Javed Akhtar Was 'Drunk' When He Married Shabana Azmi, Couldn't Make A 'Decision': 'He Was Sloshed...'

Javed Akhtar tied the knot with Shabana Azmi in 1984. Actor Annu Kapoor, who was closely involved in organising the impromptu ceremony, recently revealed that the writer got married under the influence of alcohol. He recalled how Javed and Shabana decided to take the plunge after midnight and he had to rush to a mosque in Bandra to find a maulvi to officiate the wedding.

Appearing on the ANI podcast, Annu recalled, “He was sitting there, drunk. She was sitting elsewhere, busy reading a book. I was there, and I told her, ‘Bibi, just go ahead with it, decide once and for all’. Javed was absolutely sloshed. She said, ‘How can I decide? He isn’t ready to make any kind of decision’. I went over to him and shook some sense into him, and he mumbled, ‘Yes, I’m ready’. So, together with their driver Michael, I rushed off to the Bandra mosque to bring a maulvi over. In the meantime, Shaukat Ammi took out her red ‘joda’, and called up Anil Kapoor and Boney Kapoor, and everyone came over. They danced till 4 in the morning; the wedding took place after midnight.”

Annu Kapoor mentioned that the period was difficult as Honey Irani was also involved in the situation. In previous interviews, Shabana Azmi has often lauded Honey Irani for how she handled the situation. “Oh, it was a very, very, very tough period. I don’t think anybody knows what all the three people involved suffer. They think, ‘That’s it, kar liya.’ It is very difficult, very painful, particularly when there are children involved in it. You go through a very, very difficult period,” she said in a conversation with Curly Tales.

In an appearance on Arbaaz Khan’s talk show, Shabana praised Honey and said, “We decided that there should be no bitterness involved. Of course, in the beginning, she was very bitter, she felt rejected. But he kept at it, he kept at it, he kept at it. And today, what’s come from it is really something that I’m proud of.”

In the documentary series Angry Young Men, Javed admitted that he feels tremendous guilt for his failed marriage with Honey. “Honey is one person in the world, towards whom I feel guilty. And she is the only person. Sixty-seventy per cent responsibility lies on my shoulders, for the failure of that marriage. If I had as much understanding as I have today, perhaps things would not have gone wrong. It is very difficult to accept, but that’s how it is,” he said.