Both are critically acclaimed actresses, but what brought Shabana Azmi and Tabu together was not a film but a book.

Tabu released the English translation of Shabana's mother Shaukat Azmi's biography Kaifi & I. So far available to readers in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi and Japanese, the English translation by Nasreen Rehman was launched Tuesday evening.

When asked to release the book, Tabu unhesitatingly said yes.

Explains Shabana: "Tabu and my mom are very close. It was important to have the book released by someone who's familiar with the language and the cultural ethos of those times. There could be no better choice than Tabu."

When asked why the two of them had not done any movie together, Shabana replied: "It has to be something worth the while for both of us."

The book is on Shabana's father, the legendary poet-activist-lyricist Kaifi Azmi.

About the book function, Shabana said: "It was lovely. Mum's admirers turned up in large numbers and she was in top form."

Talk is now on to turn Kaifi & I into a film. The book is already on stage, with Javed Akhtar and Shabana playing Kaifi and Shaukat Azmi.