Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar fondly reminisced about her first encounter with National Award-winner Shabana Azmi during a photo shoot for their classic film Masoom in 1983.
In a heartfelt birthday message for Shabana, who celebrated her 75th birthday, Urmila took to Instagram, sharing a collection of images from the film, which is based on the 1980 Erich Segal novel Man, Woman and Child. This film marked Urmila’s debut as a child actor.
“Year 1983… location Janki Kutir. Tiny, anxious n nervous me see the great Shabana Azmi for photo shoot of Masoom n thereafter it’s been an exceptional bond of love, respect, admiration, learning, laughters, madness n so much more (sic),” she wrote.
Urmila expressed her gratitude, saying, “There are many things I could thank you for but above all it would have to be for constantly reminding me ‘how to live life at its fullest with everything that it throws at you’!!! Thank you for always being there inspiring tremendously on screen n caressing me with all your generosity n warmth. Deeply cherish your presence in my life (sic)!!”
Describing Shabana as a queen, she added, “Happy Birthday Queen 75 never rocked more than this @azmishabana18.”
Masoom marked the directorial debut of Shekhar Kapur and features an impressive cast including Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Jugal Hansraj, and Saeed Jaffrey, with Tanuja and Supriya Pathak making special appearances. The film tells the poignant story of Devendra Kumar, whose family life is thrown into turmoil after he discovers he has an illegitimate child, Rahul, from a previous relationship. This revelation strains his marriage to Indu, who struggles to accept the child.
Urmila’s iconic 1995 film Rangeela is set to make a return to the big screen, celebrating 30 years in the Hindi film industry.
As part of the Ultra Rewind initiative by Ultra Media, this restored version aims to revive the magic for long-time fans while introducing its timeless charm to new audiences.
Rangeela follows the journey of Mili, who dreams of becoming a well-known actress but faces challenges as both Raj Kamal, a famous actor, and her childhood friend Munna fall in love with her. The film features notable performances by Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff.