Farhan Akhtar felt ‘angry, betrayed’ when dad Javed Akhtar married Shabana Azmi; scriptwriter accepts he feels ‘guilty’ towards first wife Honey Irani

“Honey is one person in the world, towards whom I feel guilty. And she is the only person. Sixty-seventy percent responsibility lies on my shoulders, for the failure of that marriage. If I had as much understanding as I have today, perhaps things would not have gone wrong. It is very difficult to accept, but that’s how it is,” a pensive Javed is seen confessing on the show’s final episode.

 

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Farhan said post the separation, he went through a gamut of emotions, which included feeling “betrayed” by his father. “There was a phase when I was angry with him, I felt betrayed by him. There were all those very normal emotions that I did go through as a child growing up.”

Zoya added that after the divorce, the duo lived with Honey, so they ended up spending more time with her. “But it took time to go back to normal with my dad. Shabana played a big part in creating that normalcy.” Javed Akhtar married actor Shabana Azmi in 1984 and the couple has been together since.

Angry Young Men also featured Honey Irani and Shabana Azmi, both reflecting on the marriage that fell apart and the new equation that blossomed. Shabana said a “triangular relationship” will by default be extremely personal and “very painful and especially when there are children involved.”

The veteran actor said the equation becomes “more hurtful” because people are quick to pass judgments. Addressing the comments she received, Shabana Azmi added, “People say, ‘She is a home-breaker, she is a home-destroyer.’ Obviously, I wanted to explain my point of view but then I figured, if I did that, I would end up hurting far too many people. So, wisdom lay in keeping quiet and not explaining myself and getting the brickbats, which obviously I would get.”

The veteran then credited Honey for not “filling the children” with “tales” against her. Shabana said Honey “just didn’t do that” and added, “She gave them the security that you do not have to consider me as an evil stepmother. She and I have a very warm, nice relationship. And I am very grateful, because we all were very graceful. All three of us very graceful but she above all. She had the most to give and she gave that.”

The chapter on the episode then ended with Honey Irani in the frame, addressing the marriage. “I guess what had to happen happened. But we are still very good friends. I think we are the best friends now. I know he is there for me whenever I need him, and he knows that I am there in whatever he does. No matter how many accidents he has,” Honey Irani said and laughed.

“The kids are there, and they are perfect with them, even Shabana has been very nice,” she said, picking a glass next to her for a sip of water, as the chapter comes to an end. Angry Young Men chronicles the life and times of iconic screenwriting duo Salim-Javed and is directed by Namrata Rao.