Doyen of Indian cinema Javed Akhtar is an impeccable screenwriter, poet, and lyricist who has penned several beautiful and soulful shyaris, dialogues that touch the strings of our hearts. His words celebrate love, life, hardships, unrequited love, pain and longing. His camaraderie with Salim Khan was loved and loved by cinephiles. The writer duo, famous as Salim-Javed, penned memorable screenplays for some iconic films.
Recently, Javed Akhtar in a candid conversation with Arbaaz Khan's 'In the Invincibles on Bollywood Bubble, spoke about how marriage and divorce could not affect his relationships with Shabana and his ex-wife Honey Irani. the veteran writer also spills the beans about his battle with alcoholism and more.
On divorce and marrying Shabana Azmi
Javed spoke about how marriage and divorce could not affect his relationships with Shabana and his ex-wife Honey Irani.
Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have been married since 1984.
"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.
"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.)"
He further added, "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.
"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 added.
On alcoholism
"Main isliye peeta tha ki main enjoy karta tha (I drank because I enjoyed it), it was a pleasure. I was not drowning any sorrow in it. Magar mujhe ek baat samajh mein aayi, common sense kehta hai ki 52-53 tak mujhe marr jana chahiye, if this is how I drink. Isse upar umar meri jani nahi chahiye with this kind of drinking (But I understood one thing, common sense dictates that with this kind of drinking I would die by 52-53)".
Akhtar revealed that he drank a big bottle of Rum on July 31, 1991 and from the very next day August 1, he gave up alcohol completely. Since then, he had not even had a sip of champagne. When Arbaaz applauded his willpower, Javed said, "Arre willpower koi cheez hi nahi hai (Willpower is nothing). It is the intensity of desire."
Javed Akhtar had previously opened up about his struggle with alcoholism on a 2012 episode of Aamir Khan's Satyameva Jayate. "I started drinking at a very young age of 19. When I came to Bombay (now Mumbai) after completing my graduation I started drinking with friends and later it became a habit. Earlier I didn't have enough money, but then after my success, money flow was also taken care of. Then came a time when I would drink one bottle a day," he had said.
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