Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has recalled a conversation with son Farhan Akhtar when he was eight that began with a simple but significant question: “Are we Muslim?” Speaking about how he raised Farhan and daughter Zoya Akhtar, the veteran writer said he chose not to impose a religious identity on his children, instead encouraging them to develop their own values and beliefs.
In a conversation with Devna G.D. on Let’s Talk With DevnaJaved explained that he told Farhan a person’s place of birth or community does not define who they are. What matters, he said, is the kind of person they become.
“I remember Farhan was perhaps seven or eight years old and one day he came back from the school and his bag was on his shoulder. He came running to me because that was so important, and he asked me, ‘Are we Muslims? So, I told him, ‘Listen, what happens is that when you are born, you are born in some city-Pune, Mumbai, Agra, Ahmedabad, London, New York, or wherever. You are born the same way. If you are born, you’ll be born in some community, but it is not important which city you were born in or which community, what is important is what you are. I mean, they are totally areligious,” he said.
The writer said he did not want to impose a religious identity on either of his children and described Zoya and Farhan as “areligious”.
“They were areligious because by that time, perhaps some other father would have given them some religion. By the time you are 11 or 12, you get a religion. I did not give them any religion at all,” he said.
Javed Akhtar credits Honey Irani for raising Zoya and Farhan
Javed also acknowledged the important role played by his first wife, screenwriter Honey Irani, in bringing up their children.
He said that when he and Honey separated, Zoya was around 11 and Farhan was about nine and a half. He described those years as particularly important in shaping their personalities.
According to Javed, Honey taught the children how to understand freedom and responsibility, while also helping them develop a clear sense of values and morals. He said her contribution to their development as individuals was significant.
‘They achieved all this on their own’
Javed also expressed pride in what Zoya and Farhan have achieved in their respective careers. However, he stressed that their success was not handed to them by their parents.
He said both siblings had built their careers through their own efforts and had achieved their success independently.
Javed has been married to actor Shabana Azmi since 1984. He was previously married to Honey Irani, with whom he shares Zoya and Farhan. The couple separated in 1985.
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