“Knowing poetry is a must, to excel in acting along with life skills,” said Shabana Azmi during the 5th Veda session at Whistling Woods International
~The five time National Award winner received a standing ovation from more than 400 filmmaking students of WWI at the 5th Veda event~

An endless thunder of claps echoed through the auditorium of Whistling Woods International (WWI), when ‘Padma Bhushan’ awardee, Shabana Azmi walked up the stage at the 5th Veda cultural hub to address an enthusiastic audience. The event commenced with a spiritual AV, featuring the evolution of acting over the years in Indian cinema, followed by a series of monologues performed by the filmmaking students for the guest of honor. The session was moderated by Founder & Chairman, WWI, Subhash Ghai.

One of the finest actors in Indian cinema, Shabana Azmi shared her acting experiences with the audiences right from her FTII days and how studying there was an eye opener for her. With an aim to celebrate the actor’s contribution to Indian cinema, various clips were shown from her movies, right from her first to the recent National award winning movie, Neerja. She also shared a few lines written by Javed Akhtar and threw light on the importance of poems in our lives.

Being an actor, she believes that it is always beneficial if an actor is also a poet, as it gives them the required command over the language.

Speaking about her experience at Whistling Woods International she said, “I don't feel like I am a guest here, I feel like a family member of WWI. I have been a part of this institute since its inception, and it is always a pleasure to visit the campus. I want to congratulate each student present in the auditorium, as they have got a wonderful opportunity to study here. I would like to wish all the students good luck for their future.”
The eventful session concluded with a token of appreciation given to the evergreen veteran Shabana Azmi by Meghna Puri, President of Whistling Woods International.