It was a destined happenstance that Shama Zaidi’s sensibilities matched those of the parallel movement that gave Indian cinema an earthy alternative in the ’70s. Beginning her career as art director and screenplay/ dialogue writer with Shyam Benegal, their synergy celebrated milestones and decades, with Mujib: The Making Of A Nation being among her latest works with the filmmaker. Remarkable also was her stint with auteur Satyajit Ray for Shatranj Ke Khilari, which unravelled how addiction check-mated the political legacy of jagirdars in pre-Independence Avadh.
If her alliance with her husband, filmmaker MS Sathyu, resulted in the critically acclaimed Garm Hava, Muzaffar Ali’s Umrao Jaan remains an elegiac screenplay in her prolific roster. An empath and a feminist, Shama’s writings may have expressed female angst and oppression, but she herself was not spared patriarchy and gender bias either. The spirited Shama fought for parity in a male-dominated industry to finally win her due. A cheerleader of women’s individualism, she maintains it’s the men who need to do a rethink. “Women are naturally feminists. The problem is not with Indian women but with Indian men. I have a huge problem with Indian men. They’re living in a different century. Women are in the 20th century, while men are still in the 18th. That’s the conflict.”
GENESIS
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Filmfare.
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This story is from the August 2023 edition of Filmfare.
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Laapataa Ladies: Offering hope and a little sugar
Director Kiran Rao's latest film, Laapataa Ladies delves into the depths of mistaken identity to offer a poignant critique of contemporary society while celebrating the essence of women's empowerment.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
DEVESH SHARMA CHRONICLES THE WINNERS OF THE FIRST EVER FILMFARE AWARDS ASSAMESE 2024 WITH JEEWAN RAM MUNGI DEVI GOENKA MEMORIAL PUBLIC CHARITABLE TRUST
HEALTH TALK
LALBABA RICE PARTNERED WITH JOY FILMFARE AWARDS BANGLA 2024 FOR THE 1ST TIME AS THE CO-PRESENTING SPONSOR. CELEBS TALKED ON THEIR HEALTHY DIET, LOVE FOR RICE AND SHARED THEIR FITNESS TIPS IN A LIGHT AND HEALTHY CONVERSATION WITH THE EMCEE.
HEALTHY CONVERSATIONS
LALBABA RICE PARTNERED WITH FILMFARE AWARDS ASSAMESE 2024 FOR THE 1ST TIME AS THE CO-PRESENTING SPONSOR. CELEBS ENGAGED IN A HEALTHY CONVERSATION WITH THE EMCEE OVER THEIR HEALTHY DIET, LOVE FOR RICE AND MUCH MORE.
SHANKAR LALL GOENKA: A TRUE VISIONARY
PROFILING WELL-KNOWN PHILANTHROPIST AND ENTREPRENEUR SHANKAR LALL GOENKA FROM ASSAM WHO HAS BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN BRINGING FILMFARE AWARDS ASSAMESE 2024 TO THE STATE
AHOY GUWAHATI!
FILMFARE AWARDS ASSAMESE MAKE THEIR DEBUT IN THE ASSAM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE JEEWAN RAM MUNGI DEVI GOENKA MEMORIAL PUBLIC CHARITABLE TRUST
Woman on the verge
PRATIBHA RANTTA MADE HER PRESENCE FELT AS ONE OF THE LEADS IN LAAPATAA LADIES. TANZIM PARDIWALLA INTERVIEWS THE SURE-FOOTED YOUNGSTER
The changeling.
SAHIL MEHTA IS HAPPY WITH THE SUCCESS OF TABBAR AND FARREY. HE TELLS TANZIM PARDIWALLA THAT HE TRUSTS THE TURNINGS OF LIFE TO DO GOOD BY HIM
WINNERS TAKE ALL
DEVESH SHARMA PROFILES THE WINNERS OF THE RECENTLY HELD JOY FILMFARE AWARDS BANGLA 2024
HERE'S WHY DIMPLE SHROFF'S BRAND IS THE ONE TO WATCH OUT
MADE TO ORDER AND TAILORED TO HER CLIENTS, DIMPLE SHROFF’S JAW-DROPPING SILHOUETTES PLACE HER BRAND AMONG SOUTH ASIA’S BRIGHTEST DESIGNERS.