The Akhtar clique is composed not just of artistes but of people who have never shied away from taking strong stances on societal issues and ensuring those convictions are reflected in their actions. While the public has often witnessed this side of legendary screenwriter-poet Javed Akhtar, his second wife, actor Shabana Azmi, and his children, Farhan and Zoya Akhtar, the same cannot be said about Javed’s first wife, Honey Irani. Despite being an accomplished screenwriter and actor, Honey has largely stayed away from the media, with her appearances mostly limited to family photos shared by other members of the Akhtar family.
Recently, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar shared an anecdote about his mother that highlighted not only her fierce spirit but also her unwavering stance against crime and injustice against women. Farhan noted that this incident played a pivotal role in shaping his own values. “This happened in the ’80s, and she was driving somewhere. She loved self-driving. She was behind a rickshaw. Meanwhile, a woman was crossing the road, and she stopped on the divider, waiting for the vehicles to pass. Seeing the woman, the person who was in the rickshaw put his hand out and groped her. My mom stopped her car immediately. She (the victim) was crying, and my mom told her to come with her in the car,” Farhan shared during a chat with Prakhar Gupta.
The actor-filmmaker further stated that Honey was not ready to sweep the matter under the carpet just like that. “She made her sit in the car and started following the rickshaw. Upon catching up, she stopped the rickshaw, pulled the guy (perpetrator) out and gave him three to four slaps. She also toppled over his vehicle. Afterwards, she dropped that woman off at home,” he added.
Mentioning that for a person of his age and considering the era, Honey’s actions were quite “unmotherly”, Farhan said, “You don’t imagine women getting into scraps on the road. So, I was blown away by that episode. It also gave me insight into when to stand up in situations like this. You can’t be like, ‘arrey, how sad’ and move on. That was a key turning moment in my psyche. It was not just about my understanding of her, but also in terms of what she represented in that moment to that woman as well.”
Renowned for penning movies like Lamhe (1991), Darr (1993), Kya Kehna (2000), Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai (2000), Koi… Mil Gaya (2003), Krrish (2006) and Krrish 3 (2013), Honey Irani also helmed a movie, Armaan (2003), the script of which she co-wrote with her first husband Javed Akhtar. It featured Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Preity Zinta, Gracy Singh and Randhir Kapoor in key roles.
