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Shabana Azmi Appreciation Post Just through watching her act and listening to her speak - whether it be about current affairs in India/around the World, politics, or about the art within acting - you learn a lot from this woman just by hearing her words. You don't have to be an actor in training, or a scholar to want to listen to her - you can be you, and you will still learn a heck of a lot. I can safely say that over the past few years, as I've grown older and learnt more and more about the world and it's ways, Shabana-ji has had a huge influence on me and how I hold myself and express myself - even on how I see myself as an individual - a strong independent woman, living on my terms and expressing myself, not letting any sort of dominance overwhelm or take over me. I can hold my head high and say that I am happy as me - as an individual. She is the only female actor (or even overall actor) in the industry that has had such an influence on my thoughts and has had me thinking on subjects that have helped me grow into a stronger person. A little personal thought - pooja-mahi-rai

    Hari Bhari (2000) is a work of art by Shyam Benegal. Well made and handled with care and sensitivity - but still packing a punch with its message. The main theme of the movie revolved around a woman's womb (hence the title Hari Bhari, a common phrase used to mean 'Fertile' or 'Fertility')    It's main theme shows the treatment of women, their ability to reproduce, and their worth as (sorry for the crudeness) 'baby making machines' for men so that they can carry on their family name. It shows how they are blamed for not being able to conceive boys, how they are expected to risk their health by not being allowed to have a hysterectomy, how they are expected to have one child after another within the tender years of their marriage, and how they cannot risk having young girls roaming about without getting married in case they mistakenly fall pregnant and shame the family.     It revolves around how vulnerable and at risk she can be just because she has a womb, and how used she can be just because she has a womb to produce children.   This scene sums up the movie for me - at the end of the movie you realise the message Shyam Benegal is trying to convey - that we can change the image that men and many countries still hold of women. That the future generations can be saved from this fixed image of 'baby making machines'.    In this scene you see 3 generations; Amma (Sikri), her daughter Ghazala (Azmi) and her daughter Salma (Sachdev). You see how generation after generation, the image of the woman still has that stereotype in India, and all three generations of this family are suffering.    This movie was absolutely amazing and I would definately recommend it. All the actors were sensational and not one was over acting or trying too hard. One of the many reasons why I love Shabana Azmi's work - her subtlety and poise. - Pooja   - (gif by me)

100 years of Indian Cinema: A Century of Women - Part 2; Film Impressions