology.

"We have adopted from theatre, drama, music but inherently cinema has not been exploited as a medium, neither in the genre nor in the technicalities.

"What we are doing with the latest technology is that we are making same films in cheaper form, instead of exploring it. It is a good time to revisit what we are doing and where are we heading, " she said.

The actress spoke during a panel discussion on 'A century in retrospect: 100 years of India cinema'. She was accompanied by filmmakers Shekhar Kapur and Shyam Benegal.

While the discussion was to discuss about the journey of Indian cinema over 100 years, it ended up being focussed more on content and the business aspect of films.

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I wept like a baby - High drama at Bangladesh for Shabana Azmi

Shabana Azmi created quite a furore in Bangladesh when she reached Dhaka to represent her late father Kaifi Azmi who was being honoured, along with 57 other dignitaries from across the world for their support of Bangladesh's War Of Liberation in 1971. 

Shabana who had to be in Dhaka for the function to represent her father had to be back in Mumbai in time for her mother's birthday the same day. 

She made it very clear to the organizers of the function in Dhaka that she can only be at the function for a few minutes before she had to return to the Dhaka international airport in time for the flight back to Mumbai to reach in time for her mother's birthday. 

Apparently Bangladesh's prime minister Sheikh Hasina made sure Shabana made it back to the airport on time. The entire route from the venue of the function to the airport was cleared of traffic and Shabana was personally escorted by a fleet of government vehicles. 

Confirming the hullabaloo that she created on the Dhaka roadways on Saturday Shabana says, Yes, the Prime Minister's office had put the entire machinery on red alert! 

I left within seconds of receiving the honour on behalf of my father to be back in Mumbai in time for my mum's 84th birthday...Police escort, lal batti, screaming sirens, fleets of cops to ensure there was no traffic hurdle for me to reach the airport on time. It was crazy. But you know what? I'm glad I was there for this occasion.
Among the super-icons with a socio-political voice who were honoured in Dhaka were George Harrison and Joan Baez. Shabana was looking forward to meeting Joan whose searing 'Song For Bangladesh' encapsulated the 1971 Bangladesh war of liberation so succinctly. But Joan didn't show up. 

Says Shabana, My Abba along with 57 others were honoured by the government of Bangladesh for their support to the liberation struggle. I was handed over the award by the President and PM of Bangladesh. I wept like a baby.

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Shabana wasn't the first choice for Ankur

One of the Indian cinema's finest actors, Shabana Azmi, turns 62 today. Interestingly, she wasn't the first choice for 'Ankur', the critically acclaimed Shyam Benegal film with which she eventually made her foray into Bollywood 

The movie fell into Azmi's lap after many leading actresses of that time turned it down. The rest, as they say, is history. 

Not only was the 1974 film a critical success, Azmi even went on to win the National Award for Best Actress for her stupendous performance. Inspired from a true story from Hyderabad, 'Ankur' had Azmi portraying the character of Lakshmi, a married servant and villager, who falls in love a college student, when the latter visits the place. 

Other facts about Shabana 

She has won a record five National Film Awards for Best Actress, including three in a row from 1983 to 1985 for 'Arth', 'Khandhar' and 'Paar'

Both her parents Kaifi Azmi and Shaukat Azmi were members of the Communist Party of India. Azmi's brother Baba is a cinematographer 

Azmi has a graduate degree in Psychology from the reputed St. Xavier's College, Mumbai

She graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune in 1973, following which she signed K. A. Abbas' 'Faasla' and also began work on a film named 'Parinay', but it was 'Ankur' that hit the screens first

Azmi received a National Award for Godmother (1999), taking her tally to five
For 'Mandi', where Azmi enacted the role of a madam of a whorehouse, Azmi put on weight and even chewed 'paan' 

Even as Deepa Mehta's controversial 'Fire', in which she played a lesbian, led to severe protests in India, the same role got her international acclaim. She won the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 32nd Chicago Film Festival and Jury Award for Best Actress at Outfest, Los Angeles

Azmi even tried her luck on the small screen with 'Anupama', where she played the character of a modern woman who endorsed traditional Indian values, but also wanted more freedom for herself

Her play with Farooq Sheikh, Feroz Abbas Khan's 'Tumhari Amrita', ran for five years 

Actresses Farah Naaz and Tabu are her nieces 

A social and women's rights activist, Azmi is also a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA) 

Azmi was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012 

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Bollywood stars to walk for Shabana's Mijwan

Bollywood celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Karan Johar and Imran Khan will lend support to Shabana Azmi's Mijwan Welfare Society (MWS) by wearing clothes made by the NGO's girls at an upcoming fashion event.

