Shabana Azmi recalls Parveen Babi looking at chandelier and screaming

Shabana Azmi and Parveen Babi rose to prominence in the Hindi film industry around the same time. They also worked together in films like Amar Akbar Anthony and Jwalamukhi. Parveen was a popular mainstream star back then, but she was also dealing with mental health problems. At the time, discussions around mental health and access to proper help were not easily available. In a recent interview, Shabana recalled the time when she started noticing changes in Parveen’s behaviour.

Shabana Azmi witnessed Parveen Babi`s change in behaviour

Talking to Filmfare, Shabana spoke about the behavioural changes she observed in Parveen on film sets. “I saw Parveen Babi going mad in front of my eyes. We were doing a Prakash Mehra film, Jwalamukhi, and we were on set when she suddenly looked at the chandelier and started screaming, ‘This chandelier is going to fall on me.’ Even on the sets of Ashanti, I saw that she was eating very little. She used to eat two grapes and say, ‘I am bursting,’” the actor added.

Shabana said there were multiple incidents that indicated “something is not quite right with this girl.” She recalled an incident when actress Zeenat Aman was getting her makeup done, and Parveen went and stood behind her, “looking at her in a very strange kind of manner.”

When asked if people in the industry were talking about Babi, Azmi shared, “We never talked about this. She was always speaking about esoteric things, discussing books. She was a big star, but she never acted like one. She was in search of an intellect that didn’t come easily to her, but she was clearly struggling with something.”

About Parveen Babi

At the age of 23, Parveen Babi began her modelling career in 1972 and was lucky enough to land a film opposite cricketer Salim Durrani in Charitra (1973). The film bombed at the box office, though Parveen grabbed attention.

In 1975, Parveen played Anita opposite Amitabh Bachchan in the blockbuster Deewar. Her first scene in Yash Chopra’s classic had her sharing a drink with Big B, lighting a cigarette, and flirting with him—shattering traditional expectations of a Bollywood heroine.

Parveen Babi’s song Jawaani Janeman from Namak Halal became a rage in the 80s. In an era where being called “western” or “modern” was considered an insult, Parveen did not try to change her image and was rarely seen playing the role of a sari-clad, sindoor-wearing wife.

However, at the peak of her career, Parveen left the film industry and was later diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She lived a largely reclusive life in her later years.

Parveen Babi passed away alone in her Mumbai apartment on January 20, 2005. Her death was discovered 24 hours later.