Shabana Azmis Birthday Blues

By Subhash K Jha

On Friday morning after Shabana turned 59 she was in Kathmandu on the way back to India before flying out again.

Laughed the birthday girl, “My husband Javed Akhtar says I’m congenitally incapable of staying in one place. He says Kaifi Azmi’s daughter has to be a nomad by choice. I agree. I just can’t stay in one place. I was in Kathmandu for my play Tumhari Amrita. Tomorrow (September 19) I leave for South Africa for a retrospective of my films. Then I’m off to Dhaka. I’m back on 28 September. I’m constantly traveling.”

Eid, Diwali and Holi are the three most fervently celebrated festivals in Shabana and Javed Akhtar’s warm residence.

Not this year.

For the first time in living memory there will be no Eid later this weekend in the Azmi household. Shabana’s closest friend suddenly lost her husband last month and it was felt celebrations would be improper.

“In fact,” says Shabana, “There’ll be no birthday celebrations either.”

Shabana turned 59 on September 18. “For my friend’s sake we’re not celebrating either my birthday or Eid, although I’ve kept all my rozas (fast).”

Ever since the sudden tragedy Shabana has been trying to spend as much time with her friend as possible. “But finally she’ll have to come terms with it all alone,” says Shabana.

-Sampurn Media