From Jhuki Jhuki Si Nazar and Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho (both Arth; 1982) to Tujhse Naraz Nahin Zindagi (Masoom; 1983) — Shabana Azmi’s filmography boasts of several hit songs. The actor feels the song-and-dance feel has gone missing from Bollywood films in the last couple of years, something that was considered “our USP that would set us apart from Hollywood”.

She shares, “I am unhappy with the fact that the quintessential essence of music is getting lost in Bollywood films. This is the core of what we are.”

The 72-year-old continues, “Ab hum logon ne filmon se gaane hataane shuru kar diye hain. Hence, the music has become nothing to write home about. There is hardly any concentration on words.”

The Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani actor was recently seen in a British film, What’s Love Got to Do With It? Azmi is glad that the West has started embracing more Indian actors in their projects now: “The West is realising that there’s a huge market here in India. They also realise that Indians ko include karna achha hai to attract the Indian diaspora. OTT has also played a huge role in bringing the world together.”

With films like RRR (2022) earning global recognition, has the West started looking at us as Indian cinema and not just Bollywood? “No, they still talk about it as Bollywood. There’s a certain section that does [call it Telugu or Tamil cinema], but the common person in the West will only think of our films as Bollywood,” the actor ends.