Democracy is under attack across the world and must be “protected under all circumstances”, legendary Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi has told Sky News.

In an interview with Yalda Hakim, she said religion was also used for “political gain” – but how she also remained an “optimist by nature”.

India is currently in the fourth phase of a seven-week long general election which has been dominated by campaign rhetoric over economic disparities and religious divisions.

Azmi said: “The ordinary citizen who feels that ‘I have absolutely no voice’, has a right to express that voice every five years.

“And that has to be protected under all circumstances.

“Democracy has to be preserved because when you attack democratic rights, then you are attacking a citizen’s rights”.

Azmi was asked how the 200 million Muslims felt in India during this time – and if they felt they were under attack.

“Of course, religion is used as an instrument for political gain and especially for electoral gain,” she said.

When asked about her identity and how millions of Muslims have felt in India, she said being Muslim is only one aspect of her identity.

‘I hope there is a degree of sensitivity in you’

She said: “I never thought of myself as a Muslim, because if you ask me who I am – I’m a woman, I’m an Indian, I’m an actor, I’m an activist, I’m a mother, I’m a daughter. I’m all of that – and being Muslim is only one part of my identity.

“But I have always been brought out to speak my mind.

“And so when I’ve come across issues which are provocative, it comes just naturally to me that if I feel really strongly about it, then I’ll get involved with it.

“Why is there injustice? Why is there gender inequality?

“Given that you are an artist – I hope there is a degree of sensitivity in you.

“And that’s how I got involved, both in my work with slum dwellers in Mumbai and then later with women.”

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She was asked if she was hopeful for India’s future amid the elections in the largest democracy in the world.

Azmi said: “I’m an optimist by nature. I always think of the best to come – and that it will.

“I’m very proud of my country. I love the fact that I am an Indian and I’m very proud of my country.”

However, when discussing her career, she added: “I didn’t have a grand plan that I was going to become an actress“.

Baroness Shaista Gohir, CEO of Muslim Women’s Network UK, hosted the actress at the House Of Lords to celebrate her film career alongside her work championing women’s rights and her London Freedom Of The City award.

Azmi is the only actor to win the national award for best actor five times.

She won it for her first release, Ankur, in 1974.

She then won the award for three consecutive years, from 1983 to 1985, for her notable work in the films Arth, Khandhar, and Paa.

:: You can watch the full interview with Shabana Azmi on Sky News’ The World With Yalda Hakim from 9pm tonight.

Top Boy, Happy Valley and The Sixth Commandment are the big winners at this year’s BAFTA TV Awards, taking home two prizes apiece.

The final season of the critically acclaimed Netflix series Top Boy was named best drama, with star Jasmine Jobson also named best supporting actress for her portrayal of Jaq Lawrence.

Happy Valley picked up the award for most memorable moment, the only prize voted for by the public, while star Sarah Lancashire was named best actress once again for her portrayal of no-nonsense police sergeant Catherine Cawood – after first winning the prize for the role in 2017.

The Sixth Commandment picked up the awards for best limited drama and best actor for its star, Timothy Spall.

Despite leading the nominations race with eight nods in total, royal drama The Crown left empty-handed.

‘You changed my life’

Crime drama Top Boy follows the lives of Sully (Kane “Kano” Robinson) and Dushane (Ashley Walters) and deals with themes of crime, drugs and violence on the Summerhouse estate in Hackney, east London.

Picking up the best drama award ahead of Happy Valley, Slow Horses and The Gold, producer Charles Steel paid tribute to stars Walters and Robinson.

Jobson also took the chance to tell the BAFTAs audience: “I just want to say I am the woman who has been standing in a group full of men, you have shown me what it is to be strong and independent and how important it is to stand out in a crowd full of people where it’s easy to be invisible.

“Netflix, Top Boy, you changed my life.”

Read more on the TV BAFTAs:
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Yorkshire-based crime drama Happy Valley was another show that came to an end in 2023, bringing to a close the story of Sgt Cawood and Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton), the criminal who destroyed her family.

Accepting the award for best actress, Lancashire said it was an honour to win and praised Sally Wainwright, the writer and creator of the show.

“I would like to acknowledge my fellow nominees and their tremendous work,” she said. “Sally Wainwright, I shall forever be grateful to you for this opportunity.

“I feel very, very privileged to have been surrounded by these brilliant actors and I thank each and every one of you.”

The series also won the memorable moment award for her character’s explosive final kitchen showdown with Royce, beating fellow shortlisted moments including David Beckham teasing wife Victoria about her “working class” roots in the Beckham documentary, and Logan Roy’s death in Succession.

‘Look it up on IMDB’

Picking up the leading actor award for The Sixth Commandment, a true crime drama exploring the murders of Peter Farquhar and Ann Moore-Martin in Buckinghamshire in 2014 and 2017, as well as the subsequent investigation and trial, veteran British star Timothy Spall joked: “Look it all up on IMDB and you will see who was involved because to each and every soul of them, they are brilliant.”

