Shabana Azmi to speak at the House of Lords

Shabana Azmi will be speaking at the House of Lords in the United Kingdom. The powerhouse actress will be giving a speech on identity and integration.

Azmi, who received the Gandhi International Peace Prize in 2006 at the House of Lords admits she is nervous.  Speaking to FilmFare the actress said  “I’ve spoken at the House of Lords before also when I received the Gandhi International Peace Prize given to me by my role model Vanessa Redgrave in 2006. But I am terrified and nervous. I will write my speech on the plane.”

Azmi, who is a strong vocal supporter of political injustice, feels the topic of integration and identity is particularly relevant in today’s geopolitical climate “It’s a huge honour to be speaking at the House of Lords on identity and integration. Such a relevant topic in today’s times when there is such an upsurge all over the world of what constitutes identity especially in the context of Brexit and Donald Trump and nearer home Narendra Modi. For me it is clearly separate but equal. Identity is not a melting pot in which individual identities are submerged. It should be like a colourful mosaic in which each piece retains its Individuality whilst contributing to a larger whole”, she went on to add.

The actress, who has five releases this year, has just won the Best Actress award at the Los Angeles Film Awards for her upcoming film ‘The Black Prince’ where she plays the wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.

Stay tuned to BizAsiaLive.com for further updates.