Feature:
The Happily Married Intellectual Couple – Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi
 Like all lovebirds, this decent-intellectual couple too underwent love affair and was spotted dating each other on various private places.. Both were seeking a strong bond of love, a real partner who could understand the nature, respect the feelings and above all shower the romance, which the two were looking desperately since they both were heart-broken – Javed Akhtar from his Ex-wife Honey Irani (a renowned script writer and film director) and Shabana from Shekhar Kapoor (a well famed filmmaker of international repute). Soon the two realized that they were made for each other. Prior to their love affair, Javed Akhtar used to come to Shabana’s house to meet her father Kaifi Azmi, a well-known Urdu poet and a film lyricist. Since both (Javed and Kaifi) were from the same field of Urdu literature (writing), they shared a good friendship with each other.
 Stories of the Javed-Shabana’s romance had been in the air for quite some time. And even they both neither confirmed their romance nor denied it. This attitude of their gave confirmation that they were in love. When Honey Irani got to know about Javed’s affair with Shabana Azmi, she sent her spies to investigate the whole situation. She was told that Javed left the house freshly showered with the beautiful fragrance of aftershave and cologne and went straight to meet his love lady Shabana. Akhtar’s neighbors at Sea Spring, Bandstand in Bombay whispered to Honey about his late and early mornings arrivals. And then came the magical day, which put the full stop to all rumours. 10th December 1984 , Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi tied the nuptial knot. It was a spellbinding afternoon swathed with their guests who came to congratulate and wish the couple good luck. Both had innumerable appointments, but neither was willing to budge. Javed Akhtar had an appointment with a producer whereas Shabana had a recoding with the music director Khayyam for a movie, ‘Anjuman’. Only a few very close guests were invited since the decision of marriage was taken in haste, on the day they got married. All happened in a jiffy. Shabana, Javed, Shabana’s friends and her mother’s friends all were sitting in the garden. Neither Kaifi Azmi nor Shoukat Azmi (Shabana’s mother) was present at the occasion. As dusk fell, some more close friends dropped by. Shabana’s cousin Rajjo came with her daughter Farha. Anu Kapoor (the coveted Bollywood actor and the famous host of Zee TV’s show Antakshri) and Farha went to hunt for a maoulvi for the Nikah. Shabana Azmi as usual was unable to locate her cupboard keys and sat motionless in her room. Soon she thought of something and then grabbed the saree lying outside, tied a rubber band around her hair and the bride was ready for the most happiest day of life. Much later after the wedding, Shabana regretted not wearing a gharara and not having a photographer on her very important day. “How sad that I have absolutely no memory of the precious moment. It was over before I knew it”, she told to the press.
 For a long time after, everytime Shabana Azmi attended a wedding ceremony she missed the celebration she could never have. “We had no lights, no shehnai. It didn’t even feel like a wedding…!”, she further expressed to the media. The room for their suhaag raat was decorated with the traditional mograas and agarbatties.
The press condemned their marriage. They termed Javed Akhtar a cad and Shabana a hypocrite. From someone championing women’s issues, they expected something better. The media persons arrived at the sets of Shoukat Azmi’s Umraao Jaan at Mehboob Studios to have her statement on her daughter’s marriage where she and her husband were not present. The press did not stop here instead they went to Shabana’s father Kaifi Azmi with a newspaper cutting (carrying the story on Shabana-Javed’s marriage) in Mijwan, UP. MTNL was on strike those days, which is why the news of the wedding could not reach to him there. Shoukat Azmi broke down because her daughter had taken a major decision in her husband’s absence. Kaifi Azmi, on the other hand, was not much surprised at his daughter’s sudden marriage and felt relieved that the problem had now found a solution. He got happy that now there would be one more writer in his daughter’s life.
 The whole media in the country was not going to let Shabana get away so easily. But she defended herself with dignity. Shabana and Javed maintained silence. They owed no one any explanations
In a poem written on his love Shabana, Javed Akhtar dashed off, ‘Woh Us Duniya Ki Aurat Hai Jis Duniya Mein Main Rehta Hoon’. Absolutely true, because she is intellectual like Javed. And they both respect each other’s intellects. Finding a partner up to your mind is difficult and very rarely, it happens. And he finds himself lucky that he has got the one, who is like him.
- Written By: Goher Iqbal Punn
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- The writer is a popular and experienced Bollywood and Indian TV Analyst and laced with a good rapport with both of these fraternities and the people associated with these entertainment worlds. He also shares a good rapport with the celebs of these swanky industries. You may contact him at the e-mails: goheriqbal@yahoo.co.uk, goher.punn@yahoo.com and goher.punn@gmail.com
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