Shabana Azmi snuck a role meant for Waheeda Rehman from under her nose, Zarina Wahab refused to play second-fiddle to her: ‘I was foolish’

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She continued, “I used to do what I was offered. I’ve seen a lot of actresses sneakily steal others’ roles by showing up on sets and offering to work for cheaper. Someone did this to me, and my response was, ‘Let the poor girl have it.'”

Narrating the story of how Shabana Azmi secured a role in a Shyam Benegal film in just one meeting, she said, “When I was in the film institute, we were told that Shyam Benegal was making a film and looking for actors. I was staying with Shabana. His office was in Churchgate, but I didn’t know how to get there. Shabana offered to take me. We took the train, she waited outside while I met Shyam Benegal. Waheeda Rehman was playing the older role in that film, and I was supposed to play the younger sister. When I came out, Shabana said that she’d go in and meet the director. The second she came out, she said, ‘I’m doing Waheeda ji’s role!’

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Zarina Wahab said that she declined to do the film as she didn’t want to play a secondary role to Shabana. She said, “I was a fool then, and I thought, ‘Shabana is doing the heroine’s role, so why should I do the small role? I didn’t do it. They called me so many times after that, but I didn’t reply. It went to somebody else.”

Shabana Azmi is often regarded as one of the most acclaimed Indian actors of her generation, with a string of classics under her belt. She is married to the legendary writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar.