Shabana Azmi is regarded as one of the greats of Indian cinema, but it is a tag that she does not find comfortable. In a recent conversation with The Humans of Cinema Podcast, Shabana talked in detail about the process of acting and Hindi cinema. In her Mubi profile, Shabana says, "I find it very frightening to be called an icon, to be institutionalised." Responding to a question about that profile statement, Shabana said, "Anything that lets an actor believe in their own myth is the worst that can happen to them."
She seems to be referring to the institutionalisation of a star image, a process by which an actor's carefully crafted persona becomes so widely recognised that it goes beyond their individual identity. In short, it is when a star becomes bigger than an actor. Some actors thrive under the pressure of such a fixed image, while others struggle to break free from it. There may be some positives to it, but it has its negatives as well.
Highlighting the negatives, Shabana said that it means that certain scenes should be used in a film that allows an actor to show their prowess, whether or not they are necessary for it. The veteran actor says that such star pandering makes the audience expect similar scenes from that actor's films in the future.
Calling herself a "student" of acting, Shabana explained that it makes her humble when she watches the work of good actors. "Baap re kya main aisa kar paoon? Will it be possible for me to do it? I do not know. That's not where I have reached."
She also added that such star image or the tag of being great is not good for an actor.
