Alright! Shabana Azmi and Javed Akhtar were gorgeous, most comfortable and lovely couple on Koffee with Karan so far. I mean I have seen “the†most ideal couple Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan on Rendevous with Simi Garewal, and they looked like two strange and unfamiliar people sharing a same stage. To me, they never looked like a happily married couple.
Whereas I got more than I expected from Shabana and Javed Akhtar. They were so funny and real on the show. I had always thought Shabana and Javed as a very seriuous couple, but they proved it wrong. Giving tips on a successful marriage, they seemed like a complete marriage institute. I loved the way Javed expressed his views on two people into a married relationship. To my surprise, Javed’s favourite song is “Beedi Jalaileâ€, can you believe a lyricist like him likes a song like that.
Karan: Well I try to project that in all my films that friendship is the basis of love. Of course, slightly cheesily at times but, basically do you think that’s what kept the marriage ticking… the friendship that you share with each other?
Javed Akhtar: I suppose so. Ultimately any relationship … marriage carries a lot of baggage… this word carries a lot of baggage… husband and wife have collected a lot of moss while rolling down the mountain of time. But the fact that 2 people can live happily only if they respect each other… they care for each other… they respect for each other’s space and individuality and help each other flourish. Otherwise if one is living or flourishing or growing at the cost of the other, the relationship may survive because of many other reasons but it won’t be an ideal or happy marriage situation.
Karan: But there is never an ideal situation. There are compromises made at both ends.
Javed Akhtar: No! Compromises are not against ideal. An ideal situation is when there are very happy compromises.
Shabana Azmi: I think marriage is an everyday adjustment but I don’t think society prepares us for that. You know they have this rosy picture ke aise hone wala hain and you never need to work towards it… but I think you need to work towards it.
On a romantic note about Javed, Shabana said:
Karan: Shabanaji, Javedsaab is a man of such beautiful words. Is he romantic at home, with you?
Shabana Azmi: Can I bust the myth once and for all? There is a complete myth, because there are these lovely girls who come up to me and say, “He writes such romantic poetry, such romantic songs, he must be terribly romantic!” he has not a bone of romance in him and he’s done nothing vaguely romantic that wooed me, except one thing… This was before we were married. We were passing by a flower shop and I said, ‘What lovely flowers!’, and he stopped the car and he bought the entire florist shop and we just had a small Fiat car. He stuffed it all over and we went to wherever we were going, full of flowers. That’s not the end. After that a couple of days later, we had a fight and so he sends me a note with flowers saying, ‘Usi makaam par kal mujhko dekhke tanha, bahut udaas huye phool bechne wale!’ I was completely floored. My mother told me to beware of poets. She was married to my father who was also a poet. She used to say, “Ek baar phase, to phir phase rehte hain!”
Shabana Azmi: You know there is one question always people ask me. Your father was a poet, your husband is a poet, and your father-in-law was a poet. Do you write poetry? So I say, ‘No, I provide the inspiration.’
I would say it was lovely and so touchy to see such a beautiful and lovely couple on KWK. Javed’s son Farhan Akhtar was also very comfortable and funny.
Karan: Javedsaab and you almost have like a healthy friendship. The interaction is almost hysterical, every time I’ve seen you’ll together its like two friends chatting… warring maybe at times, maybe the conflicts. Seems like a friendship, which is tough when there is a generation gap.
Farhan Akhtar: Yeah I know! Shabana calls me like a chamcha of Pa because I keep laughing at all his jokes but I don’t think I’m the only one. All of us do!
Javed Akhtar: You know so often people have told me… there is only one person in this world who is funnier than you and that is your son!
Karan: He is hysterical. I have seen him, his imitations, his performances are hysterical. But you have this great camaraderie with your father!
Farhan Akhtar: Yeah! Absolutely!
It was a complete entertainment with this episode.
