‘It Was Never Because of Shabana’, Honey Irani on Her Separation with Javed Akhtar on In The Ring with Filmfare

Renowned screenwriter, director and former child actor Honey Irani sits down for an unfiltered and deeply personal conversation on In The Ring with Filmfare, with Filmfare Editor-in-Chief Jitesh Pillai. Known for scripting some of Hindi cinema’s most iconic and emotionally rich films, Honey turns the lens inward as she opens up about the defining moments of her life — from childhood stardom and creative highs to personal heartaches and healing.

With quiet strength and introspective honesty, Honey speaks about the challenges of raising children as a single mother, her bittersweet separation from Javed Akhtar, and finding her voice again through writing.  Known for penning landmark films like Lamhe, Darr, Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, Kya Kehna, Koi... Mil Gaya, and Lakshya, her screenplays have not only defined generations and challenged norms but also given audiences stories that dared to feel deeply and differently.

Reflecting on her days in the industry, Honey recalled, “As far as I was concerned, I was just two and a half when I did Ek Gaon Ki Kahani. I absolutely hated going for shoots. And somehow Daisy was already a big star, and they were getting a lot of films. They were impressed with me acting so many dialogues smoothly. They used to tell me, let’s go for a movie or let’s go eat Chinese today. And they took me to the studio, and the moment I saw the studio gate, I would start howling. On set, they’d try to calm me with laddoos and gulab jamuns. I was pampered, and even the dialogues were recorded playfully.”

Reminiscing about stage performances with legendary singers, she shared, “We used to do a lot of shows with Rafi Sahab, Kishore Kumar, and all. We used to dance to their hit songs. There was this incident with Kishore Kumar, I remember— in Mauritius, at the airport, we saw these tall men with long beards. Kishore Dada whispered to Daisy, asking if we could touch their beards. Then he literally pretended to limp and walk to that side, and acted like he was falling, and grabbed one of them — all part of his charm and mischief.”

Honey candidly opened up about her relationship with Javed, “Yes, it is true that during Seeta and Geeta, I fell in love with Javed Sir. Once, he asked me to pick a card during a game, and he won. He joked, “You are so lucky for me, I think I should marry you. We were dating for seven to eight months.”

Speaking about their separation, she added with grace and clarity, “I did feel angry and all during my separation with Javed Akhtar, but I’ve never been dramatic. I did feel this was not working, and I have always said, it was never because of Shabana— I don’t know what to call it. Maybe he was looking for something totally different from me, which I had. There is a lot of love and respect to date between us. I know he will never say anything or do anything that will harm my children; that is one thing I am confident about. So, I guess that made it easy.”

Honey also recounted her time as an assistant on set and how Rekha tested her patience, “Rekha troubled me so much. I think that is her way of testing me. On the first day, the dining table was not working at all; after shooting, I covered the food, and Rekha asked ‘Who is the assistant who did not uncover the food?’ Rekha was like ‘Where is my Chappal? Where are my heels? My bindi is wrong, you should pay attention’, etc. I asked one day, ‘Why are you doing this?’ And she told me ‘I am making you a much better assistant, my dear’.”

Opening up on her present slow, and self-composed life, she added, “Right now I have published two children’s books, I am writing a few more, I have written a web series, awaiting approval. I am also doing some scripts. I am enjoying this. Last time, Rakesh Ji’s film, I wrote it. I love trying new dishes, playing cards with my friends, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle, just like this time is going on.”