Archive · 29 Aug 2026
Shabana Azmi Discusses How Akhtar Siblings Changed Hindi Cinema
Shabana Azmi spoke about films made by siblings Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar.
She discussed Farhan’s Dil Chahta Hai and Zoya’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
Azmi focused especially on how Zoya filmed Katrina Kaif in one scene.
Katrina comes out of the water wearing a bikini.
The camera stays far away instead of showing her body closely.
The camera moves closer after Katrina puts on a gown.
Azmi said this helps viewers see the character as a working woman.
She believes the filmmaker’s purpose is very important.
Shabana Azmi discussed Farhan Akhtar’s Dil Chahta Hai and Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
Azmi said Zoya’s direction in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara reflected deliberate choices about camera distance and character presentation.
She described a scene in which Katrina Kaif emerges from the water in a bikini while the camera remains in a long shot.
Azmi said the camera moves closer only after the character puts on her gown, emphasizing that she is a working woman.
She argued that a filmmaker’s intention determines how a scene is understood by viewers.
- Who
- Actor Shabana Azmi discussed filmmakers Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, along with Katrina Kaif’s scene in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.
- What
- Azmi reviewed aspects of Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and explained how filmmaking choices communicate intention.
- Why
- She was explaining how the Akhtar siblings influenced cinema and how camera choices affect the meaning of a scene.
- Speaker
- Shabana Azmi
- Films discussed
- Dil Chahta Hai and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Filmmakers
- Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar
- Scene discussed
- Katrina Kaif emerging from water in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
- Camera choice
- The scene reportedly stays in a long shot until the character puts on her gown.
- Azmi’s central point
- A filmmaker’s intention is the most important factor in how a scene is presented.