Javed Akhtar recently opened up about his wife Shabana Azmi’s long-standing commitment to speaking out against injustice, saying he feels “proud” of her for joining the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in New Delhi last month.While several Bollywood personalities voiced their support for the protesting students online, Azmi chose to be present at Jantar Mantar, standing alongside students demanding action over the alleged leak of National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) papers.“This isn’t the first time she’s done this. She’s aged now, so does it less now,” Akhtar said with a laugh during a recent interview on the podcast Lets Talk With DevnaG.Azmi’s participation came despite the risks involved. Following the Delhi Police’s use of tear gas against protesters on July 20, the veteran actor suffered an asthma attack. She was subsequently diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, which kept her from taking part in student protests in Mumbai a few days later.Recalling her history of activism, Akhtar said, “I’ve gone to the police station to bail her out. She’s gone for a hunger strike in Mumbai. She’s been quite active,” he said. “When our relationship was developing, this is what she was involved in.”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 remembered the conversation he had with Azmi before she travelled to Delhi for the protests. “She called me when I was in London to tell me she’s going to Delhi for the protests. When she told me, I knew she would. It’s the call of the conscience. Not once I told her to not go or think twice. The moment she told me I cannot not go, I knew the old Shabana had woken up, and nobody can stop her. And good she did! I’m proud of her,” he said.Azmi’s activism stretches back decades. One of the most notable instances came in 1993, when she joined slum residents in Mumbai’s Cuffe Parade to protest the demolition of their homes. She was arrested along with 16 others and reportedly refused both bail and acceptance of the charges against her.Her arrest even created an unusual situation involving her stage commitments. Her mother, veteran actor Shaukat Kaifi, had to persuade the police to escort Azmi to Tata Theatre so she could perform in the acclaimed play Tumhari Amrita while still in detention. Azmi arrived on stage wearing the dusty clothes in which she had been arrested. Eventually, Akhtar stepped in and bailed her out.Reflecting on why they continue to speak up despite the fear that can accompany activism, Akhtar said, “It’s not like we don’t feel scared. We feel scared most of the times. But in some moments, you’ve to get over the fear and have to call a spade a spade. Otherwise you won’t be able to look into the mirror. If I don’t, I have no loyalty with either my zameen, zamana or zameer (land, time, and conscience). I don’t do it much, but when your conscience is pushed 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 with the students protesting over the NEET controversy. Although they received an acknowledgement that their letter had been received, they heard nothing further for three days.With no response forthcoming, Azmi decided to take matters into her own hands and join the protesters in person — continuing a decades-long pattern of activism that Akhtar says remains an integral part of who she is.
