Shabana Azmi Reveals Why She Used To Stay Away From Javed Akhtar, Also Opened Up On His Drinking Habits

Though there are countless power couples in Bollywood, Shabana Azmi and her husband Javed Akhtar are still included in the list of most loved couples. Both are known for their outspoken nature on socio-political matters. Now recently, the actress has revealed that she initially kept a distance from Javed Akhtar as he was rumored to be arrogant.

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar

The actress shared “Both our fathers were communists and lyricists. We also had a similar background. At that time, Javed had started writing poetry and used to come to meet my Abba to recite his compositions, but I kept a distance from him. I had heard that Javed is very arrogant and one should stay away from him. So, I did not pay much attention to him.”

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar

The actress further added, “After watching my film Sparsh, he praised it a lot. Then he came home and invited all of us who had worked in that film. He knew and remembered every dialogue of the film and also remembered the expressions of all of us. That’s when I understood that he is not what people call him. After that, whenever I sat with him, I felt he was just like my father. I felt he was the right person for me and that’s how our relationship started.”

Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar

Shabana further talked about Javed’s battle with alcohol addiction and said, “He knew that if he continued like this, he would not be able to survive for long and he would not be able to do his work creatively. We were in a flat in London and he was stinking of alcohol. Very calmly he told me, ‘Make some breakfast for me’. He had breakfast and after that, he told me, ‘I am not going to drink anymore throughout my entire life.'”