Farhan Akhtar is the son of Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani, who got married in 1972. However, the writing duo separated in 1978 and eventually got divorced in 1985. Recently, while talking to Faye D’Souza, Farhan shared how growing up with divorced parents had a huge impact on his separation from his ex-wife Adhuna Bhabani.
Akhtar was fully aware of the impact this would have on his daughters Shakya and Akira. Farhan Akhtar said, “It was difficult. One aspect of it was that my parents were divorced when I was a child. I know what it feels like and there was a big part of me that thought I couldn’t do this to my children.”
The Don director revealed that Adhuna and he wanted to talk to their daughters openly and honestly, to tell them that the divorce has nothing to do with them, nor with anything they did or said, and neither is it because of what they are here.
Farhan said, “It’s between two adults who, as friends, decided this is something they want to do. It’s the best we could have done, but it’s something I have to live with for the rest of my life.”
Also read: Who is Farhan Akhtar’s wife? Full timeline of the relationship between the Don 3 director and Shibani Dandekar
Akhtar further added that he has to live with the thought of ‘did they deserve it?’ and that “the fact that it happened to me as a child plays a huge role in how I feel about it now”.
After getting married in 2000, Farhan and Adhuna separated in 2016 and their divorce was finalised the following year. The actor-filmmaker is now married to Shibani Dandekar since 2022 and is raising his daughters with Adhuna.
On the work front, Farhan is gearing up for his directorial comeback with Don 3 starring Ranveer Singh and Kiara Advani in the lead roles. The film is currently slated to release in 2025. He also has Jee Le Zaraa with Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif which is currently on hold.
Also read: EXCLUSIVE: Farhan Akhtar reveals the reason behind casting Hrithik Roshan in ‘Lakshya’; explains why the film is still relevant today
