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Shabana Azmi opens up about marriage to Javed Akhtar, bond with Honey Irani: ‘It was not easy’

Shabana Azmi opens up about marriage to Javed Akhtar, bond with Honey Irani: ‘It was not easy’

Shabana Azmi on her marriage to Javed Akhtar Photograph: (X)

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Shabana Azmi recently opened up about her marriage to Javed Akhtar and the challenges the couple faced initially. The actor also spoke about her bond with the writer-lyricist's former wife, Honey Irani.  

Shabana Azmi has recently offered a candid glimpse into her marriage with Javed Akhtar. The actor and writer-lyricist tied the knot in 1984, and over the years, the two have often been considered one of the most popular couples in the Hindi film industry. During an interview, Shabana revealed that their relationship has had its share of disagreements, just like any other marriage.

What attracted Azmi to Akhtar

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Speaking to Zoom, she shared that Javed's intelligence and wit were among the qualities that initially drew her towards him. "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. 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," the actor said.

The actor also spoke about Javed's personality, saying, “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.”

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Shabana Azmi on Honey Irani

Opening up about her relationship with Irani, Akhtar's former wife, she added, "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."

Akhtar and Irani were married before he tied the knot with Shabana and shared two children, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar.

Praising Irani, she added, "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."

On the work front, she was last seen in Batwara 1947 and Awarapan 2, which arrived in theatres on the same day, August 14.

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Nikita Toppo

Nikita Toppo is an entertainment and lifestyle writer with a knack for spotting trends and weaving them into research-driven stories. When she isn’t writing, she’s usually binging ...Read More