Javed Akhtar says he is proud of Shabana Azmi for joining protests at Jantar Mantar against NEET paper leak: ‘This is not the first time, when our relationship was developing, this is what she was involved in’ | Hindi Movie News

Javed Akhtar recently spoke about his wife Shabana Azmi’s long-standing commitment to speaking out against injustice, saying he is “proud” of her for joining the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in New Delhi last month.While several Bollywood personalities expressed their support to the students protesting online, Azmi chose to be present at Jantar Mantar, alongside students demanding action over the alleged leak of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) papers.“This isn’t the first time he’s done this. He’s gotten older now, so he does it less now,” Akhtar said with a laugh during a recent interview on the Lets Talk With DevnaG podcast.Azmi’s participation came despite the risks involved. Following the use of tear gas by the Delhi Police against protesters on July 20, the veteran actor suffered an asthma attack. He was later diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, which prevented him from participating in the student protests in Mumbai a few days later.Recalling her history of activism, Akhtar said, “I went to the police station to bail her out. She went on a hunger strike in Mumbai. She has been quite active,” he said. “When our relationship was developing, she was involved in this.”The couple began dating in the late 1970s, after Akhtar met Azmi at the Mumbai residence of his family friend and celebrated poet Kaifi Azmi, who was Shabana’s father.Akhtar also recalled the conversation he had with Azmi before she traveled to Delhi for the protests. “He called me when he was in London to tell me that he is going to Delhi for the protests. When he told me, I knew I would do it. It is the call of conscience. I never once told him not to go or think twice. The moment she told me I couldn’t stop going, I knew that old Shabana had woken up and no one could stop her. And he did it well! “I’m proud of her,” he said.Azmi’s activism goes back decades. One of the most notable cases occurred in 1993, when he joined slum residents in Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade to protest the demolition of their houses. She was arrested along with 16 other people and reportedly refused both bail and to accept the charges against her.His arrest even created an unusual situation regarding his stage commitments. Her mother, veteran actor Shaukat Kaifi, had to persuade the police to escort Azmi to the Tata Theater so she could act in the acclaimed play Tumhari Amrita while still in detention. Azmi came on stage dressed in the dusty clothes in which she had been arrested. Finally, Akhtar intervened and bailed her out.Reflecting on why they continue to speak out despite the fear that can accompany activism, Akhtar said: “It’s not that we don’t feel fear. We feel scared most of the times. But at some times, you have to overcome the fear and call a spade a spade. Otherwise, you won’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror. If I don’t, I have no loyalty to even my zameen, zamana or zameer (land, time and conscience). “I don’t do it a lot, but when your conscience is against the wall, you have to do it,” he added.Azmi herself had previously revealed that her decision to attend the CJP protests came after she and Akhtar first attempted to address the matter through official channels. The couple wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asking him to meet the students protesting the NEET controversy. Although they received an acknowledgment of receipt of their letter, they heard nothing more for three days.When she received no response, Azmi decided to take matters into her own hands and join the protesters in person, continuing a decades-long pattern of activism that Akhtar said remains an integral part of who she is.