Shabana remembers 'Abba' Kaifi Azmi on his 15th death anniversary

Mumbai: Veteran actress Shabana Azmi remembered her father Kaifi Azmi as "a rare poet" on his 15th death anniversary. The 66-year-old actress took to Twitter where she praised her father as the epitome of a human being, who made a difference in the world both with his words and deeds. "You left us on this day 15 years ago Abba But you live on as a shining example of how one person can change destinies of thousands @AzmiKaifi (sic)," wrote Shabana.

The National Award-winning actress shared a few lines penned by Kaifi. "Pyar ka jashn nayi tarha manana hoga/ gham kisi dil mein sahi gham ko mitana hoga (We have to celebrate love in a new way, we have to erase sorrow from every heart) @AzmiKaifi was a rare poet who practised what he preached. "Koi to sood chukaye/ koi to zimma ley us inquilab ka jo aaj tak udhaar sa hai (Someone should pay the interest, someone should take the responsibility for that revolution, which still feels like a borrowed one) Remembering @AzmiKaifi on 15th anniversary since he passed away," added Shabana.

Kaifi was a member of Progressive Writers' Movement of India and is credited for bringing Urdu literature to Indian cinema. His greatest feat as a writer in cinema was 1970's "Heer Raanjha", where the entire dialogue of the film was penned in verse. Kaifi's other film credits include writing dialogues for M S Sathyu's "Garam Hawa" (1973), "Manthan" (1976) and songs for Guru Dutt's "Kaagaz Ke Phool" (1959) among others. He died on May 10, 2002 at the age of 83.