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Veteran Star Javed Akhtar Opens About Childhood Conditioning, Relationships, and the "Angry Young Man" Phenomenon
Javed Akhtar About Childhood Conditioning: The conditioning of men and women from childhood significantly shapes societal culture. Young men often grow up with notions such as "mard ko dard nahi hota", "angry young man," and "men don’t cry." These ingrained beliefs can cause a disconnection from their emotions. In a candid conversation with Nikhil Taneja on Yuvaa’s masculine positivity show, Be A Man, Yaar, Javed Akhtar discussed the emotional landscape of men, touching upon the iconic "Angry Young Man" character he co-created in the 1970s, which was famously embodied by Amitabh Bachchan. Akhtar revealed that the "Angry Young Man" was not merely angry but also deeply hurt.
In the episode titled “Javed Akhtar Speaks About Equations with Wife Shabana Azmi, Ex-Wife Honey Irani, Amitabh Bachchan, and more on Yuvaa’s ‘Be A Man, Yaar!’”, Akhtar delved into various aspects of his life, including:
His relationships with the women in his life: Akhtar spoke about his strong bonds with his ex-wife Honey Irani and his current wife Shabana Azmi, highlighting the importance of mutual respect and love in their marriage.
His friendship with Honey Irani: Despite their divorce, Akhtar described Honey Irani as one of his best friends, emphasizing the deep trust and camaraderie they share.
His marriage to Shabana Azmi: Akhtar reflected on their 40-year-long marriage, attributing their happiness to mutual respect, love, and acceptance.
The "Angry Young Man" character: Akhtar praised Amitabh Bachchan’s portrayal, noting that the depth of the character’s pain made his anger resonate more powerfully than mere arrogance.
Akhtar described his ex-wife, Honey Irani, as his best friend. Recalling their relationship, he said, “Aam taur se shaadi toote wo bhi 11 saal baad toh things can become very ugly. For a while, there was tension because obviously she was hurt but gradually things changed and today we are best of friends. Agar aap mujhe bole teen ache dosto ka naam batao toh ek toh main Honey ka loonga, do sochunga. And ye Honey ki side se hai that she has total confidence in me, and we share jokes and we share emotional moments. We are best of friends!”
When asked about his 40-year-long marriage with Shabana Azmi, Akhtar shared, “Woh dost hain meri basically! Meri aur Shabana ki dosti itni achi hai ki shaadi bhi uska kuch nahi bigaad payi. Do insaan hain, wo ek sath khush kaise reh sakte hain? Wo ek sath tabhi khush reh sakte hain jab dono mein mutual respect, mutual love ho. Uske sath ye acceptance ho ki hum mein se koi star and dusra planet nahi hai. We both are stars. And jis tarha mujhe apne ambitions, arzoo, tamanna, sapne rakhne ka adhikar hai, waise hi dusre ko bhi hai. You cannot expect to have a successful marriage at the cost of one person’s happiness chahe woh male ho ya female ho.”
Akhtar also praised Amitabh Bachchan, noting that many attempted to replicate the "Angry Young Man" character but none succeeded like Bachchan. “This is a man who is deeply hurt and that’s why he is angry. They did not bother about the hurt and they made the character angry, wo arrogant lagta hai, to uski copies bohot ki gayi but they did not work, because usme wo Amitabh Bachchan ke character ki, aur Amitabh Bachchan ke performance ki depth hi nahi hai.” He felt blessed to work with Bachchan, who enhanced the scenes beyond the written dialogues. Akhtar highlighted Mili as one of Bachchan’s finest performances.
Javed Akhtar also discussed his relationship with his parents, his equation with his children Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar, his struggle with alcoholism, his collaboration with Salim Khan, modern women, feminism, new-age writers and directors in Bollywood, the vague concept of men, his childhood, and much more.
- PTC PUNJABI
