Aparna Sen leaves Shyam Benegal’s ‘Ankur’; Shabana Azmi received National Award
Aparna Sen reveals why she rejected the iconic film Ankur. The film remains a milestone in Indian parallel cinema, highlighting social issues and launching Shabana Azmi’s renowned career.
Sometimes, the roles that actors turn down become cinematic history. For actor-director Aparna Sen, it’s all about the ‘what if’ moment sprout – The film which not only marked the directorial debut of Shyam Benegal but also catapulted Shabana Azmi to stardom and earned her her first National Film Award.
in a recent appearance straight up with mrAparna Sen opens up about why she decided to walk away from the now-iconic film.
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Sen revealed that at that time, his Hindi film career had not progressed as expected. Despite the financial appeal of the offer, she was not particularly interested in becoming a mainstream Hindi film heroine. What made his decision more complicated was the linguistic demands of the role, which required him to speak Hindi with a Telugu dialect.
“I loved the story,” she shared, “but I felt uncertain about portraying a domestic helper speaking in a dialect that is so different from my own.”
interesting thing sprout Benegal had to come to Sen after facing several rejections earlier. Despite being a newcomer himself, the filmmaker accepted their decision without pressing for an explanation.
That decision ultimately paved the way for Shabana Azmi, whose character of Lakshmi remains one of the most powerful performances in Indian cinema. Playing a house maid embroiled in a complex relationship with a landlord, Azmi brought remarkable depth and vulnerability to the role. Her performance not only won her the National Award for Best Actress, but also established her as a force in the parallel cinema movement.
Beyond its performance, sprout Stand out for its frank depiction of caste, class and gender dynamics in a stereotypical rural setting. The film became a cornerstone of parallel cinema of the 1970s, reflecting Benegal’s commitment to realism and socially conscious storytelling.
Over the years, Aparna Sen and Shabana Azmi have maintained a warm professional and personal relationship. They collaborated on projects like Sati (1989), directed by Sen, and the 2017 drama sonataWhere both were seen on the screen.