Shabana Azmi says that despite ‘professional differences’ with Smita Patil, ‘it was destined’ that she work with her son Prateik Babbar

Shabana then opened up about how, after the passing of Smita in 1986, she felt “very protective” about Prateik, and them collaborating on a project was “bound to happen” at some point in their lives. Noting that they were “destined to work together,” she said that she is happy that a “suitable script has finally showed up.”

Revealing that she was “swept back in time” when she and Prateik met up for a script reading session, Shabana said she got “very emotional” on seeing him, as he is a “splitting image of his mother and their resemblance is eerie”.

Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil worked together in the award-winning 1982 film Arth, and were immediately pitted against each other, being among the top names in the Hindi film industry at the time. Shabana had earlier admitted that the reports about them being at odds weren’t entirely fictitious, and that she did indeed consider Smita a ‘rival’.

Shabana will play a chef in Imaginary Rain, directed by chef and filmmaker Vikas Khanna.