Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar’s documentary, Angry Young Men, is finally out on Prime Video after much anticipation. In an interesting revelation, Salim Khan said that he had initially refused to be a witness at Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani’s wedding. Salim believed that when he would be a witness at a wedding, the marriage wouldn’t last. However, he eventually agreed to Javed’s insistence.
Salim Khan said, “Honey was a very good friend of mine. Javed suggested her name during the casting of Seeta aur Geeta. They soon became excited about their relationship. Honey Irani’s mother told Javed, ‘I don’t like you coming here every day, better marry her.’” Javed Akhtar, who thought of Salim and Salma Khan as his parents, added, “Salim saab said, ‘You need two witnesses to get married.’ I said you are there. Obviously, I’d choose no one else.”
Javed Akhtar added, “He said, ‘Don’t make a witness.’ I asked why. He said, ‘All the marriages I’ve been a witness to have fallen apart.’ I am not a superstitious person at all. I said I don’t believe in such things. You will be my witness. But then he proved to be right.”
Javed Akhtar married Honey Irani in 1972. They have two kids, Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar. The couple separated in 1978. While Honey and Javed’s divorce was finalised between 1984-85, he married Shabana Azmi in 1984. Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar are often celebrated as a couple who exemplify mutual respect and affection. Shabana also shares a close bond with Javed’s children – Farhan Akhtar and Zoya Akhtar.
However, Shabana and Honey Irani don’t have a friendly equation. In a 2012 interview with Filmfare, Honey said, “I have no rapport as such with her. I go to Javed’s house on his birthday. Shabana and I greet each other. It’s cordial. There’s a lot of respect. That’s it.” Honey added that she and Shabana were not ‘sahelis’.
Meanwhile, speaking with Arbaaz Khan on the second season of his talk show, The Invincibles, Shabana credited Honey for the actress’s close bond with the Akhtar kids. The Arth actress added that Honey never restricted her children from bonding with Shabana. “They were young kids at that time and it was the easiest thing for Honey to take them away. She never did that and encouraged them to come with us,” she said.
As for Angry Young Men, the three-part series looks at how Salim-Javed changed Hindi cinema in the 1970s with their powerful scripts and the famous ‘Angry Young Man’ character. Featuring insights from the duo and industry stars, it shows how their work in blockbusters like Sholay, Deewaar, and Don captured a generation and made a lasting cultural impact. The docuseries aims to provide a personal and honest look at their lives, their writing, and their legacy.
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