MELBOURNE, 1 December 2023: Step into the world of cinematic brilliance with a special collection honouring the legendary actress, Shabana Azmi. Starting from December 8 to December 22, 2023 only on the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) streaming platform free to watch Australia-wide with an option to donate to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Immerse yourself in the artistry of this iconic figure as we showcase six of her unforgettable films on a journey through cinematic excellence, reliving the magic of Shabana Azmi’s performances and celebrating the legacy of a true legend.
All movies are free and can be seen on Apple TV or Android TV by downloading the IFFM App. Check – https://www.iffm.com.au/iffm2024/online/
Movie previews:
Dharavi (City of Dreams) – Hindi; 1999; 116 minutes:
Dharavi, in Bombay, is the largest slum in Asia. In sub-human living conditions, each HD MOV, Film Stills, Posters, Promo man is for himself, aspiring to make it for himself. Bollywood supplies fantasies to them. Dharavi is the story of Rajkaran a taxi driver who falls into a labyrinth of urban dreams…
Cast: Om Puri, Shabana Azmi, Raghuvir Yadav, Virendra Saxena, Madhuri Dixit (Special Appearance)
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Festivals
National Film Award, 1992 – Best Hindi Film, Best Editing, Best Music Direction
London Film Festival, 1992, UK
Mannheim International Film Festival, 1992
Ek Din Achanak (One Day, Suddenly) – Hindi; 1988; 102 minutes:
Ek Din Achanak (One Day, Suddenly) – Hindi; 1988; 102 minutes:
Calcutta – one day the city is crippled by a heavy downpour. Everything goes topsy turvy. A professor who has gone out for a while doesn’t return home for months, leaving his family in great anxiety. In the vacuum created by his absence, the family finds itself trapped in a new emotional world.
Cast:Shabana Azmi, Dr. Sreeram Lagoo, Aparna Sen, Rupa Ganguly
Director:Mrinal Sen
Festivals
National Award, 1989 – Best Supporting Actress
BFJA Awards, 1989 – Best Director, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Editor
Munich International Film Festival, Germany, 1990
Cairo International Film Festival, 1990
Ek Doctor Ki Maut (Death of a Doctor) – Hindi; 1990; 109 minutes:
After years of painstaking research at the cost of his domestic pleasure, Dr. Dipankar Roy discovers a vaccine for leprosy. News is flashed over television and overnight, an insignificant junior doctor receives international recognition. After suffering humiliation at the hands of his seniors, Dr. Roy suffers a mild heart attack. His wife and a few colleagues stand by him but Dr. Roy is transferred to a remote village. The last straw is two American doctors receiving credit for discovering the same vaccine.
Cast:Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapur, Irrfan Khan, Deepa Sahi, Vijayendra Ghadge
Director:Tapan Sinha
Festivals
National Award, 1991 – Second Best Film, Best Director, Special Jury Award for Best Actor
Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards, 1991 – Best Film, Best Director
Filmfare Award, 1991 – Best Screenplay
Red Cross Film Festival – Sofia, Bulgaria, 1991
Paar (The Crossing) – Hindi: 1984; 129 minutes:
A landlord orders the murder of a benevolent schoolmaster whose progressive influence seems to be sinking in. A very poor labourer Naurangia retaliates by murdering the landlord’s brother. This turns him and his wife into fugitives overnight. After struggling for sustenance elsewhere, they decide to return home but an insurmountable task awaits them – that of crossing the wide and treacherously swift river. How Naurangia and a heavily pregnant Rama cross the river to return home to safety is what Paar as a movie takes you through.
Cast:Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Utpal Dutt, Om Puri, Mohan Agashe, Anil Chatterjee
Director:Goutam Ghose
Festivals
National Film Award, 1985 – Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenplay
Volpi Cup – Best Actor for Naseeruddin Shah
UNESCO Award – Venice Film Festival, 1985
Fipresci Award, 1985
Pestonjee – Hindi: 1987; 119 minutes:
Piroj and Pestonjee are two friends who get along well in spite of being so different in temperament. Piroj, an accountant, is reserved while Pestonjee, is an extrovert. Jeroo, a pretty girl and of marriageable age, is shown to both Piroj and Pestonjee on separate occasions. While Piroj dithers about marrying her, Pestonjee instantly makes up his mind, unaware that his friend has also seen and liked the same girl. Piroj is hurt, but it does not mar their friendship. Piroj is transferred to Bhusaval but continues to keep in touch. On a brief visit to Bombay he is shattered to discover that the marriage is on the verge of collapse.
Cast: Shabana Azmi, Anupam Kher, Naseeruddin Shah, Kiran Thakur Singh Kher
Director: Vijaya Metha
Festivals
National Award, 1988 – Best Costume Designer
Bengal Film Journalists Association Award, 1987 – Best Supporting Actor
Singapore International Film Festival, 1987
Hong Kong International Film Festival, 1987
Sati (Widow immolation) – Hindi: 1989; 119 minutes:
Indian village 1828 – A disastrous horoscope predicting early widowhood dictates the fate of a young Brahmin girl; the fact that she is also mute, only compounds her diffculties. As per custom she will have to commit sati – the rite where women either willingly immolate themselves on their husband’s pyre or are compelled to do so by custodians of tradition. Her family devises a strategy so that she can escape this dreary fate.
Director: Shabana Azmi, Arun Banerjee, Kali Banerjee, Pradip Mukherjee
Festivals
Montreal World Film Festival, 1989 – Jury Mention
