Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil were seen as competitors when they first entered the film industry. Both actresses were celebrated for their powerful performances in parallel cinema. In the movie Arth, Mahesh Bhatt brought them together on screen.

Shabana took on the role of Pooja, a devoted wife who uncovers her husband's affair with another woman, Kavita, played by Smita. In a Filmfare interview, Shabana shared that it was actually Smita who insisted on taking the part of the 'other woman' in the film.

What Shabana mentioned

In the interview, Shabana shared some insights about the casting shift in the film, saying, “In Arth, Smita [Patil] was originally set to make a special appearance as the maid, a role that Rohini Hattangadi ended up playing. However, she expressed her desire to take on the role of the other woman instead.”

However, since Smita was the one who did it...

Shabana mentioned, “It's really fascinating. Vijay Tendulkar pointed out that the issue with Arth is that it’s fundamentally Pooja's story. It focuses on the wife’s perspective, and there should have been just enough of the other woman to move the plot along. However, since Smita was involved, she ended up getting a lot more screen time. That’s how it played out in the film.”

Smita had a supporting role in Arth, which also featured Kulbhushan Kharbanda. The film was well-received upon its release, earning Shabana Azmi both a National Award and a Filmfare Award, and is often regarded as one of her standout performances.

On the professional side, Shabana's most recent appearance was in Dabba Cartel. Directed by Hitesh Bhatia and co-starring Jyotika and Shalini Pandey, the show is available for streaming on Netflix.

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