Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi film industry has spanned over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist parallel cinema, though her work extended to mainstream films as well as a number of international projects. One of India's most acclaimed actresses, Azmi is known for her portrayals of distinctive, often unconventional female characters across several genres. She has won a record of five National Film Awards for Best Actress, in addition to five Filmfare Awards and several international accolades. The Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri in 1998 and the Padma Bhushan in 2012.

The daughter of poet Kaifi Azmi and stage actress Shaukat Azmi, she is an alumna of Film and Television Institute of India of Pune. Azmi made her film debut in 1974 with Ankur and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, then a new-wave movement of art films known for their serious content and realism and sometimes received government patronage. Several of her films have been cited as a form of progressivism and social reformism which offer a realistic portrayal of Indian society, its customs and traditions.

In addition to acting, Azmi is a social and women's rights activist. She is married to poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar. She is a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations Population Fund (UNPFA). In appreciation of Azmi's life and works, the President of India gave her a nominated (unelected) membership of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of parliament.

Azmi was born on 18 September 1950 in Hyderabad, India to poet and songwriter Kaifi Azmi and veteran stage actor Shaukat Azmi. Her parents called her Munni; she was christened with her given name by writer Ali Sardar Jafri when she turned eleven. She has one brother, Baba Azmi, who is a cinematographer married to actor Tanvi Azmi.

Azmi's parents were members of the Communist Party of India (CPI). Until she was nine, the family lived in Red Flat Hall, a CPI commune with eight families. Each family was allocated one room, and shared one bathroom and lavatory with the other families. She describes the atmosphere at home as "completely bohemian." According to her, members of the party "had re-defined the husband-wife relationship"; most women had jobs, and were not the sole bearers of childrearing responsibilities. When her mother was touring with Prithvi Theatre, her father looked after Azmi and her brother. He also helped Shaukat rehearse cues for her new play or film; he believed that it was their duty as a family to "make it possible for her (Shaukat) to rehearse her lines as many times as she needed."

Azmi's childhood was characterised by numerous mehfils (social gatherings) that took place at her home; people from all walks of life would come over to listen to poetry recitals from her father and other eminent intellectuals like Josh Malihabadi, Firaq Gorakpuri, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Sajjad Zaheer and Begum Akhtar. Azmi was "fascinated" by these mehfils. "I would sit up in rapt attention, not even half understanding what they recited, but excited nevertheless," she told Screen, "Their beautiful words fell like music on my young ears." She also accompanied her parents to mushairas (poetic symposiums), listening to nazms (Urdu poetry) by Sahir Ludhianvi and Ali Sardar Jafri. "Baba and I used to be fast asleep on the stage, behind the gao takiyas (bolsters), and would invariably wake up to the thunderous applause that resonated every time his name was announced," she recalled, "He was always amongst the last to recite—his deeply resonant voice pulsating with vigour, drama and power."

Azmi travelled to Prithvi Theatre with her mother, and Mazdoor Kisan meetings in Madanpura with her father. "There used to be red banners everywhere, a lot of narebaazi (sloganeering) and a lot of protest poetry," she said, "As a child I was only interested in these rallies because the mazdoors pampered me. Imperceptibly however, my roots were catching soil." Azmi considers her eventual involvement in activism to be "an extension of what I saw happening as a child."

Azmi attended Queen Mary School, Mumbai, and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai degree in Psychology. During her time at Xavier's, she started a Hindi theatre group with her senior Farooq Sheikh, and together, they won several awards in inter-college drama competitions. She was drawn to acting after "being completely enchanted" by Jaya Bhaduri's performance in Suman. Her father supported her choice to pursue acting, following which she joined the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, where she was awarded the gold medal for the Best Student in Acting.