MWS works for the empowerment of the girl child in rural India, and will hold the Mijwan Sonnets In Fabric for the third consecutive year. It will be held at the Grand Hyatt here Sep 3.

"This year is particularly significant because it is the culmination of a process started three years ago when we first started our partnership with Manish Malhotra.

"Like the two previous years, Bollywood stars will walk the ramp for Manish Malhotra. But this year they will showcase the craftsmanship of our girls from Mijwan. It is a huge boost for them to be pulled out of oblivion and have 23 reigning stars of Bollywood wear their creations," Shabana said in a statement.

"I'm overwhelmed by the support we have received from the film, fashion and sports fraternity, who have come forward once again to walk the ramp at this very special event," she added.

Among the confirmed names to be present at the event are Amy Jackson, Arjun Kapoor, Chiraag Paswan, Chitrangada Singh, Dia Mirza, Imtiaz Ali, Kalki Koechlin, Kunal Kapoor, Malaika Arora Khan, Neha Dhupia, Parineeti Chopra, Prateik, Rohit Roy, Rohit Shetty, Sameera Reddy, Shahana Goswami,Shahzanne Padamsee and Yuvraj Singh.

"There are a couple of surprises too but let's hold on to the suspense! Wait and watch," said Shabana.

The 61-year-old, who associates herself with various social causes, is making more efforts to improve the quality of education for the MWS girls.

She said the girls "are learning English through Skype from US under the auspices of the Ann Foundation. We propose to expand this programe further to start a full-fledged Diploma course.

"Processes are underway to start a technical institute so Mijwan becomes the centre around which a lot of satellite villages and small towns can learn skills that will generate employment."

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Sonam, Shabana make their way to DCW

Bollywood's leading ladies are adding glamour to the Delhi Couture Week (DCW). After veteran actress Sharmila Tagore walked the ramp, young and stylish Sonam Kapoor along with elegant Shabana Azmi attened the fashion extravaganza to support designers Anamika Khanna and Gaurav Gupta. 

Khanna and Gupta opted for an off-site show, away from the main Taj Palace venue. They showcased their respective collections Thursday at the Evoluzione store in Mehrauli. 

Clad in a sari-gown, Sonam was looking as fashionable as ever, while Shabana opted for a heavily embroidered maroon suit. 

The highlight of both collections was the different interpretation of the sari, which boasted of a modern touch. Sonam liked it and said "it was so incredible".

"They have taken something that was so traditional and so beautiful and presented it in a modern way, which I think was so wonderful. I think they both gave the sari a different outlook altogether. I am incredibly grateful that I could see something like this today," Sonam told after the show. 

Khanna's collection was an ode to the powerful Indian women. She said that her garments are "a modern take on traditional silhouettes".

Khanna impressed the audience by presenting sari-gowns with an asymmetrical hemline sans petticoats or underskirts. The colour palette comprised pink, blue, ivory, beige, red, gold and silver. 

Gupta, on the other hand, chose to present his interpretation of the "global Indian mindset" that according to him, "is the reflection of new confident India". 

Titled The Sylph Aviary, his show stunned many with the design aesthetics that he displayed on the runway. His couture comprised draped gowns, lehenga gowns, his signature sari gowns in reds, pinks, oranges, yellows and nudes. 

Sonam, who was mesmerised after watching the collection, said that designers like them have put India ahead of international fashion shows.
"I think Indian designers actually know the definition of couture because we know the embroidery, cuts and drapes. We have reached a standard, which is better than international standards because I saw some of the international shows and for me, this show is beautiful. It was a beautiful production," added the actress who attended Roberto Cavalli AW 2012 show at Milan Fashion Week. 

The 27-year-old was also invited by Italian shoe designer Salvatore Ferragamo for his show at his headquarter in Florence. 

Not only the collection, but the way these designers presented their outfits was also unique. 

A very selective audience was allowed to enter in the main show area that was transformed into a courtyard. 

From tables to special installation with the 'jaali' artwork, reminiscent of the Mughal symmetry, in the centre, helped in creating the Mughla era. 

There was a surprise performances by foreign artists. 

Also present at the show were designers Rohit Bal, Manav Gangwani, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Abraham-Thakore along with buyer Alka Nishar and model Pia Trivedi.

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Shabana and Jaya bond after London-Mumbai flight is stuck by lightening

It could the plot for a buddy-buddy comedy about two 60-plus divas who bond during the time of a crisis.

