Popular screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi were spotted at Mumbai airport. Several videos and photos of the couple have gone viral, showing Javed Akhtar in a wheelchair as he was accompanied by his wife, veteran actress Shabana Azmi.
However, when the paparazzi requested Javed Akhtar to pose while standing, he obliged and faced the cameras alongside Shabana Azmi.
Netizens were worried upon seeing Javed Akhtar in a wheelchair and expressed concern about his health.
Shabana Azmi & Javed Akhtar’s Decades-Long Togetherness Is All About Love & Care! ❤️
#shabanaazmi #javedakhtar #filmibeat #bollywood https://t.co/2zQm5v6otR
— FilmiBeat (@filmibeat) November 15, 2026
Shabana Azmi recalls Javed Akhtar’s struggles
Shabana, who is extremely active on social media, keeps revisiting fond memories with her writer husband time and again. In October, the veteran actress recalled Javed Akhtar’s difficult days, revealing how he battled extreme hardships before making a name for himself in the industry.
Shabana shared that there were days when he had nowhere to sleep and barely had anything to eat.
Dropping a rare throwback photo of Javed Akhtar on her official handle, Shabana Azmi wrote, “4th Oct 1964. A young lad arrived at Bombay Central Station with 27 naye paise in his pocket but with big dreams in his eyes. Life gave him several hard knocks. He slept on the footpaths, at the railway stations, and in the compound of many a studio. A day came when he had nothing to eat for 3 days and the only clothes he had were the shreds on his body.”
“On the edge of despair when he could have given up, he said to himself ‘Main yunhi marne ke liye nahin paida nahin hua tha. Yeh din badlenge’.. as they did. 4th October 1964: a 19 yr old, almost penniless. 4th October 2026, decades later: a life that has given India some of its most memorable words. This is the story of Javed Akhtar. Some journeys begin with almost nothing. Except a dream. If he can do it so can you. Never give up,” she added.
For the unversed, Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi got married on December 9, 1984, and will complete 42 years of marriage next month.