When Farhan Akhtar felt 'betrayed' by his father Javed Akhtar's marriage to Shabana Azmi: I was angry but..."

When Farhan Akhtar felt 'betrayed' by his father Javed Akhtar's marriage to Shabana Azmi: I was angry but..."

Farhan Akhtar once opened up about the emotional turmoil he faced during his childhood when his father, Javed Akhtar, separated from his mother Honey Irani and later married renowned actress Shabana Azmi. The celebrated filmmaker and actor shared his feelings in the documentary series Angry Young Men, which chronicled the legacy of the iconic writer duo Salim-Javed.

In a deeply personal moment from the series, Farhan revealed how his father’s second marriage left him feeling conflicted. “There was a phase when I was angry with him. I felt betrayed by him. There were all those normal emotions that I did go through as a child growing up,” he shared. Farhan further credited Shabana Azmi for helping mend the father-son relationship over time, saying, “It took time to go back to normal with my dad. Shabana played a big part in creating that normalcy.”

Zoya Akhtar, Farhan’s sister and a celebrated filmmaker herself, echoed similar sentiments. “After the split happened, we lived with our mother. So, we ended up spending more time with our mother. But, it took time to go back to normal with my dad, and I think Shabana has played a big part in creating that normalcy,” she said.

Javed Akhtar, in the same series, candidly acknowledged his shortcomings in his first marriage. “Honey is one person in the world towards whom I feel guilty. And she is the only person. 60 to 70% of the responsibility lies on my shoulder, for the failure of that marriage,” he admitted. Reflecting on the past, he added, “Agar mujhe itni bhi samajh hoti jitni aaj hai, perhaps things would have not gone wrong.”

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Shabana Azmi, too, addressed the complexities of blending into an existing family. Speaking with grace and humility, she said, “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... I give huge credit to Honey because she could have easily filled the children with tales against me. She just didn’t do that.”

Today, Honey Irani and Shabana Azmi share a warm bond, and both Farhan and Zoya are close to them. Their journey from pain to peace stands as a testament to emotional maturity and mutual respect.