But as they as say, truth is often stranger than fiction. So it was last week on July 16 when Shabana Azmi’s flight back from London to Mumbai was struck by lightening.

Recalling the harrowing experience at Heathrow airport Shabana said, “Luckily the passengers had not boarded when lightening struck our flight. But it triggered off an interminable delay which would have been unbearable were it not for the company I unexpectedly found. ”

Luckily for Shabana, Jaya Bachchan was supposed to travel by the same flight.

“It was just providential. I don’t know what I’d have done or how I’d have coped I I hadn’t found Jaya among the stranded co-passengers, ” shudders Shabana.

Shabana and Jaya spent the next 24 hours having the most fun time of their lives.

“I just love Jaya’s company. She speaks her mind, calls a spade a spade. We spoke about things that we can never discuss in Mumbai. We got the chance to bond, something that we rarely do in Mumbai. ”

Having said that Shabana is not too pleased with the way the London airport handled the crisis. “We were left unattended for hours. At 11. 30 pm the counters were closed and at 12 midnight one simply had to leave the airport. It closes down at midnight. Simple. ”

Thankfully Shabana and Jaya gave each other company while an alternative flight was arranged.

“But it’s not an airport crisis that I am likely to forget easily, ” says Shabana.

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Shabana Azmi fights for the right

The actress to play a crusader of social justice in a film

Director Ajay Phansekar is all set to give a fresh lease of life to his project starring Shabana Azmi, Raquesh Vashisht, Anjorie Alag and Urvashi Sharma. The film apparently was earlier stuck due to financial issues.

The film revolves around the female protagonist, played by Shabana Azmi, who becomes a victim of social politics and her struggle to beat the odds. Shabana plays mother to Anjorie’s character while Raquesh plays her son-in-law.

Speaking about his experience of working with Shabana, Raquesh Vashisht points out, “It was brilliant to work with her. I was in complete awe of her mannerisms. She keeps improvising her scenes on the sets. I got to learn many things from her.” Suniel Shetty was originally slated to produce the film.

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Four down, three to go

Filmmaker finally gets Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukerji, Karisma Kapoor and Shabana Azmi onboard for his upcoming project

Nikhil Advani’s ambitious all-female cast project is on track. Though several names have been tossed around for a while, the filmmaker has now confirmed that Madhuri Dixit, Rani Mukerji, Karisma Kapoor and Shabana Azmi will star in the film.

Incidentally, the film will have seven leading ladies. The rest of the cast has yet to be ascertained. Says Nikhil, “I am in Boston currently and will be in Mumbai after a week. I have already spoken to the actresses. Once I am back, I will finalise the rest of the names.”

The producer-director also has another project on hand — an action thriller which apparently stars Irrfan, Huma Qureshi and Arjun Rampal. However Nikhil is taking his time to finalise which project will goes on the floors first.

He says, “I am yet to sign anyone for this film. I am working on several projects and the casting is still on.”

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Bollywood hotties get sizzling for Shabana Azmi

It was as if all of Bollywood's eye candy was on one stage at Shabana Azmi's 'The Mijwan Welfare Trust Show Sonnets in Fabric' to raise funds for the education of girl children in her ancestral village Mijwan. Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma and Ranveer Singh were among the hotties who got sizzling on the ramp, all dressed by uber designer Manish Malhotra.

Shabana Azmi said that the effort was aimed at creating awareness about the talents of kids from Mijwan. She'd also said, "My father (Kaifi Azmi) always said that change has to come from the youth. People like Ranbir prove it. This year we have 25 stars walking the ramp for us. So our film industry's participation is growing." she added.

And Bollywood certainly enjoyed walking the ramp for a good cause. Neha Dhupia posted on her Twitter page, "Was a fun evening, walked the ramp for Shabana Azmi's charity, mijwan... Glad we could collectively and fashionably make a difference!"

Celina Jaitly added, “Was wonderful walking for Shabanaji's Mijwan project show last night with all my other colleagues. Manish Malhotra’s clothes were awesome" Shabana, meanwhile, said she was proud of the development in her ancestral village.

"In Mijwan we run a school, a college, a computer center and sewing and chikankari centre. The work they do is so stunning that Anita Dongre has been giving them work. Now Manish Malhotra is also giving them work. The ramp show will create awareness of their fine craft.

"Someone said about the embroidery work of my girls in Mijwan, ‘So beautiful is their needlework that butterflies would be tempted to sit on them.' Because their work has to do with the garments and embroidery this fashion show makes a lot of sense."

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