Shabana Azmi conferred lifetime award by K’taka govt

Bengaluru, March 10 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Shabana Azmi on Monday, the legendary Indian actress and multilingual artist, at the Kaveri residence as part of the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival.

Along with the award, a cheque of Rs 10 lakh was also given. Renowned poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar was present on the occasion.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recalled seeing Shabana Azmi in the visual poem Mile Sur Mera Tumhara, mentioning that it was one of his favourites.

Shabana Azmi made her debut in Sandalwood in the 1970s with the film Kanneswara Rama and won the hearts of Kannada cinema lovers, Siddaramaiah said.

She went on to establish herself as a distinguished artist in South Indian films as well as Hindi cinema. This honour, awarded in recognition of her nearly 50 years of contribution to the art of cinema, adds to the prestige of the award itself, he said.

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar appreciated Karnataka’s rich cultural heritage and its prominence in the field of music.

In response, Siddaramaiah highlighted that Karnataka has produced legendary Hindustani musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi, Kumar Gandharva, and Gangubai Hangal, all of whom hail from Dharwad, which is a matter of great pride for the state.

The Chief Minister also stated that just as copyright laws have been made beneficial for artists and musicians, efforts would be made to present a favourable opinion to the GST Council regarding similar benefits in the GST system.

Government Secretary Kaveri, Chief Minister’s Media Advisor K.V. Prabhakar, and Commissioner of the Department of Information and Public Relations, Hemant Nimbalkar, welcomed Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar.

Additional Chief Secretary L.K. Atheeq, Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy President Sadhu Kokila, and Artistic Director of the 16th International Film Festival, Vidyashankar, were also present to honour the occasion.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inaugurated the 16th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) at the grand steps of Vidhana Soudha on March 1.

He had announced that the Karnataka government would establish a world-class film city in Mysuru with 150 acres of land already allotted for the project.

The Chief Minister emphasized that international film festivals are a reflection of global culture and should be leveraged to create meaningful and impactful cinema.

"Karnataka is a land of immense opportunities. To further strengthen our film industry, we are developing a state-of-the-art film city in Mysuru. I hope this facility will encourage the production of world-class films that seamlessly blend human values with advanced technology," he had said.