Shabana Azmi is Ayesha’s idol

doweshowbellyad=0; Shabana Azmi (TOI Photo)The first time the two worked together was years ago in City of Joy
Ayesha Dharker is known for her versatility as an actress, after all who can forget her as Malli in The Terrorist or as the vampish Rani in Bombay Dreams. But there is one actress, even this powerhouse of talent looks up to and that’s Shabana Azmi, with whom Ayesha will be sharing screen space once again in Manish Acharya’s Loins of Punjab.
The first time the two worked together was years ago in City of Joy. Ayesha recalls fondly, The first time I worked with Shabana Azmi, I was twelve and she changed the way I saw acting as a profession and became both my idol and my mentor. She was never intimidating or inaccessible, but instead spent long time talking to me.
She was the kind of actor and human being I aspired to be. We worked together again when I was fifteen on a film called Saaz and again I think it cemented in me the idea that actors could make informed choices about the kind of work they could do.
It was thrilling to work with her in a comedy, because she is a consummate comedienne and I saw her at her technical best, but also having fun. She is a generous and open person who brings intelligence kindness to her work and there’s loads I’ve learnt from her.
Shabana sure seems to have a fan in this young actress!