He continued: “Acting is a stupid thing, it’s a soppy old thing, standing up pretending to be someone and p*ssing around in costume. Sixty-seven and you think ‘am I still doing this?’

“But sometimes you get the chance to play people that have had a terrible thing happen to them and all they wanted was love, and it’s a beautiful thing to be able to tell a story about that. It’s about crimes but it’s also about love.”

Looking at his award, he added: “I’ve always wanted one of these. I’m just so pleased to be amongst you lot.”

Elsewhere, Matthew Macfadyen won in the supporting actor category for his performance in the final series of Succession, the conclusion of the drama about the struggle for power in a media dynasty, while Strictly Come Dancing won the best entertainment prize in its 20th year on the air.

Tess Daly, who co-hosts with Claudia Winkleman, described the win as “the best birthday present”.

Squid Game: The Challenge was named best reality TV series, while last year’s Eurovision Song Contest won the award for live event coverage.

And there was a surprise in the international category, when French series Class Act beat huge shows including The Bear and Succession.

Comedy prizes include the hosts

In the comedy categories, Mawaan Rizwan won the award for best male performance for his role in Juice, about a young gay man who desperately wants to be the centre of attention as his family continuously steals his thunder, while Gbemisola Ikumelo won the female performance award for Black Ops.

Accepting his award, Rizwan said: “Thank you to my therapist – we had a conversation last week where we said I had to stop relying on external forms of validation.”

There was even an award for the ceremony hosts, comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, who took home the comedy entertainment prize for Sky show Rob And Romesh Vs.

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Former Play School children’s presenter Baroness Floella Benjamin was presented with BAFTA’s highest honour, the Fellowship, by newsreader Clive Myrie, while daytime TV queen Lorraine Kelly was also honoured with a special prize, presented by Succession’s Brian Cox.

“Don’t pull up the ladder” to those from working-class backgrounds, Kelly told the crowd as she accepted her prize.

The ceremony also paid tribute to the stars of TV we have said goodbye to in the past year, including talk show host Sir Michael Parkinson, Lord Of The Rings actor Bernard Hill, newsreader George Alagiah, Hairy Biker Dave Myers, film and TV director Roy Battersby and Friends star Matthew Perry.

Israel’s prime minister has paid tribute to the country’s Eurovision performer – as Ireland’s contestant continues to criticise organisers and an Israeli broadcaster.

Switzerland won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in a competition fraught with last-minute changes, backstage incidents and boos for the boss.

Israel’s Eden Golan was clapped, cheered, booed and jeered when she took to the stage to perform her song Hurricane at the Malmo Arena in Sweden.

Despite only scoring 52 points from jury votes, the 20-year-old finished in fifth place after receiving an audience score of 323 points – including 12 points from the UK’s public vote.

Ms Golan told Sky News she was “over the moon” with the result and had ignored all of the controversy surrounding her performance.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to Ms Golan and said she had brought “honour” to the country.

He said: “They booed you and we shouted ‘douze points’.

“I saw that you received almost the highest number of votes from the public and this is the most important thing, not from the judges but from the public, and you held Israel’s head up high in Europe.

“You have brought immense pride to the state of Israel and the people of Israel. Congratulations.”

Ms Golan responded that she was “proud to have the privilege” of representing Israel.

She added: “We accomplished the impossible and it was a great privilege.

“I felt our country’s love and everyone’s support, and it was unforgettable.”

Meanwhile, Bambie Thug has accused the contest’s organisers of not supporting Ireland over a row with Israel.

The “ouji pop” star secured a sixth place finish with their song Doomsday Blue in Ireland’s first grand final of the music event since 2018.

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The performer, who is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, has been outspoken about their pro-Palestinian views and has accused Israeli broadcaster Kan of a rule break.

They said they have been waiting to hear back from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) about what action would be taken against Israel – in hope that “next year they won’t be able to compete”.

Bambie Thug – who missed a dress rehearsal amid the row – accused the EBU of allowing Ireland to be “scapegoats”.

They said: “They waited to the last minute, we still haven’t gotten statement back to us, allowed us to be scapegoats, allowed us to be the spokesperson for standing up for ourselves.

“And yeah, the broadcaster has disobeyed the rules and I hope next year they won’t be able to compete because of that.”

Bambie Thug also spoke of pressure and stress behind the scenes, but said they were proud of Switzerland’s non-binary performer Nemo for winning, adding: “I just want to say we are what Eurovision is. The EBU is not what the Eurovision is.

“F*** the EBU, I don’t even care anymore. F*** them.”

The EBU has been contacted for comment.

The UK’s Olly Alexander has also broken his silence after placing 18th in the competition with his song Dizzy.

Although the Years & Years singer received 46 points from the jury, he was awarded zero points in the public vote.

On Instagram on Sunday, he shared a post from the official Eurovision account announcing Switzerland as the winner, adding: “Nemo! You did it! I’m so, so proud of you.

“It’s been such an honour to be on this journey with you. You broke the code!”