Prateik Babbar on working with Shabana Azmi: ‘Life comes full circle in beautiful ways’

Last seen in director Sachin Kundalkar’s Cobalt Blue, actor Prateik Babbar is gearing up for his upcoming film Imaginary Rain, where he will be seen sharing screen space with noted actress Shabana Azmi. The movie is helmed by Michelin Star chef and author Vikas Khanna. Speaking about his rapport with Shabana - who has worked with his mother, the late Smita Patil, in Mahesh Bhatt’s critically acclaimed 1982 film Arth - Prateik said that she has always been very encouraging throughout his career.

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During a recent interview, Shabana got a little emotional as she admitted always looking forward to working with Prateik. “Yes, we had a reading on Thursday. Prateik is a spitting image of his mother. The resemblance is eerie. I was swept back in time. I am looking forward to starting shooting with Prateik,” she said. 

Commenting on this, Prateik extended his heartfelt gratitude toward working with her. “It was inevitable. Shabana ma’am has always been very encouraging throughout my career. Bumping into each other I’ve often expressed my wish to work with her. I was always very hopeful. And, here we are. It’s an honour and a privilege to be working with such a cinema legend. Life comes full circle in unexpected and beautiful ways,” he told IANS. 

Also read: Shabana Azmi: Have never allowed my years of experience to make me smug

Said to be a semi-autobiographical film about Mahesh’s extramarital relationship with the late actress Parveen Babi, Arth featured Shabana, Smita, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Raj Kiran and Rohini Hattangadi in pivotal roles. The movie is remembered for its heart-stirring songs, sung by the late Jagjit Singh and Chitra Singh.

Shabana was last seen in Shekhar Kapur’s What’s Love Got to Do with It?, alongside Emma Thompson, Lily James and Shazad Latif. Meanwhile, Imaginary Rain is based on the celebrity chef’s novel by the same name. It’s said to be inspired by Vikas’ grandmother, whom he lovingly called Biji. The movie, on the other hand, is “a story about Indian cuisine to glorify it in the West”.