Anjali Anand recalls being starstruck by Shabana Azmi: I was totally caught off guard

Mumbai, March 23 (IANS) Actress Anjali Anand recalled an unforgettable moment on the set of ‘Dabba Cartel,’ where she was completely caught off guard while filming a scene with the veteran actress Shabana Azmi.

In an exclusive interview with IANS, Anand shared how Azmi casually mentioned a former boss, a moment that left her momentarily starstruck. Despite the brief distraction, Anand quickly regained her focus and continued her performance, reflecting on how powerful and surprising the encounter was.

The actress stated, “There was this one particular moment when I was filming a scene with Shabana ji in Dabba Kartal. She casually mentioned a name—someone who was once their boss, someone important—and I was totally caught off guard. My thoughts just scattered in that moment. I was like, “Here I am, standing in front of Shabana Azmi!”

“It definitely threw me off a bit. But then I realized I needed to maintain my composure and focus on delivering the performance, regardless of the person in front of me. That moment definitely made me lose my focus for a brief second, which was unusual for me. It hadn’t happened before, but it was a powerful moment,” Anjali added.

Anjali Anand went on to mention, “Working with Shabana and Jyothika has been a dream. They are so settled and wise in their personal and professional lives. They’re incredibly inspiring. I look at them and think, “I want to be like them when I reach their age—stable, wise, and graceful.” They make everything seem so easy on set, and they have a calm and grounded presence that’s so comforting.”

“Dabba Cartel,” which premiered on Netflix, saw Anjali play the bindass yet naive Shahida. The show, directed by Hitesh Bhatia of Sharmaji Namkeen fame, also featured Gajraj Rao, Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, and Shalini Pandey. The series was created by Shibani Akhtar, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur, and Akanksha Seda.

Anjali was also seen in “Bun Tikki” with Zeenat Aman, Shabana Azmi, and Abhay Deol. The actress The actress enjoyed a successful but short-lived television career, delivering back-to-back hits with “Dhai Kilo Prem” and “Kulfi Kumar Bajewala.”

However, Anjali chose to take a deliberate break from TV and later landed a role in the Dharma Productions film “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.”

–IANS

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