Shabana Azmi is someone who is almost always close to the real woman. In her career spanning over four decades, Shabana Azmi has left no one in doubt about her acting chops. From art-house films to commercial films, Shabana has excelled in different roles and genres. As the powerhouse of talent turns 67 today, here are some lesser-known facts about her.

#1. Shabana Azmi won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her very first film, Ankur, which also marked the directorial debut of Shyam Benegal.

#2. It was Jaya Bachchan who inspired Shabana Azmi to pursue a career in films. She has said in an interview with The Times Of India, "Seeing Jaya Bhaduri act in Suman, a film made by the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), drew me to the institute in Pune."

#3. Shabana Azmi had a huge crush on Shashi Kapoor. Shashi's father, Prithviraj Kapoor, was her neighbour, and every time Shashi paid a visit to his father, Shabana would get him to autograph one of his pictures. Shabana and Shashi were paired together in the 1976 film Fakira.

#4. During the making of Dev Anand's Ishq Ishq Ishq, Shabana Azmi crossed paths with Shekhar Kapur. Love blossomed between the two and they were even engaged. However, the relationship did not work out.

#5. When Shabana Azmi first met her now-husband Javed Akhtar, he was already married to Honey Irani. She said in an interview that it was his wit and intellect that drew her to him. "Javed was married and we tried to break off several times. Finally, he got a divorce and we were married on December 9, 1984," she told The Times Of India.

6. Shabana Azmi won the National Film Award for three years in a row, from 1983 to 1985 (Arth, Khandhar and Paar).