Shabana Azmi met Javed Akhtar when she was only three!
What's the story
Indian cinema icons Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar go way back! In an interview with Zoom, Azmi revealed that they met while they were still children. "The first time we met, I was 3 years old and he was 8. Both our parents were friends," she shared. Their mutual interest in literature and poetry brought them together in the late 1970s when Akhtar would visit her father to share his poetry. They have been married since 1984.
Backgrounds
Both Azmi and Akhtar belong to similar backgrounds
Speaking about how they come from similar backgrounds, the Makdee actor said, "Both our parents were friends. His father and my father are so similar in their views. They were lyricists, poets, and progressive writers. They loved Urdu." "People often tell me and Javed that we should have had an arranged marriage because our backgrounds were so similar. I started seeing him around the late 70s when he'd come to my father to show him his poetry."
Early impressions
Azmi's initial perception of Akhtar
Despite their early acquaintance, Azmi confessed she initially avoided Akhtar due to his reputation. "I used to stay away from him. I had heard that Salim [Khan]-Javed were very arrogant," she stated. "When he saw Sparsh, he came to me and talked about it. That really surprised me. He carefully remembered every dialogue. We started meeting slowly." "I found that he was not at all like his image, he was a very intelligent and fun man. "
Blossoming bond
Their relationship evolved gradually
Azmi's relationship with Akhtar flourished as she got to know him better. She added, "He was someone I could share my world view with. I really enjoyed meeting him. He made me laugh and gave me emotional support. All these qualities were in one man." The poet-lyricist was earlier married to screenwriter Honey Irani. Akhtar and Irani have two children together: filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar and director-producer Zoya Akhtar.