Javed Akhtar Opens Up About Personal Life And Bollywood's Portrayal Of Men

Javed Akhtar recently discussed the emotional conditioning of men and women from a young age. He highlighted how boys are often taught that "men don't cry" or "mard ko dard nahi hota," which distances them from their emotions. This conversation took place on Yuvaa's show 'Be A Man, Yaar' with Nikhil Taneja, where Akhtar also talked about the 'Angry Young Man' character he co-created with Salim Khan in the 70s, famously portrayed by Amitabh Bachchan.

During the episode, Javed Akhtar shared his thoughts on men's emotions and societal expectations. He spoke about having strong women in his life, saying, "Meri zindagi mein sirf wo hi auratein aayi jo behad strong auratein thi. I was married to Honey Irani and Honey is a very powerful and a very strong woman, and then after 11 years for different reasons we parted, and then I got married to Shabana. I don't think I need to tell you about her."

Reflecting on his relationship with ex-wife Honey Irani, Javed Saab 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 four-decade-long marriage with Shabana Azmi, Javed Saab explained their bond: "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."

Praising Amitabh Bachchan's portrayal of the 'Angry Young Man', Javed Saab noted that many imitations lacked depth: "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 also felt fortunate working with Mr Bachchan as he enhanced scenes beyond the written dialogues.

Javed Saab also discussed various personal topics during this candid conversation. He touched upon his relationship with his parents and children Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. He opened up about his struggle with alcoholism and his collaboration with Salim Khan on the 'Angry Young Man' character.

He further delved into modern women's roles in society, feminism, new-age Bollywood writers and directors, vague concepts of masculinity, his childhood experiences and more.

You can watch fresh episodes of #BeAManYaar powered by The Man Company on Yuvaa's YouTube channel or enjoy extended unfiltered episodes on Amazon Music.