Shabana Azmi On Her Iconic Role In Makdee And New Horror Films: 'Can’t Just Keep Repeating...'

Shabana Azmi shared her thoughts the resurgence of the horror genre in recent years, acknowledging its appeal.

Shabana Azmi shared her thoughts on her iconic roles in cinema, particularly recalling about her performance in the 2002 film ‘Makdee’. The seasoned actor recently had an exclusive conversation with ABP Live and talked about the resurgence of the horror genre in recent years, acknowledging its appeal.

Shabana Azmi on trend-driven films

Shabana commented on the success of horror-comedy films at the box office, saying she doesn’t agree with filmmakers who just follow trends or jump on the bandwagon. She said, "This trend, I don’t agree with at all. You can’t just keep repeating the same formula for success. It doesn’t work like that, because if it did, anything successful could just be turned into a formula—and that’s when it stops working.

Speaking of the Vishal Bhardwaj directorial, 'Makdee', Azmi said,"It’s not at all unpopular, especially with younger audiences. There are so many young people who only know me because of Makdee. Now, there’s a whole new generation that knows me only because of Rocky Aur Rani (Ki Prem Kahaani). Age matters, but staying relevant is even more important. To me, it’s crucial to continue being relevant and not just rest on past successes.”

The lasting impact of Makdee

"Many young people approached me after Makdee, I had hordes of children visiting my house, just like the women who came after Arth. It was overwhelming and showed how much that film resonated. This all happened because I was with Vishal Bhardwaj—going to the premiere of Godmother—and he was narrating a few stories to me. I realised that he had such a clear vision of his stories. I have a strong sense of young directors and take pride in my ability to recognise that," she added.

'Makdee' is a 2002 children's film directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. It tells the story of Chunni, a young girl who, along with her twin sister, discovers a witch in a haunted house. Rumored to turn children into animals, the witch leads Chunni on an adventurous journey where she learns about courage and friendship.