Farhan Akhtar reveals he felt ‘betrayed’ after father Javed Akhtar left his mother and married Shabana Azmi; ‘I was angry with him’

Farhan Akhtar reveals he felt ‘betrayed’ after father Javed Akhtar left his mother and married Shabana Azmi; ‘I was angry with him’

As a devoted fan, I’ve always admired the Akhtar siblings for their immense talent and resilience. However, after watching the last episode of Angry Young Men, I found myself deeply moved by Farhan Akhtar’s raw emotions about his tumultuous past. It was heart-wrenching to hear him speak so candidly about his feelings of anger and betrayal when his father left his mother.


In his recent documentary series “Angry Young Men,” Farhan Akhtar shared memories of a challenging period in his life when his father, renowned screenwriter Javed Akhtar, separated from his mother Honey Irani and later married Shabana Azmi. He candidly expressed the feelings of anger and betrayal he experienced during that difficult time, also discussing how he adapted to the changes in family dynamics.

In the latest installment of Angry Young Men, Farhan Akhtar shared that he experienced anger and a sense of being let down when his father ended his relationship with his mother. Looking back on difficult times, the actor explained, “There was a period where I felt angry towards him. I felt hurt by his actions. As a child growing up, I had all the usual emotions one might experience.”

Speaking about the same topic, Zoya Akhtar mentioned it required some time for her to accept the new marriage and adapt to the resulting family dynamics. She also highlighted that Shabana Azmi significantly contributed to restoring a sense of normality. “Following the separation, we resided with our mother (Honey Irani). As a result, we ended up spending more hours with our mother. However, it took time for me to return to normal life with my father, and I believe Shabana was instrumental in establishing that normalcy,” Zoya explained.

In 1972, Javed Akhtar tied the knot with Honey Irani; however, their marriage concluded in divorce in 1985. During this period, their children Farhan and Zoya were quite young and experienced hardship due to this unfortunate event. Subsequently, screenwriter Akhtar remarried his present wife and actress Shabana Azmi.

Javed Akhtar openly discussed the breakdown of his first marriage, expressing remorse by stating, “There’s only one individual in this world whose actions I feel regretful about. It’s her, and it’s just her. Approximately 60 to 70% of the blame for that marriage’s collapse rests on my shoulders.”

Javed softly added with a hint of sadness in his gaze, “Had I known as much as I do now, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way. It’s tough to swallow, but that seems to be the truth.”

For those not familiar, Angry Young Men is a documentary series produced by Salman Khan, Farhan Akhtar, and Zoya Akhtar’s individual production houses, with direction by Namrata Rao. This series delves into the influential screenwriting duo Salim-Javed, showcasing how they revolutionized Indian cinema while providing insight into their personal lives through intimate moments and previously untold stories. The docu-series is divided into three reflective episodes and can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

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2024-08-23 13:39