Shabana Azmi to be the guest of honour at the IFFK inaugural ceremony

Versatile actor Shabana Azmi, who celebrates 50 years of her career this year, will be the guest of honour at the inaugural ceremony of the 29^th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK), beginning on Friday.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will felicitate Shabana Azmi during the inaugural ceremony in recognition of her contributions to the film world, an IFFK release said on Wednesday.

The festival has also included a segment titled Celebrating Shabana Azmi, which will begin with Ami addressing the delegates. This will be followed by a screening of ‘Ankur’, on December 14.

The IFFK will screen five of her internationally acclaimed films, including ‘Ankur’. The other four films to be showcased at the festival are ‘Arth’, ‘Khandhar’, ‘Paar’, and ‘Fire’, the release stated.

In a career spanning 50 years, Azmi has acted in over 160 films and is renowned for her remarkable performances in both mainstream and parallel cinema. She has won numerous honours, including the Padma Shri (1988) and the Padma Bhushan (2012). She also served as a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2003.