‘Have huge fights’: Shabana Azmi says marriage with Javed Akhtar is not ‘hunky dory’

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi reflected on her four-decade marriage with Javed Akhtar, praising his wit and shared values.

Veteran actor Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar have been married for over four decades now. In an interview with Zoom, Shabana opened up about her marriage to the veteran writer and lyricist, recalling what drew her to him and how their shared values helped strengthen their relationship. The actor also spoke about her equation with Javed’s former wife, Honey Irani, revealing how they overcame personal hurt to build a relationship based on mutual respect.

Shabana Azmi reveals what attracted her to Javed Akhtar.

Shabana Azmi reveals having huge fights with husband Javed Akhtar

Shabana revealed that she was attracted to Javed's wit and intelligence. Describing him as one of the brightest minds she had ever met, Shabana revealed that the writer and her father very similar and in discovering Javed, she felt that she was rediscovering her father.

She added, "They have exactly the same kind of background. Their parents were progressive writers and were from the communist party. They loved Urdu poetry. Many people thought that ours should have been an arranged marriage. There are huge fights that Javed and I have. 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. “He is also the person who can be comfortable with any company. He has a very good ability to communicate with people. He is a very fair person, and I respect that a lot in him."

Shabana and Javed received a lot of criticism when they got married to each other, as the veteran writer was already married to writer Honey Irani. Shabana praised Honey for handling the situation maturely even when it wasn't easy. She further described her relationship with Honey "an example of how people can get above their personal hurt".

She added, "Because for me, Honey is like a member of the family. She is like a sibling to Javed. Our relationship is very healthy. 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."

About Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi's marriage

Javed Akhtar was married to screenwriter Honey Irani. In 1984, he married Shabana after his divorce from his first wife. Honey and Javed share two children: filmmaker Zoya Akhtar and actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar.