Javed Akhtar: Shabana will be home soon

Shabana Azmi’s anxious relatives friends and well-wishers can breathe a sigh of relief. The distinguished actress and fearless activist is recovering fast from the road accident that she met with on Saturday.

The injuries were never “grievous” and she was never “critical”, as reported in the more melodramatic sections of the press.

Now she is well on the way to recovery, and Shabana will soon be discharged from the Kokilabehn Dhirubhai Ambani hospital where she has been recuperating since Saturday.

Javed Akhtar sounded distinctly upbeat on Wednesday morning when I inquired about Shabana’s health.

“There is good news. All tests and medical reports including the MRI are positive. No serious harm was done. We can all breathe a sigh of relief,” says Javed.

Shabana should be home in a couple of days. Her next screen appearance in the Steven Spielberg-produced Halo which is one of the most popular video game franchises in the world, having sold more than 77 million copies since its initial release in 2001. The series comes from Showtime, Amblin Television, and Microsoft. Halo, which Showtime has described as its "most ambitious series ever," is set to begin production in Budapest in the fall.

Apart from our own Shabana, Natascha McElhone, Shabana Azmi Bokeem Woodbine, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy have signed on to the drama based on the mega-popular video game franchise, which will dramatize the conflict between humanity and an alien race known as the Covenant in the 26th century.

Pablo Schreiber plays the iconic Master Chief role. McElhone (Designated Survivor, Californication) will play Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history who may be the key to the survival of the human race.

Shabana Azmi plays Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence. She completed one long schedule of Halo in Budapest earlier this month and rushed back to Mumbai for Javed Saab’s birthday celebrations. The accident happened a day after his birthday.