Javed Akhtar, recognized for maintaining a friendly relationship with his first wife and fellow screenwriter Honey Irani, admitted during an interview with Mojo Story that if he hadn't been battling alcoholism or had been a "sober person," their marriage might have endured.

Javed reflected, "I'm convinced that if I had been sober and more responsible, the outcome might have been different. My struggle with alcoholism was a contributing factor to the breakdown of our relationship. Honey is an exceptional person, and I hold her in high regard. It's why we're best friends today."

In recent family portraits captured during their granddaughter Shakya Akhtar's graduation ceremony at Lanchester University, UK, Javed and Honey were pictured together. Their current spouses were also present; Javed's wife, actor Shabana Azmi, was seen alongside Honey. This camaraderie extended to Farhan Akhtar and Shibani Dandekar's wedding, where Shabana and Honey were photographed together, highlighting their amicable bond.

Javed and Honey exchanged vows in 1972 and are parents to two children, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar. Despite their divorce in 1984, they remain committed to co-parenting their children. Shortly after their divorce, Javed married Shabana.

In the same interview, Javed remarked, 'That's her resilience. Somehow, she managed it for nearly the first decade. But then she chose to marry someone who had that drinking habit, didn't she?' He chuckled as he spoke. Javed revealed that he made the decision to quit alcohol altogether one day and has not touched 'even a sip of champagne' since then.

On the work front, Javed's most recent work involved penning the lyrics for the song "Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se" in Rajkumar Hirani's film Dunki last year. The track, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu, was sung by Sonu Nigam and composed by Pritam. He is set to write the lyrics for the songs in Lahore 1947."