Popular screenplay writer Javed Akhtar has recently opened up about his battle with alcoholism in his younger days. He also cited his alcohol addiction as the reason behind the failure of his first marriage. He was previously married to Honey Irani, with whom he had two kids, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. He admitted making mistakes in the past.
In an interview with Sapan Verma for his YouTube channel, the veteran lyricist admitted that his marriage with Honey Irani failed since he once used to be a drunkard. “I have wasted a lot of time drinking. I was a drunkard. I left drinking on July 31, 1991. I feel I have wasted a grand total of at least 10 years just drinking. I could have used that time for a much positive and constructive purpose. I will advise young people, if you drink, stop it, because when I look at my life, I have not made any major mistake in my life without drinking.” he added.
He further said, “I regret the failure of my first marriage. It could have been saved. But it was my irresponsible attitude, my drinking… When you are drunk, you take impulsive decisions, you start fighting about certain things which are not such big issues. Ye sab galtiyaan toh hui hai mujhse (These are the mistakes that I have made).” The veteran lyricist is currently married to Shabana Azmi. The duo got married on December 9, 1984. He got divorced from Honey Irani in 1985.
