Javed Akhtar on his relationship with wife Shabana Azmi, ex-wife Honey Irani: ‘Meri zindagi mein do auratein hain…’

Javed Akhtar shared the secret to his successful marriage with Shabana Azmi in a new interview.

Javed Akhtar photographed with his wife Shabana Azmi, ex-wife Honey Irani, kids Farhan and Zoya and Farhan's wife Shibani. (Photo: Shabana Azmi/Instagram)

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Veteran writer Javed Akhtar, who is married to actor Shabana Azmi, recently spoke about what it takes to maintain a successful marriage between two equals. Javed, while in conversation with Arbaaz Khan for his new show on Bollywood Bubble, spoke about how marriage and divorce could not affect his relationships with Shabana and his ex-wife Honey Irani. Javed and Honey are parents to Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar.

“Meri zindagi mein do auratein hain jinse mere bahut hi ache relation hain. Ek ka shaadi kuch nahi bigad saki aur dusre ka divorce kuch nahi bigad saka (I have two women in my life with whom I have great relationships. Marriage could not ruin one, and divorce could not ruin the other one). I am very very friendly with Honey and obviously, Shabana is my best friend,” he said.

When Arbaaz asked Javed to expand on what makes a marriage successful, the lyric writer said if one partner is scarificing to live with you then she cannot be happy. He then spoke about how one has to make peace with the fact that the other person has just as much right on their dreams and opinions as you. He added, “Uski kuch baatein toh aapko hundred percent kharab lagengi toh aapko jhelna padega isliye kyunki aap bhi aisi bahut si baatein karenge jo use buri lagengi. (There will be some things that you don’t like but you have to live with those because the other person is also living with things they don’t like about you.)”

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Since Javed is married to a strong, independent woman, he said that “living with an independent, strong minded woman is not a bed of roses” but added that in such cases, when you are pushing your partner and they are pushing you, it is a partnership between equals.

The writer also spoke about male ego and how men are hurt when they have to accept equality in relationships. “Aapki jo male ego hai, usko hurt karti hai equality. (Your male ego gets hurt by equality.) But you have to take a humble pie, you have to understand, you have to sacrifice,” he said.

Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have been married since 1984.

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