When Shabana Azmi fell in love with Javed Akhtar while he was married

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar's marriage has been a topic of discussion in the industry for a few decades now. The couple, who tied the knot in 1984, has been going strong ever since. But their union didn't come without gossip and drama.

In a chat with writer Twinkle Khanna, shared on the Tweak India YouTube channel on Thursday, the veteran star admitted that her parents were not in favour of the relationship. Azmi opened up about being in a relationship with the popular lyricist when he was married to another woman and had two kids with her.

When Twinkle asked her if it was ‘difficult at that time’, the Tehzeen actor commented, “He [Javed] was a married man, he had children, it was really tough. And that's why I feel that people shouldn't speculate. It's difficult enough for the people involved and then just for gossip's sake. And obviously, people are going to say, ‘You call yourself a feminist and then how have you got yourself in this situation?’”

She continued, “At that time, I had a choice. I could explain my point of view, which would justify the action I had taken, but I felt if I did that, it would lead to more speculation, and more gossip, so I decided to stay quiet. In time people will come to know, and that is exactly what happened."

Azmi further shared, "Now of this, the real good thing that happened, and I give Honey Irani [Akhtar's first wife] a lot of credit for it, because through it all, she never poisoned the children's minds against me. She could have been really generous, and she would have been justified… But she never, never did that. In fact, she sent the children with us to London when they were really young, and that became a bonding, and it's to her credit, and Javed's credit, and my credit that we have such a healthy relationship with Zoya and Farhan.”

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