Javed Akhtar Shares Son Farhan’s Childhood Inquiry Regarding Family’s Religious Values

Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar recently opened up about his children Zoya Akhtar and Farhan Akhtar's professional accomplishments and how their formative years were shaped primarily by their mother, Honey Irani, his first wife. In candid remarks made during a recent conversation, Akhtar reflected on his approach to parenting, particularly regarding religious identity, revealing that he deliberately chose not to impose any religious label on his children as they grew up in a household that, by his own account, prioritized individual character over inherited categories of identity.

Sharing a personal anecdote from his children's childhood, Akhtar recalled a moment when his son Farhan, then around seven or eight years old, came home from school and asked him directly, "Are we Muslims?" According to Akhtar, the question carried visible significance for young Farhan, who approached him with urgency, his school bag still on his shoulder, eager for an answer to something that had clearly been weighing on his mind, likely prompted by conversations or questions he had encountered among classmates at school that day.

Recounting his response, Akhtar explained that he told his son that birth is simply a matter of circumstance, tied to the city or place one happens to be born in, whether Pune, Mumbai, Agra, Ahmedabad, London, or New York. He extended this reasoning to community and religious identity as well, telling Farhan that while a person may be born into a particular community, what ultimately matters is not the community or city of one's birth, but who a person chooses to be and how they conduct themselves throughout their life. This framing, as Akhtar described it, was intended to steer his children away from viewing religious or communal identity as a defining feature of who they were.

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Akhtar noted that by deliberately withholding a religious label from his children, he ensured they grew up without a fixed religious identity, unlike what he suggested might have happened had another father been in his position. He observed that children are often assigned a religious identity by the time they reach the age of eleven or twelve, as parents and social environments gradually reinforce such categories, but that he made a conscious and deliberate choice to raise Farhan and Zoya without instilling any particular religion, describing them as "totally areligious" as a result of this upbringing.

Beyond the question of religious identity, Akhtar also credited Honey Irani with playing a central role in shaping the values and character of their children during their formative years. He specifically praised her for instilling in them a sense of freedom, responsibility, and personal values, attributes that appear to have played a significant role in shaping both Zoya and Farhan Akhtar's paths toward successful and distinctive careers in the Indian film industry. Zoya has gone on to establish herself as an acclaimed filmmaker known for her work in both cinema and streaming platforms, while Farhan has built a multifaceted career as an actor, director, singer, and producer.

Akhtar's remarks, made during an appearance on the talk show "Let's Talk With DevnaG," offer a rare and personal glimpse into his parenting philosophy and the broader considerations that shaped his children's upbringing, particularly around questions of identity that many families navigate differently depending on cultural, religious, and personal beliefs. His comments also reflect a broader perspective on identity that appears to prioritize individual character and personal choice over inherited religious or communal labels, a viewpoint he has expressed in various public contexts over the years, including his long-standing association with progressive and secular political and cultural positions in India.

The anecdote, though personal in nature, resonates with wider conversations in India about how families navigate questions of religious and communal identity with their children, particularly in a country where such identities often carry significant social, cultural, and political weight from an early age.

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