- Shabana Azmi described her marriage to Javed Akhtar as not "hunky dory" but based on a strong friendship
- Shabana was attracted to Javed Akhtar's wit, intelligence, and likened him to her father
- Javed Akhtar was previously married to Honey Irani, with whom he shares two children
Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar are one of the iconic couples in Bollywood. During an interview, the veteran actress discussed her marriage and shared candid insights into her relationship with the ace lyricist.
In an interview with Zoom, Shabana revealed that her marriage to Javed Akhtar is not “hunky dory” and credited Javed's first wife, Honey Irani, for being sensible in handling the situation in the past.
Talking about Javed Akhtar, Shabana shared, “What attracted me most about him is his wit and intelligence. He was one of the brightest minds that I have ever met. My father and Javed are very similar. In discovering Javed, I felt I was rediscovering my father.”
Talking about their marriage, Shabana revealed, “Many people thought that ours should have been an arranged marriage. There are huge fights between Javed and me. It's not like it's Hunky Dory. But our friendship is so strong, and our worldview is the same. Our ideologies are the same. That's what I feel is important.”
Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar received huge criticism after they got married, as Javed was already married to writer Honey Irani. “It was not easy. At that time, we chose to keep quiet. Having gone through that thing, my relationship with Honey Irani is an example of how people can get above their personal hurt and form a bond. Because for me, Honey is like a member of the family. She is like a sibling to Javed. Our relationship is very healthy,” she shared.
Talking about Honey Irani, Shabana continued, “She never filled the children's ears with hatred against me. She never badmouths her husband in front of their children. She didn't try to divide the children. She is a very sensible person. Because of her generosity and intelligence, it was very easy for me to do it. She is somebody I have deep respect for.”
Javed Akhtar was earlier married to screenwriter Honey Irani. The two parted ways in 1985. Honey and Javed share two children, Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar.