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Shabana Azmi Talks About Her Late Father Kaifi Azmi, Says Her Film ‘Mee Raqsam’ Is A Tribute To Him
Mee Raqsam, a film about a father-daughter bond, dropped its trailer recently and received a positive response. The film has been directed by Baba Azmi and produced by veteran actress Shabana Azmi.
In a recent interview, Shabana opened up on how the film is an ode to her own father, poet Kaifi Azmi.
Speaking to PTI, Shabana said, "The film is not based on my life with my father, but it celebrates the father-daughter bond. It was shot in Mijwan, a village in eastern UP, where my father was born. So Baba decided to make this film in his birthplace in the year of his birth centenary. There cannot be a better tribute to him."
Talking about a key element of the film, she said, "This film details the difference between our religion and cultural heritage. It celebrates India's composite culture which is an extremely important message in today's times. My father used to celebrate all festivals like Eid, Diwali, Holi, Christmas, etc with great gusto. We have carried on that tradition. It makes me happy that Zoya and Farhan have also carried on that tradition."
Shabana also opened up about her relationship with her father, and shared how he had promised to be a pillar of support for her no matter what she did. "He said, 'I will support you in whatever you do. If you want to become a shoemaker, I will support you provided you tell yourself that you will try to become the best shoemaker in the business'," she said.
Recalling an incident which had a lasting impact on her, Shabana said, "At the age of seven, I wanted a doll with blonde hair and blue eyes like other girls in my class. But my father gave me a black doll and said 'black is beautiful'. Telling this to a seven-year-old was quite peculiar, but these were the values we inherited from him."
Mee Raqsam stars Naseeruddin Shah, Danish Hussain and Aditi Subedi. The film is set to premiere on August 21, on ZEE5.
