Alia Bhatt "Closely Resembles" Mom Soni Razdan In Shabana Azmi's Epic 'Mandi' Throwback

Shabana Azmi on Alia Bhatt: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi starred alongside fellow acting legends Smita Patil, Neena Gupta and Soni Razdan in the 1983 success Mandi. But her Instagram throwback picture from the film doesn't focus on the massive number of awards Mandi picked that year or the iconic status it now holds. Azmi instead wants netizens to look at something else "closely."

Azmi, alongside a monochrome shot featuring herself, Patil and Razdan in Shyam Benegal's globally recognised film, wrote in the caption, "Still from #Mandi. Look at how closely #Alia Bhatt resembles her mother #Soni Razdan"

See the post below: 

Source: Shabana Azmi / Instagram

Her observation invited nods from other Bollywood actors. Prateik Babbar, Patil's son dropped a heart in the comments section while Sandhya Mridul wrote, "Ohhhh my fav film and you marvellous beautiful women. And wow yes alia does look just like Soni Razdan."

Shabana Azmi On Alia Bhatt Resemblance With Mom

The resemblance between mother and daughter, in this Mandi shot in particular, seems to have stayed with Azmi for a long time now since back in 2019, she had shared the same picture with a similar caption on Instagram. That year, she wrote, "Alia Bhatt looks exactly like her mother Soni Razdan. Here is proof. Still from #Mandi."

Mandi is considered a milestone in Hindi cinema, with its pioneering female-centred narrative and biting take on the socio-political milieu surrounding prostitution.

Based on an Urdu short story by Ghulam Abbas, Benegal's Mandi brought together a phenomenal ensemble - comprising other names like Ratna Pathak Shah, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Kulbhushan Kharbanda. It was screened on several international platforms.