Shabana Azmi graced the We Women Want Conclave 2025 on August 7, 2025. She enlivened the stage of the event with all her humour and charm and took home the Shakti Award for Excellence in Entertainment.
Sizzling her thoughts with Uday Pratap Singh, the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan icon let her hair down about her 50-year career, a fiery feminist fire and a scrumptious samosa moment with Nelson Mandela. Here’s the tangy recap!
Shabana Azmi’s Samosa Love with Nelson Mandela
In a rapid fire segment, Shabana Azmi spilled a lot of juicy details and revelations. The veteran actress revealed, “there was a time when I was having it every single day at 5 o’clock because that’s the time the best samosa in Juhu where I live used to be made. And then now I have held back on it.”
Further she recalled the sultry 1993 encounter with Nelson Mandela, she shared, “The first time I met Nelson Mandela, we were sitting at the dining table, and he said, “Can you pass me the samosa?” I said, “Do you also like samosa?” Yay! Both of us said, both of us like samosa.”
Shabana officially declared her addiction to samosas, sharing how in her dreams, it’s not kebab, it’s not biryani but it’s that samosa, and opened the heart to a lovely connection over the very crispy sweet.
Empowerment Through Art and Choices
Shabana, daughter of Kaifi Azmi, states that her inner “shakti” is derived from her parents’ standpoint that art should be a matrix of social change. This philosophy she maintains, determines her choice of roles, so she tends to avoid any script that relegates women to secondary stereotypical assignments.
She expressed satisfaction with the metamorphosis of female characters from docile “sati savitri” types to mainstream fiesty protagonists in successful contemporary films such as Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani. She credited Karan Johar and Manish Malhotra for remixing the character she played into a colorful Bengali matriarch who busted all the cliches.
About We Women Want Conclave
The event aims to celebrate the strength and achievements of women and also talk about the many issues they face in everyday life. Big names like politician Shashi Tharoor, actress Dia Mirza, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Ekta Kapoor, Neha Dhupia, and Sunny Leone are expected to attend.
We Women Want is also a weekly show on NewsX that focuses on real issues that matter to women. It talks about topics like domestic violence, IVF, breast cancer, relationships, single parenting, workplace problems, and more. The show not only highlights winners but also gives space to those who are struggling.
Many times, experts such as lawyers, doctors, and activists come on the show to help women find support and answers. Over time, it has become more than just a talk show, it’s become a platform where women can speak, be heard, and get help when needed.
