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Hindi cinema’s iconic couple Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar celebrated 40 years of marriage this year. Despite their distinct approaches to cinema, Shabana recently shared how their mutual respect and understanding have been the cornerstone of their relationship. While Javed is celebrated for penning some of the most iconic mainstream hits like Sholay and Deewar, Shabana is renowned for her unforgettable performances in parallel cinema.
In a recent interaction, Shabana admitted that although they come from different creative worlds, they motivate each other to embrace challenging projects. Speaking at the Actors Roundtable organized by The Hollywood Reporter, she said, “We exchange ideas and because he is in the same business as me it becomes much easier. But we come from two different schools. For instance, I had problems with Javed regarding house construction. I thought why is he making a mansion when I wanted a weekend cottage, but my friend said that he will always think Sholay and I will always think Ankur. So that happens when I want to make something, he wants to expand it. But I am also very critical of him so when I compliment him, he gets really happy.”
Shabana Azmi also spoke about how Javed Akhtar’s encouragement played a pivotal role in shaping her career choices. She credited him for motivating her to take on Deepa Mehta’s challenging and controversial film Fire. She explained, “Since we have the same world view, it often influences the roles that we take up. I remember when Fire was offered to me, I was in two minds because same sex love at that time wasn’t even discussed. Javed asked me if I like the script and if I would be able to defend it. I said, ‘Yes,’ and he said, ‘Go ahead.’ That gave me courage.”
Shabana ended the conversation on a humorous note, recalling Javed’s witty response to her role in Makdee, where she played a witch. Sharing a hilarious memory, she said. “But before you think Javed Akhtar is saying only beautiful things, I will tell you that when I was doing Makdee, I played a witch in that film, I tried all kinds of makeup for that character. He saw me in all those things. He asked me, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I am playing a witch.’ He then said, ‘So remove all your makeup.’ (laughs) We don’t take each other seriously. We don’t believe in each other’s myths.”
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