SSAI Sanglaap: Ankur (Seedling) film screening and talk with Shabana Azmi

SSAI Sanglaap with Tongues on Fire – UK Asian Film Festival celebrates and honours 50 years of Shabana Azmi, one of Indian cinema’s most acclaimed and distinguished actresses, with a long and illustrious career that spans over 160 films and stretches across independent, parallel and mainstream Hindi cinema as well as international projects. 

Ankur/Seedling (India 1974/English subtitled running time 131 mins); Director: Shyam Benegal; Cast: Shabana Azmi, Anant Nag among others is a landmark film that launched both director Shyam Benegal and actor Shabana Azmi on their illustrious and often intertwined cinematic careers representing a new wave movement of arthouse films recognized for their authentic storyline, treatment and sensibility recalling the modest realism of the pioneering Satyajit Ray. 

Azmi traversed beyond the glossy and stereotypical portrayals of women with impactful realistic performances in films like Masoom and Arth, pushing the boundaries further and inviting audiences to probe off-screen societal norms that influenced on-screen representations of a housewife, mother and woman in an evolving Indian society. Nishant (1975) Shatranj Ke Khilari (1977) Junoon (1978) Sparsh (1980) Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai (1980) Mandi (1983) Madame Sousatzka (1988), Dharavi (1992), Godmother (1999), Makdee (2002), reveal her craftsmanship, versatility and an unconditional commitment to the art and craft of cinema.  

Between 1983 and 1985 for three consecutive years, Azmi won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Arth, Khandhar and Paar, several international accolades (Martin Luther King Professorship Award, Rajib Gandhi Award for excellence of secularism), and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 1998, and the Padma Bhushan in 2012 by the Government of India for her outstanding contribution to cinema.

Join the celebratory reception of Shabana Azmi, honouring the Golden Girl of Indian cinema and five glorious decades, in the Senate House buildings after the screening and QA.

Programme

Convened by: Dr Sanjukta Ghosh (SOAS South Asia Institute) and Dr Pushpinder Chowdhury (UK Asian Film Festival)

Reserve your seat only if you can attend both screening and reception

Organised by SOAS South Asia Institute and UKAFF.