Mumbai, Jan 26: Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who has been selected for Padma Bhushan, the country's third highest civilian award, has expressed happiness at the honour and vowed to continue to work hard in her chosen field.
"I am very very happy for being selected for the award. The sense of responsibility has increased. The work that I have been doing with grit and determination has to be kept going. I would continue to work hard," Shabana told PTI.
Having appeared in over 120 Hindi films in both mainstream and independent streams, the 61-year-old has also acted in several foreign projects.
She is best known for her performances in films like Ankur, Nishant, Swami, Arth, Masoom, Bhavna Godmother and Fire.
Azmi has won four National Awards, for Ankur (1974), Arth (1981), Khandhar (1983), Paar (1984) and Godmother (1999).
In addition to acting, Azmi is also a social and women's rights activist.