Exclusive: Shabana Azmi wins Best Actress award at international film festival

Kavi Raz’s American production, The Black Prince, was awarded the Special Jury Remi Award at the 50th annual Worldfest — Houston International Film Festival. Shabana Azmi also won the best actress award, for The Black Prince, at the same festival.

Shabana, who is currently shooting for a British television series in London, is over the moon. She says, “This is the second best actress award that I’ve got for The Black Prince. The first one was in Los Angeles.” Talking about her role, she says, “I play Rani Jindan, wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, a feisty historical figure, who wrested her son Duleep Singh from Queen Victoria, and exhorted him to come to India and reclaim the Sikh empire” she says.

For many decades now, Sikh historians have regarded Duleep Singh’s story to be emblematic of colonial arrogance and intolerance. Kavi, a US-based Indian actor-director, made the movie in Northamptonshire, England.

“Rani Jindan is the driving force behind Duleep to return to Punjab and take back his land after he’s taken away to England by the Queen and turned into a Christian,” explains Shabana. She adds, “Satinder Sartaj is a famous Punjabi Sufi singer and lyricist. He’s playing Duleep Singh. Renowned British actors David Essex, Jason Fleming, and Amanda Peat are in the movie too.”