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Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 27, 2015)

Enlarge ImageShabana Azmi has been roped in to play Sonam Kapoor’s mother in Neerja. The biopic on air-hostess Neerja Bhanot, who gave up her own life while saving hundreds on board the Pan Am flight that was hijacked in Karachi in 1986, is ace photographer Atul Kasbekar’s debut production. While Sonam Kapoor was signed on to play Neerja from the very outset and has also begun to shoot for the film, Shabana has come on board recently. It is learnt that the mother-daughter scenes are expected to be the highlight and the dramatic core of the film.

Enlarge ImageIn 2014, Shabana while giving the 2013 Neerja Bhanot Award to Rashmi Anand, a victim of domestic abuse had said, “What would Neerja have been thinking of when she opened the door of the plane, and inspite of the bullets flying all round her and hand grenades exploding, she decided not to jump out and run away but instead do her duty and help the passengers escape?”

Shabana is very close to Sonam’s father Anil Kapoor having worked with him in many films like Hum Paanch and Rakhwala. Says Anil, “I’ve always idolised Shabana. I had played a small part in Ek Baar Kaho where she was the lead actress. It was a big thing for me. And now my daughter gets to share screen space with Shabana so early in her career.”