The actor with director Debs Paterson

Shabana Azmi may be miles away from home during Diwali, but she has enough reasons to celebrate. While her romantic comedy What’s Love Got To Do With It was adjudged the Best Comedy at the Rome International Film Festival, the senior actor kicked off the shoot of the second season of Halo in Budapest. Otto Bathurst, who had helmed the first edition of the sci-fi series, has handed over the baton to Debs Paterson. “It’s interesting to have a woman helm this genre, which is considered men’s domain,” says Azmi.

Halo follows a 26th century war between the United Nations Space Command, led by Pablo Schreiber’s character, and the aliens. For Azmi, it’s a delight to return to the show’s universe. “It feels lovely catching up with Halo’s cast and crew again. Most of my work is with Pablo Schreiber.”

It is heard that she will be seen in a lengthier role, as her character Admiral Margaret Parangosky turns more ruthless. The actor refuses to divulge details, stating, “I’m not allowed to speak about her, but there are many changes, including in her look.”

With the Halo shoot going on till March 2023, the senior actor will fly in and out of Budapest. Like in 2020, she missed celebrating Diwali in India this year too, due to the shoot, but Azmi has no complaints. She took part in the revelry by attending an Indian friend’s Diwali party.

“Lighting diyas is my favourite part of Diwali. This time, I opted for hotel stay, and spared myself the adventures of my cooking attempts. Last time, I called up chef Vikas Khanna in New York to ask why the moong dal wasn’t melting. He informed me that I was cooking chana dal, which needs to be soaked overnight,” she laughs.