Need more co-productions with Pakistan: Shabana Azmi

Veteran actor 'curious' to see how Shaan Shahid shapes remake of her 1982 film 'Arth'

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi, whose film Neerja is releasing this month, believes that it is important for film industries in India and Pakistan to have more 'co-productions' to create a "spirit of collaboration".

"I think what is required is that we should make many more joint co-productions because that will enlarge our audience all over the world... Then it'll be a non-competitive thing. Sports like cricket create a spirit of competition, but what we need is a spirit of collaboration. I think that's what we need," Shabana told IANS.



The five-time National Award-winning actress, whose 1982 film Arth is being remade by Pakistani filmmaker and actor Shaan Shahid, is 'curious' to see how it will be shaped.

From the sets of #Arth2@MaheshNBhatt pic.twitter.com/dgYb9eO8Nb

— Shaan Shahid (@mshaanshahid) December 8, 2015

Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, the original film revolves around the story of a married film director who has an extra-marital affair. He leaves his wife who then goes searching for her real identity.



When asked whether she would like to act in a Pakistani film, she replied, "If I like the script, I will be happy to work in a film even in Timbuktu, but the basic requirement is that it should be a challenging script," the 65-year-old said.



In her upcoming biopic Neerja, Shabana will be seen essaying the role of Rama Bhanot, the mother of flight attendant Neerja Bhanot who died in a hijacked plane while saving the lives of passengers.